You might have noticed a theme when it comes to my knitting in my last few posts… when I like a pattern I just can’t stop making it! This spring I learned how to knit socks, and it has been just about the only thing I’ve done with my hands all season! I started off with a very basic pattern, Vanilla Socks by Crazy Sock Lady, with hopes to knit my first pair of socks before the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! I’d purchased my first skein of sock yarn at MDSW last year, so it was only fair that in order to buy more I’d have to successfully knit a pair of socks from last year’s stash! They turned out so well and I can’t wait to have a whole drawer full of them!
This is my first ever pair of socks, the ones that started it all! I used yarn from Temping Ewe Yarns in the color New Moon. I really loved working with this yarn, and will definitely be looking out for Tempting Ewe at other fiber festivals and shops I visit! These socks are an honorable mention, as I knit them in between books!
Let’s catch up on the other items that have been on my kindle and my needles this spring!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and Vanilla Socks in Nesta by Bumblebee Acres Yarn
After reading this book, I am ready to be fully indoctrinated into the cult of Barbara Kingsolver! I’ll admit that because of the hype I’d avoided her books previously, but this one blew my expectations out of the water. Demon Copperhead is a retelling of Dickens’s David Copperfield that begins in the late 90s in rural Appalachia. The narrator, Damon Fields, or Demon, is a young man coming of age through the impact of adults that let him down, the foster care system, and the opioid crisis. Kingsolver’s writing is impeccable, and Demon’s voice is both distinct and familiar. I would highly recommend the audio version, as the performance by Charlie Thurston is phenomenal. I can confidently say that this is the best book I’ve read this year so far!
This yarn is a festival yarn from this year! Last year Bumblebee Acres’ booth was a bit too hectic to do much shopping, but we got there early this year and had our pick of their wares! Bumbleebee Acres is a yarn company for the nerdy at heart, most of their collections are based on various fandoms, from Outlander to Star Wars! When I arrived at their booth, I zoomed in on the A Court of Thorns and Roses yarns and chose Nesta. I paired it with a contrasting mini skein from Tempting Ewe Yarns and plan to order the other ACOTAR sister inspired yarns to complete the set soon!
The Measure by Nikki Erlick and Vanilla Socks in Hot & Tipsy by NAO Yarns
The Measure was a book club pick that fell a little flat for me. The premise was intriguing – one day, a mysterious box is delivered to each person on earth aged 22 and older. Inside the box is a single string, and it is soon discovered that the string is representative of the total length of that person’s life. Some people have short strings, some people have long ones. Chaos ensues. While I enjoyed participating in the conversations that this book stirred up, the book itself didn’t do much for me. I think this idea is better suited to a television show or movie, where we could explore a larger cast of characters more quickly.
I found this yarn at a yarn shop in Blacksburg, VA last year when David and I attended Virginia Tech’s Homecoming. David is a Hokie and finding Hokie themed yarn was a fun little treat! I’ll be wrapping up these socks just in time for his birthday!
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and Vanilla Socks in Wildflowers by The Sheepyshire
This was a book I didn’t expect to like but really ended up enjoying, much to the surprise of the other members of my book club! Olive is a bit of a miserable person, but I appreciated the nuance and found some of the moments to be heartwarming and relatable. Not a ton happens in this book, really, other than Olive’s daily life, but that is what I liked about it. The author seems to guide you gently into thoughts about how you’d handle each situation, and by the end, Olive becomes someone you know, if not a reflection of yourself.
I knitted these socks for my best friend Emily and it was so fun to make them as a surprise! I mailed them to her one day, and I’ve received a few texts here and there about how comfortable they are. What’s not to love about socks made exactly to measure? I think I’ll go knit some more!
What are you reading and/or making lately?
