It had been years since I attended a multi-day knitting event as a paying participant, as opposed to going as an instructor or member of the event staff. I am essentially an introvert, perfectly happy with no company but my own. In a crowd of strangers, I’m most comfortable when I have a clearly defined job to do. I was frankly a little anxious about attending Shakerag. I knew the event had many repeat attendees. The only people I knew who were going were Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner (owners of Modern Daily Knitting) and two of the instructors (Kate Atherley and Lorilee Beltman).

Would I feel like I had walked into a party to which I was not invited?

I did not. It was terrific. I had a wonderful time.

Ann and Kay have created an event with an exceptionally warm and welcoming atmosphere. There were more than 100 women in attendance from 34 different states. (This year it was all women, though I understand that is not always the case.) The vibe was friendly and relaxed. All I had to do was walk up to a group or a table—people would slide over to make room, introduce themselves, and include me in the conversation.

At Shakerag, you are free to do as much or as little as you like. I chose to take only two of the four classes offered. The rest of the time, I relaxed at a picnic table under the trees, or sat in a comfy chair in the library, and talked with other participants. I also got lots of knitting done. I finished the sweater I was working on for a design commission and finished a sock (my backup project) that I started more than a year ago.

For those looking for a more active getaway, there were hikes and yoga each morning and swimming in the lake in the afternoon. Each evening included an after-dinner program, including a student fashion show on the last night.

The Real Reason to Go

Most of us knit in isolation. We may have a few friends who are knitters. If we’re lucky, we belong to a knitting group that meets every couple of weeks. Our families might understand that knitting is important to us, but they don’t really get it.

An event like Shakerag lets you spend several days surrounded by people who do get it. They are quick to ask about and admire whatever you have on your needles. They will happily talk through the pros and cons of the yarn possibilities for your next Ranunculus. They understand your determination to master Judy’s Magic Cast-on, no matter how many times you have to start over. They are willing to lend a hand to help you untangle that snarled skein you picked up from the swap table.

Even if you attend solo (like me), you are quickly absorbed into the community. That feeling of being part of a community of knitters is priceless.

Of course, not everyone has the time or the financial resources to attend an event like Shakerag. But if you do, don’t let fear of being a stranger stop you.

If you are thinking about going to Shakerag next summer, make sure you are on the Modern Daily Knitting mailing list. There isn’t enough room at Shakerag for everyone who wants to attend, so spots are allocated by lottery. Registration for the lottery will open in mid-August. The lucky folks whose names are drawn will have until mid-September to confirm their registration and pay.

What I’m Knitting Now

I have a friend who is expecting her first baby, so I’m knitting a baby blanket. Here’s what I’ve knit so far:

This blanket will be made in four pieces identical to the one in the photo above. Each quadrant is composed of nine mitered squares. I have enough yarn to add a border, but I’ll wait until the quadrants are sewn together and see if it feels like a border is needed.

Here’s the construction plan:

I’m using the same yarn I used for the baby blanket I knit back in 2024, Purl Soho’s Daily Wool Worsted. I usually avoid superwash yarn, but practical considerations take precedence for a baby blanket. Daily Wool knit in garter stitch makes a hearty yet wonderfully squishy blanket for a little one. The colors I chose are Heirloom White, Chartreuse Green, Pollen Yellow, and Cinnamon Bark.

Knitting mitered squares is so satisfying. Each square starts with only 45 stitches, and gets smaller with each row, so you see progress relatively quickly. The squares can be joined as you go along, making finishing a much smaller task. I like that column of stockinette stitch in the center “spine” of each square adding a sort of diagonal overlay to the basic grid of color. I’m very happy with how this project is coming along.

I’ve accepted a new design commission and I’m awaiting delivery of the yarn (a new project plus a brand-new, not yet on the market yarn makes this a double hooray!) We’ll see how much of the blanket I can get done while I wait.

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy Elizabeth Strout’s novels, so I was delighted to listen to the audiobook of her latest, The Things We Never Say.

This new novel is a departure from Strout’s usual setting of Crosby, Maine, with its familiar cast of characters. The Things We Never Say introduces us to Artie Dam, a high school history teacher in a suburb of Boston.

When we meet Artie, he is in his late 50’s. His wife of 34 years treats him with thinly veiled dissatisfaction, his adult son has become distant, and his best friend has moved away. Artie is lonely, he’s feeling like an old man, and he’s contemplating suicide.

When a long-held family secret is revealed, Artie’s world is shaken. He must reevaluate all the relationships that are most important to him. Nothing will ever be the same.

I loved spending time with Artie. He is a kind and gentle man, devoted to encouraging his students to be the best version of themselves, yet oblivious to the real impact he has on the lives of those around him. His empathy stands in stark relief to the post-pandemic and politically turbulent world in which the story is set.

Strout excels at the slow reveal. Her characters unfurl with each chapter. Robert Petkoff does a fine job of narrating the audiobook.

If you’re in the mood for a character study which celebrates kindness, empathy, and forgiveness, you’re going to love The Things We Never Say.

This has been such a busy week, my running list of links to share is blank! I’ll find more juicy and entertaining links and bring them to you next week.

Thank you, as always, for your company and your support. I may not often spend time with readers and knitters face-to-face, but I love writing for you each week and reading your thoughts in the comments.

Continue the conversation—Have you attended a knitting retreat recently? Do you have any favorite retreats to recommend to other knitters and readers? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

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A center-pull ball of yarn is a congenial knitting companion. It doesn’t roll away from you. It sits politely at your side or tucks into a pocket and delivers yarn to your hands smoothly without pesky tangles.

Most of the yarn I use comes in twisted hanks, not pre-rolled into balls or skeins. I wind each hank into a center-pull ball before I begin to knit. But I have not owned a ball winder in years. I wind my yarn by hand, and today I’m going to show you how.

What About a Swift?

A hank of yarn needs to be held in an open loop to prevent tangling while the yarn is being wound. We’ve all seen images of someone holding yarn around their spread hands while someone else winds it into a ball.

But I live alone. Even if there are others in your household, you might have a hard time convincing them to put down their phone and hold your yarn.

That’s where a swift comes in. The swift holds your yarn while you wind. Most people use a collapsible umbrella swift like this one or this one. I use a vertical, or “squirrel cage” swift.

This is my swift. I bought it more than 25 years ago when I opened my yarn store. It saw daily use in the shop, where a ball winder was clamped to the top bar and it was available for customer use. When I closed the store in 2007, the swift came home with me and has continued to serve me well. It’s safe to say this swift has held thousands of skeins of yarn. It stands in a corner of my home office when not in use. It’s lightweight, so I can easily move it to the living room if I want to spend a couple of hours winding yarn in front of the television.

Why Not Just Use a Ball Winder?

Winding my yarn into balls is a way to get to know the yarn. Every inch passes through my fingers before I pick up my knitting needles. Knots, slubs, flaws, and vegetable matter can be dealt with before they surprise me in the middle of a row. I don’t find winding yarn to be a chore. It’s an enjoyable part of the process. While a ball winder can certainly be faster, I’m not particularly interested in speed when it comes to my knitting.

I’m trying to figure out how to add more video content to my posts without spending a lot of time taking a class in video editing. Thanks for your tolerance as I learn, and please forgive the sniffles. I didn’t realize how close my face was to the microphone while I was filming, and a change in the weather has messed with my nose. I need to look up an easy way to suppress the native audio.

Here’s The How-to

Begin by winding a butterfly

Mount the yarn on your swift. Anchor the tail of the yarn between the middle fingers of your non-dominant hand and wind the yarn across your palm from index finger to pinkie in a figure 8. Keep going until you have a decent bundle—the number of wraps will vary depending on the thickness of the yarn.

Form the core of your ball

Carefully remove the butterfly from your fingers and fold it in half, with the tail in the middle. Grasp the folded bundle between the thumb and fingers of your non-dominant hand with the tail toward your wrist. Begin wrapping the yarn around your fingers, with the yarn inside. Make sure the yarn tail doesn’t get caught in these wraps.

Why do we keep our fingers inside the ball? Leaving space in the middle of the ball gives the yarn room to contract and keeps the entire ball soft. You never want your ball of yarn to be firm. A firm ball is produced by stretching the yarn as you wind it. You may not notice the yarn has been stretched until you block the finished piece. Water or steam will encourage the yarn to relax back to its original length, which will mess with your gauge. Wind loosely and keep some space in the middle of the ball to prevent stretching your yarn.

Begin winding

When the core of your ball is about the size of a golf ball, slip your fingers out and place your thumb in the center of the ball. Make sure the yarn tail remains free, not buried within the ball.

Wind the yarn around the core at a diagonal. As you wind, use the fingers of your non-dominant hand to rotate the ball around your thumb. Rotating the ball just a little bit with each wrap will keep your ball nice and even. It will feel awkward at first, like patting your head while rubbing your tummy, but will become second nature with practice. After all, you can already work two-handed—you’re a knitter!

Keep winding

As the ball grows, keep winding and rotating. If the yarn tail gets trapped under a wrap, take a second to pull it free.

Finish the ball

When there are only a couple of yards of yarn remaining, wind the yarn horizontally around the ball like a belt. Tuck the end under the belt to secure. Make sure the yarn tail is right there where you want it.

Take a moment to congratulate yourself and admire your tidy center-pull ball! Then grab the next skein of yarn and do it again.

This post is already long, so I’m going to hold the book recommendation until next week. I downloaded The Count of Monte Cristo for my road trip to Tennessee. I’m about a quarter of the way through the 40-hour audiobook, and I’m completely hooked.

Things that caught my eye…

• Enjoy this delightful poem, with the side benefit of A.O. Scott enlightening you on the structure of a villanelle.

• In general, I’d rather listen to an audiobook than a podcast, but I’ve become besotted with Engagement Party. Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro, former NPR news broadcasters who are close friends, spend 30 minutes each week discussing the things everyone is talking about that are not the news. Two intelligent, articulate people in their mid-40’s who are way more connected than I’ll ever be dishing about what’s trending? I’m here for it.

• The monthly close look at a piece of art in The New York Times is one of my favorite features. For June, we spend time with a fascinating painting from 99-year-old Lois Dodd.

• Engaging in crafts and reading books might not make up for a lack of exercise, but it does contribute to good mental and physical health. I’ll remind myself of this while I’m at the retreat this week!

As always, thanks for your companionship and support. I love sharing my world with you, and your subscriptions allow me the time to produce this newsletter each week. Continue the conversation: Do you use a ball winder? Do you avoid buying yarn that must be wound, or pay the yarn store to wind it for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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Yarn companies are responding to customer feedback by producing yarns that mimic the fluffy look of mohair using other fibers. At the wholesale tradeshow, H + H Americas, I came across such a yarn from Baa Ram Ewe. Let me tell you about Mowool.

FYI: I purchased this yarn through the website of Fairmount Fibers, Baa Ram Ewe’s US distributor. I receive no compensation for this review (other than from paid subscribers 🩷), nor will I receive a commission if you make a purchase. I have no financial relationship with Baa Ram Ewe or Fairmount Fibers, other than as a satisfied customer.

First, the Specifications

This yarn is suitable for use with patterns calling for fingering-weight yarns.

Let’s Take a Closer Look

Mowool is a 2-ply yarn. Don’t let the designation “4 ply” on the yarn label fool you—Baa Ram Ewe is a thoroughly British company, and they use the traditional British terms to indicate yarn thickness. In this context, 4 ply refers to the thickness of the yarn, not to the yarn structure.

The yarn is spun and plied with a very light twist. Then the yarn is passed through a brushing machine consisting of two combs turning in opposite directions. These combs agitate the long fibers, partially pulling them free of the twist and raising them into a fluffy halo.

Mowool is strong; I can break it with my hands, but it takes a sharp tug. The yarn is consistent throughout the skein. Neither of the two skeins I sampled had any knots or joins. I encountered no vegetable matter in this yarn.

Let’s Look at Some Swatches

My stockinette stitch swatch was knit on size US 3 (3.25 mm) needles. My gauge is 26 sts and 36 rows = 4” (10 cm). This is slightly looser than the gauge recommended on the yarn label. The fabric is light, airy, and cohesive, with a pleasing drape.

Mowool is not the kind of “oooo, so soft” that inspires strangers to pet you on the street. It feels wooly to the hands. Frankly, I expected I would find it slightly irritating to wear. But when I pinned the swatch to the inside back neck of my shirt and wore it for half a day, I experienced no irritation at all! Of course, your mileage may vary, but I found Mowool comfortable for next-to-skin wear.

I’d choose this yarn for a light pullover or vest that I could layer with other clothing. If I were going to knit a pair of gloves or mittens with Mowool (which would be gorgeous!), I’d go down a needle size to produce a denser fabric.

How About Some Lace?

Not surprisingly, Mowool makes beautiful lace. The 2-ply structure of the yarn combines with the fluffy surface fibers to hold open the holes in the lace pattern. It’s hard to see in this photo because of the relatively dark color, but there is crisp stitch definition underlying the halo, highlighting the curves and swoops of the lace pattern.

Let’s Try a Marl

I wanted to knit a sample using two strands of Mowool held together for one simple reason: I don’t particularly enjoy knitting sweater-sized projects with thin yarn at a tiny gauge. For this swatch, I used a size US 6 (4 mm) needle. My gauge with two strands held together is 21 sts and 28 rows = 4” (10 cm). That’s more like it! The fabric is more substantial, but not heavy. It would be perfect for a jacket-style cardigan.

The Colors

Mowool is currently available in 24 richly heathered colors. The wool is dyed before spinning, then several hues of dyed wool are blended to produce complex and sophisticated colors. As you can see from the first swatch photo, these are not the flat, perfectly even colors that come from vat-dyeing the yarn after spinning.

Fiber Facts

Baa Ram Ewe does not identify specific sheep breeds which contribute to Mowool, labeling it simply as British wool. Based on the hand, I would guess that it’s a blend composed primarily of wool from the Leicester family of sheep—Leicester Longwool, Bluefaced Leicester, Border Leicester, and their kin. These sheep grow fleece with long, strong fibers that can hold up to the brushing machine. Finewools, like Merino, are too delicate for this treatment.

Strong fibers, like those used in Mowool, are also far less likely to pill than the kitten-soft finewools. While I haven’t wear-tested a garment made with this yarn, I suspect it would hold up quite well to heavy wear.

The Bottom Line

I’ll be looking for an opportunity to knit a garment using two strands of Mowool held together. I love the texture, and I would have all sorts of fun combining the colors into beautiful marled stripes.

If you’re one of those knitters who has sworn off mohair, you could substitute Mowool for a laceweight mohair and hold it together with a fingering weight smooth wool yarn. It would give you a similar gauge and appearance as the mohair/wool combinations that have been popular for the past decade.

This week, I’m going to recommend a book that I didn’t expect to like nearly as much as I did. It’s Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein.

Imagine that Monica Lewinsky has been canonized as the patron saint of young women who happily consent to sexual encounters with older, more powerful men and are crucified for it.

Our story is told by Jean Dornan, who spent a college summer studying abroad in France. While there, she engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her professor. Now, at 40, Jean can’t get past the experience. She blames herself for being weak, naïve, and stupid.

In her desperation, Jean prays. Saint Monica appears. As Jean recounts the events of that summer, Monica encourages her to celebrate her sexuality and to acknowledge her own appetites and agency in the situation. At the same time, Monica does not excuse the true injury done by the professor—not the sexual encounter itself, but the way he treated Jean in the aftermath as he strove to protect his own reputation.

I read Dear Monica Lewinsky in audio. Three readers share the narration duties: one for Jean, one for Monica, and one who recounts actual stories of Christian martyrs as depicted in Lives of the Saints.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny, tender, and completely original. It subverts the easy assumptions about “slutty” women and predatory men. I loved it!

Things that caught my eye…

• “…it’s a ‘dog pet dog’ world. Be kind and fun to work with. Be honest, but never cruel. Tell people when their ideas are good and mean it. Mean things when you can.” – Brad Neely in his fantastic typewriter interview with Austin Kleon.

• A design I completed for Quince & Co. back in March was published this week. If you’re looking for a pattern for an easy summer tee knit in DK weight yarn, take a look at Goldfinch. The pattern includes both the tee and the matching kerchief.

  

• The trend report I wrote following my trip to the wholesale trade show has been published by Farm & Fiber Knits. Here’s a link.

As always, thank you for your support and company this week. Your paid subscriptions afford me the time to sample new yarns and produce yarn reviews like this one. I’m grateful. Continue the conversation—What is your relationship with mohair? Love it? Hate it? Still traumatized by a bulky oversized mohair sweater from the 1980’s? I look forward to reading about it in the comments.

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This is the second sample of this yet-to-be named design, which I plan to publish later this summer. This version was knit using Purl Soho’s best-selling Linen Quill, in Stillwater Blue, Gray Demin, and Oatmeal Gray. Linen Quill is a fingering weight blend of 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen, made in Peru.

The first sample was knit with a set of 24 mini-skeins of Barstow from Jill Draper Makes Stuff. I’m happy to report that these sets are back in stock. Barstow is hand-dyed 100% Dorset wool grown in New York and spun in Pennsylvania.

They are two very different sweaters knit from the same simple pattern. I’ll be sending this pattern out to testers soon and expect to publish in August. Paid subscribers will, of course, receive a complimentary copy of the finished pattern.

I also finished the scarf that has been my emotional support knitting.

This was knit with 3 skeins of Purl Soho Paintbrush Mohair in Chive Blossom. Cast on 35 stitches on a size 10 (6mm) needle and work in Stockinette stitch until it’s long enough to suit you. Mine is 9” wide and 82” long—just the sort of soft, snuggly, generous wrap I want when it gets really cold. A note on the yarn: Mohair yarns have a reputation for shedding. I modeled this scarf with my black wool winter coat. When I took it off, there were no mohair fibers clinging to the shoulders or lapels. A gray hair or two yes, but no mohair.

Of course, it was 90 degrees on the day I modeled these pieces. But I’ve been designing long enough that it doesn’t bother me to knit in anticipation of seasons to come.

These projects were finished just in the nick of time. The day after I blocked the pullover, yarn arrived for a new design commission with a tight deadline. I have already swatched and cast on for this new design, which I won’t be able to show you until it is published. But don’t worry. I am planning to swatch and review a few of the yarns I found at H + H Americas, and you’ll be seeing those in the weeks to come.

Edited to add: Cori asked for a photo of the sign you can see behind me in the pictures. Here it is:

It is the “shingle” that hung over the sidewalk outside my yarn store in Sebastopol, California, from 2000 to 2007. It’s hard to get a good photo because the glossy paint reflects all the light from the window opposite.

The book I have for you today will remind you how much you appreciate your ride-or-die best friends. (I’ve recently been reminded of how much I love mine.🩷) It’s Clutch by Emily Nemens.

This novel explores the relationship between five very different women who became friends when they were freshmen at college in the same dorm. It begins as they gather for a girls weekend away in Palm Springs in January of the year they will all be 40.

Over the course of the novel, we see these women deal with all the issues common for women at mid-life: raising young children, infertility, caring for aging parents, stalling careers, troubled marriages, and all the other messy hurdles along the path of modern life. We also see how they stick together despite it all.

This is not a quick read—it’s 400 pages in hardback, 14 hours in audio. I read this one in paper, borrowed from my local library (and returned late.) Nemens takes time to paint a complete portrait of each of these women through their life-changing choices and missteps. I saw pieces of myself in each of them. The plot never strays from the believably familiar. Five women can pack a lot of drama into a year.

Things that caught my eye…

• Karen Rodriguez of Literary Fancy has done it again with this piece on why reading the classics is the best cure for brain rot. As for me, The Count of Monte Cristo is the next classic in my queue.

• I enjoyed this story of a journey following in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin as he negotiated French support of the American rebels.

• Have you seen The Sheep Detectives yet? I hope to find time to see it on the big screen, but it’s expected to be available for streaming within a couple of months, so no pressure. For some background, look at this behind-the-scenes film.

• Beyond the hoop-skirted cosplay and Southern charm, a painful contradiction lies at the heart of the American South. The documentary film “Natchez”, available to stream on PBS Passport or online here pulls back the curtain to reveal the impact of history on the residents of one Mississippi town today. It is well worth watching.
  

• Although opera isn’t my thing, I frequently see live theater productions. It’s been a long time since I saw a show where the stage was curtained—usually the set is visible as the audience arrives. But I got a kick out of this story about the production of new curtains for the Royal Opera House in London.

• I find Audible’s foray into brick-and-mortar marketing interesting. I’ve had a membership with Audible for many years. It seems odd that there are still people who don’t listen to audiobooks.

• The challenges faced by public libraries are often invisible to the readers. Support your local library!

Thank you, as always, for your company and your support this week. Writing this newsletter each week has become a way of marking the progress of the year via the knitting and books that occupy my days. I am grateful you keep showing up to check in. Continue the conversation: What was the last project you finished that you were truly satisfied with? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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You can’t see it in this photo, but through that arch lies the exhibit hall, covering over 100,000 square feet. 636 companies, primarily in the yarn and fabric industries, fill their booths with the new products you’ll be seeing on retailer’s shelves and websites in the next six months.

It’s a lot. With more than 6,000 people attending and miles of aisles lined with booths bursting with color and inspiration, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. But it is the one place each year where a freelance worker like me can meet with clients face-to-face. Most of my work is contracted and delivered via email. Spending time with yarn company owners, design directors, publishers, editors, and the designers, technical editors, and teachers who are my friends and colleagues is invaluable.

I don’t go to the tradeshow with the intention of picking up samples. After all, those samples are intended for shop owners who may place orders for the products. But somehow my suitcase is always heavier on the trip back home.

Here is what I brought home from last week’s show.

At the top left is the new (signed!) book by Natalie Chanin from Alabama Chanin. I’m a big fan of Natalie’s work, and her keynote address was a highlight of the show.

To the right, you’ll see yarn catalogs from Berroco, Rowan, and West Yorkshire Spinners.

There is a full-sized skein from Anzula, sample-size skeins of new yarns from Berroco and Alpalove, and a color card of new hand-dyed shades from Baah Yarn. Plus, some stickers. Stickers seem to be the most popular giveaway these days. I don’t put stickers on my water bottle, because I like to be able to put the bottle in the dishwasher, so I’m not sure what to do with them. Any suggestions?

I’ll be writing a trend report for Farm & Fiber Knits and will link to it once it is published.

Travel Knitting

The only knitting I brought with me was a sock that has been in progress for more than a year. Thanks to a delayed flight home, I managed to finish the gusset and most of the foot on this trip. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be wearing the pair by the winter of 2030.

Sweater Progress

I am pleased to report that I have finished the left sleeve of the striped pullover version 2 and have started on the right sleeve! The end is in sight. Although I am more than ready to be done with the knitting, I know I’ll be happy to have this sweater in my wardrobe next fall. In the meantime, I have no less than three new projects brewing in my head waiting less than patiently for my hands to be free.

I have two book recommendations for you this week!

The first is for those who enjoy true crime and investigative reporting. It is London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe.

In November of 2019, 19-year-old Zac Brettler jumped from the balcony of a luxury apartment tower into the River Thames. The police called it suicide. But his grieving parents, upper-middle class members of London’s Jewish community, were baffled. In their quest to find out what had happened to their son, they discovered they hardly knew Zac at all.

Zac, who had been obsessed since childhood with great wealth and fancy cars, had assumed a fictitious identity as the son of a Russian oligarch. Representing himself as the heir to a large fortune, Zac become entangled with a group of fast-living, shady “businessmen” who hoped to get their hands on the money Zac didn’t really have.

Keefe is a staff writer at The New Yorker, and his experience with long-form reporting shines through in this book. He also does a fantastic job of reading the audiobook.

London Falling works on several levels. First, it’s a suspenseful mystery. You know Zac will end up dead, but following the steps that led him to that cold early morning on the balcony is fascinating. Second, it’s a deeply touching story about how difficult modern parenting is, and how all the good parental intentions in the world cannot protect our children. And third, it’s a finely drawn portrait of London in the age of the oligarchs, when police corruption is endemic and money (or the appearance of money) is the key to everything.

I couldn’t put this one down.

I am in awe of the skill required to write a great short story. Lauren Groff’s new story collection, Brawler, is packed with them.

I’ve been a fan of Groff’s fiction for many years. My favorites are Arcadia, Matrix, and The Vaster Wilds. Her sensitivity to the conflicting urges that drive us, her masterful use of the language, and her keen ear for dialog add up to stories that my imagination returns to again and again.

The nine stories in this collection are held together by one big question: How far will we go to ensure our own emotional survival? What lines will we cross? Who will we leave behind? With protagonists from different generations, backgrounds, and regions, that essential question is examined through a diverse array of circumstances.

Brawler is another instance where the author does a beautiful job of reading their own book. These stories are sensual, occasionally funny, and, at the end, always upsetting. But Groff lets the words do the heavy lifting, resisting the urge to use vocal tricks to tell us what to feel.

Things that caught my eye…

• As we approach the 250^th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, I got a kick out of this look back at bicentennial merch from 1976.

• “Perhaps fiction is a kind of empathy gym, boosting your ability to empathize with other people—which is one of the most rich and precious forms of focus we have.” — from Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

• Could you imagine yourself as this proprietress of a traveling bookstore?

Thank you, as always, for your company and your support. I’m grateful that you invite me into your life for a few moments each week.

Continue the conversation—What do you do with stickers? When you go to events where inexpensive bits of swag are given away, what sort of thing do you look forward to getting? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.

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This is a long post with lots of photos, so your email program may cut it off. Just click on the title to view the full post on the Substack website. You won’t want to miss the reveal at the end!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought this clearance-priced jacket from Gap. I like the style, the 100% cotton fiber content, and the dark blue color. It’s out of stock now, but I paid $34 (originally priced at $118!) plus tax—far less than it would cost to knit it myself.

There was just one problem. Apparently, Gap believes someone who wears a size XXL should be 6 feet tall. I’m 5 feet 6 inches. The sleeves were 2½” too long.

Being the resourceful knitter that I am, I took a close look at the construction and determined that I did, indeed, have the skills to fix this. Today, I’m going to walk you through what I did to make this bargain work for me.

The Fabric

This sweater is knit in an interesting stitch pattern, where rows of double knitting alternate with purl ridges. The edgings are stockinette stitch folded to create a hem.

The Construction

I turned the sleeve inside out to see if it was knit to size or cut and sewn. Fortunately, it was knit to size. If you look along the seam, you can see what look like normal knitted selvedge edges, not cut yarn ends bound with an overlock stitch. This was good news—I would be able to rip out and recover a single strand of yarn. Had the sweater been cut and sewn, the yarn would have been cut at the end of each row, and I would have abandoned my rescue plan.

How Much Shorter?

I started by folding up the sleeves to the length that was comfortable. I marked that fold with a pin. Then I measured the stockinette stitch hem. It was ½”. I knew I’d be reknitting that hem, so I moved that pin ½” up to account for the hem. I double checked to make sure I had marked both sleeves in the same place, then used additional pins to mark that row all the way around the sleeve.

The Plan

Unfortunately, you can’t unravel knitting from the cast-on edge upward. It simply doesn’t work. I would need to detach the cuff of the sleeve below my pinned line, unravel yarn from the cuff section, and use that yarn to knit a new stockinette stitch hem.

Note: This project would have been much easier if the yarn were a lighter color, or if it were a single strand instead of an 8-strand marl. Success required confidence, patience, uninterrupted focus, and strong light.

Open the Seam

I began by opening the sleeve seam. I dug around near the cuff with a big tapestry needle until I was pretty sure I had found the seaming yarn, then used small, pointy, sharp scissors to snip it. If snipping that yarn would not let me open a gap in the seam, I knew I’d snipped the wrong strand and I kept digging.

Once I had identified the seaming yarn, I found this sweater was sewn with a chain stitch, like a crochet slip-stitch seam. Simply pulling on the yarn caused the seam to unzip, stitch by stitch. I opened the seam to an inch or so above the line of pins, so I’d have some room to work.

Don’t Cut Yet!

To avoid a mess of dropped stitches, I used a small knitting needle to pick up each stitch along the pinned row. I paid close attention to make sure I didn’t wander from row to row and consistently picked up one leg of each stitch.

Time to Cut

With that row secured, it was time to take a deep breath and cut. Using my small pointy scissors, I snipped one stitch near the middle of the row just below the stitches held by my needle. Then I used my tapestry needle to pick out the stitches on each side of the snipped stitch, carefully working my way towards the edges. I didn’t worry about stitches dropping on the cuff section—I focused on leaving a clean row of stitches on my knitting needle.

If you look closely, you can see that the stitches on the needle are mounted backwards. When picking them up, I chose to pick up the leg of each stitch that was easiest to see and get my needle under. I didn’t worry about the mount of the stitches, because it’s easy enough to simply knit the first row through the back loop to straighten everything out.

When the cuff was detached, I ripped it back and rolled the yarn into a small ball.

Knitting the New Hem

Looking at the yarn and the original hem, I guessed that a size 5 needle was my best bet for replicating the original stockinette stitch gauge. Taking care to catch all 8 strands of the marl in each stitch, I worked 12 rows of stockinette stitch using the yarn I had recovered from the original cuff section. Those 12 rows gave me 1”, which produced a ½” hem when folded under.

I used the smaller knitting needle to pick up a row of purl bumps at the base of the new hem on the wrong side of the sleeve, then used a 3-needle bind-off to join that row to the stitches on the needle and finish off the hem. Then I restitched the seam.

How Did it Turn Out?

The sleeves are now the correct length for me! I’m not entirely sold on the shiny gold buttons—I’m keeping my eye out for some dark blue buttons to replace them.

And here’s a close-up of the new hem. You’d never know it wasn’t the original.

I was delighted to see that There is No Place For Us by Brian Goldstone was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. I recommended this book back in July 2025. This intimate look at the plight of the unhoused in America still haunts me.

Thank you, as always, for your support and companionship this week. I’ll have a new book recommendation and some fun links for you next week. In the meantime, continue the conversation: Have you ever altered a store-bought sweater? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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I’ll start on a sleeve tonight, but I’m taking the opportunity to pat myself on the back and celebrate this little milestone. It feels like I’ve been working on this piece forever. It’s actually been about two months, and I did take a couple of weeks off to work on a design commission. I’m hoping I’ll be able to finish the sleeves by the beginning of June, but I’m not going to pressure myself to meet any made-up deadlines.

In case you no longer remember version 1 (and who could blame you), here’s a photo.

I got to wear it a couple of times before the weather got too warm, and I love it. The fit is slouchy and a bit oversized, like a sweatshirt.

Version 2 is knit to the same gauge, but in a different yarn and a more subdued color scheme. I tried it on with the sleeve tops still on their holders, and the fabric is lighter and airier than that of version 1. I think I’ll get even more wear out of this version 2 next fall-into-winter, since the truly cold season is so short here in the Carolinas. The quiet blue-gray color scheme is also more in keeping with my wardrobe than the multi-colored party of version 1. Don’t get me wrong—I love all the color in version 1, but in the immortal words of Tim Gunn, “It’s a lot of look.”

If you’re in the mood for a perfect little jewel of a book, I highly recommend Foster by Claire Keegan. I know this book was recommended by a subscriber, but I don’t remember who, and I can’t find the comment. If it was you, please speak up and take credit in the comments!

Foster was written by the same author as Small Things Like These, which I loved when I read it in December of 2024. This 2022 novella (128 pages in print; an hour and a half in audio) is written from the perspective of an unnamed little girl who is sent from her financially stretched family home to live with distant relatives in rural Ireland while her mother gives birth to her latest sibling.

The magic of Keegan’s writing lies in the lack of an omniscient narrator. We only know what the child knows. We do not know the couple with whom she is sent to stay, nor do we know how long she will be there. We sense an aura of sadness in the house, and only slowly come to understand it’s cause.

Writers are often instructed to show, don’t tell, and Keegan’s precise prose demonstrates the power of following that advice. Much is left unsaid in this story, but the emotional impact is bottomless.

The audiobook is read by Aoife McMahon, whose Irish accent seasons the words without ever becoming difficult for American listeners to understand. I have purchased this book in hardcover as well, so I can savor the story and it’s exquisite language more slowly.

For those of you headed to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this weekend, have a wonderful time! It’s looking like you’ll have cool temperatures with a chance of rain, but nothing like the near-biblical deluge that swamped the fairgrounds last year. Be sure to say hello to my friends at Green Mountain Spinnery, Jill Draper Makes Stuff, and Upland Fiber Co. I won’t be joining you because I’m off to Chicago next week to attend the wholesale trade show, and two shows in the span of one week is just too much for this old lady.

Things that caught my eye…

• Have you heard about Literary Fancy? Karen Rodriguez recently published a series of three posts talking about “boring” classics that are actually unhinged horror stories. Here’s Part 1. She will make you rethink (and perhaps reread) those books you vaguely remember from school.

• Congratulations to my friends at Modern Daily Knitting (MDK)! NPR did a news story from Nash Yarn Fest a couple of weeks ago.

• I’m saddened by the death last week of legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who lead the San Francisco Symphony for 25 glorious years. Few conductors convey the joy of classical music as well as MTT did. For more, watch this episode of PBS’ American Masters.

• While knitting the ribbing on my sweater last night, I watched Wilding on PBS Passport. Based on the book by Isabella Tree, this documentary tells the story of a couple in southeastern England who chose to stop farming their 400-year-old family estate, introduce primitive breeds of horses, cattle, and pigs, and let nature take its course. It’s a surprising and moving tale of courage, resilience, and ultimate triumph.

Thanks for your company and your support! I’m particularly grateful for all the encouragement you have given me through the comments to keep going on this sweater. I appreciate the community we’ve build here together.
Continue the conversation—what milestones (big or little, interim or final) are you looking forward to celebrating? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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I am delighted to report that it was, in fact, a passing phase that’s now in the rear-view mirror. The solution I stumbled across? A literary trip to La Serenissima, The Floating City, The City of Bridges—Venice!1

In search of an audiobook that would pull me in, I turned to Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series. The series includes 33 novels to date, with the first, Death at La Fenice, published in 1992 and the most recent, A Refiner’s Fire, in 2024. I’ve only read eleven of them. So much to look forward to!

Guido Brunetti is a commissario of the Italian State Police. He is a native Venetian, happily married to Paola, and has two children. He is a lot like Armand Gamache, the star of Louise Penny’s Three Pines novels. Like Gamache, Brunetti is an educated, intelligent, and principled man. He has a loyal group of subordinates. He knows how to circumvent his corrupt (or merely incompetent) superiors and peers. Above all, he is dogged in his pursuit of justice.

While listening to one of the Brunetti books, the latest Gabriel Allon novel by Daniel Silva finally reached the top of my stack of books to be read. Allon, the retired chief of the Israeli secret intelligence service, is now a world-renowned restorer of Old Master paintings, living with his wife and two children in (of course) Venice. In the new novel, An Inside Job, he gets involved in recovering a newly discovered portrait by Leonardo da Vinci which was stolen from the Vatican museum.

I have written before about my love of this series of espionage novels. An Inside Job did not disappoint. The action spans much of Western Europe, from Sicily in the south to Denmark in the North and London in the west, with stops in Amsterdam, Switzerland, and Rome along the way. I have added An Inside Job to the shelf which houses the entire Allon series, and I’m already looking forward to the next installment. It’s due to be published in July, but I’ll wait until it comes out in paperback in early 2027.

Kind of off topic, but not: Have you noticed the similarities in all three of the fiction series mentioned so far?

1. Male protagonists

2. Happily married to strong, intelligent women

3. Two children (a boy and a girl)

4. Employed in law enforcement or national security

5. Dedicated to righting the wrongs in the world

In addition, all three series are obsessed with food. Whether it’s Gamache’s dinners at the Bistro in Three Pines, the fish and produce prepared by Paola Brunetti for the family dinners, or the arancini and pasta enjoyed by Allon in his favorite San Marco ristorante, each of these authors delights in describing incredible meals.

If you’re already a fan of one of these series, I’d bet you’ll enjoy the other two.

Note: All book titles are linked to bookshop.org, a non-profit that supports independent bookstores. They are affiliate links. If you make a purchase via these links, I will earn a small (very small) commission.

To top off my Venetian adventure, our book of the week comes courtesy of a recommendation from long-time subscriber . It’s The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable. Thanks for the tip, Ginger!

This work of historical fiction is set in 18^th century Venice. Anna Maria della Pietà has grown up within the walls of the Pietà, an orphanage for female children of prostitutes. Despite the strict rules, insufficient food, and onerous chores, the girls are provided with an education, including lessons in music and voice, from an early age.

Anna Maria shows an early aptitude for the violin and sets her sights on becoming the best. This is the only way she will escape the fate of less talented girls: to be married off, or to be put to work in a lace-making factory.

When the famed violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi becomes the music teacher at the Pietà, he recognizes her gifts. In her teacher, Anna Maria sees the conduit to everything she wants to achieve. But what will he extract in return?

Anna Maria is not an entirely sympathetic character. In her quest to secure her independence, she doesn’t hesitate to promote her own interests at the expense of other girls, and she turns her back on the girls who have been her close friends since infancy.

The author has done herself a great favor by giving Anna Maria synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon where the stimulation of one sensory pathway triggers experiences in an unrelated pathway. Anna Maria experiences sound as colors. Her perception of music is related as the blending and progression of hues—a wonderful literary device.

The audiobook is beautifully read by Emilia Clarke (of Game of Thrones fame).

The Instrumentalist examines the costs of ambition and the devastation of betrayal. It also shines a light on the history of women’s contributions being appropriated and claimed by men. Anna Maria della Pietà was a real person, an acclaimed violinist who was a student of Vivaldi. But little of her actual history survives.

After this week of reading, I can easily imagine the sound of water lapping in the canals, the peal of the bells in the campanile, and the shouts of the gondoliers as they near a blind turn. I am ready to have a Bellini in Harry’s Bar with Gabriel Allon, and caffè corretto (espresso with a shot of grappa) at a neighborhood bar with Guido Brunetti. I’ll be listening for the sounds of violin practice drifting from an open third floor window.

How About the Knitting?

While I was mentally travelling the canals in a vaporetto, I managed to get a fair amount of knitting done on my striped pullover. The body now measures 10”. Only 4” to go, then I’m on to the sleeves.

Things that caught my eye…

• I want an app that presents this in a pop-up window every time I hit add to cart:
  “Everything you buy makes everything you own a little less valuable.”
  —Melissa Kirsch of The New York Times quoting an unnamed friend

• Audible held the induction ceremony for its Narrator Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago. I’m an unabashed fan of many of the inductees. Did your favorites make the cut?

• I’m planning a baby blanket project for an expectant friend, and everything says in this post rings true.

• The New York Times is publishing another poetry challenge this week! Won’t you join me in memorizing W.H. Auden’s “The More Loving One?”
  I still remember last year’s poem…

  • We were very tired, we were very merry—
    We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
    - the opening couplet from Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Recuerdo.”

• If you’re looking for some music to accompany The Instrumentalist, skip The Four Seasons and listen to this recording of Vivaldi’s La Stravaganza. It’s prominently mentioned in the novel, and it’s lovely.

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As always, I’m grateful for your company and your support. Reading your comments is one of the highlights of my week! Continue the conversation: Have you read a book that transported you to somewhere you’ve never been? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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This is not like me. Ennui is not my default condition.

Am I a little burnt out after completing the latest design commissions and then a bunch of swatches to illustrate a how-to article? Has the work that pays my bills begun to feel like a never-ending treadmill? Do I just need a spring break? Is this just a transient phase?

Since I need to keep working and can’t take a break right now, I’ve decided this is just a phase I need to push through. I’ll keep showing up at my desk each day, I’ll resist the urge to cast on something new in hopes of sparking some enthusiasm, and I’ll allow myself to read the books I enjoy and abandon those that fail to engage.

I wish I had some magic hack to get through the phase faster. Exercising self-discipline and pushing through seems woefully old-school.

What do you do when enthusiasm seems to have gone into hiding? Your suggestions are welcome in the comments.

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What I’m Knitting

I’m about 6” into the body of my striped pullover version 2. That means 8” left to go before I can move on to the blessedly shorter rounds of the sleeves.

I know I’ll enjoy wearing this sweater, but I’m frankly bored with the knitting. There are all sorts of good reasons for making a second sample of this design, but it’s also reminding me why I rarely knit the same thing twice.

The mohair scarf that is my current emotional support knitting is coming along. I’m into the last of my three balls of this gorgeous yarn, and the scarf is currently about 60” long. The color continues to delight me.

The audiobook I settled with and ended up enjoying is True Color: The Strange and Spectacular Quest to Define Color—from Azure to Zinc Pink by Kory Stamper.

This book is both wonderfully geeky and surprisingly funny. Stamper is a lexicographer who worked for nearly 20 years at the Merriam-Webster company writing, revising, amending, updating, and promoting the dictionary of the English language. She reads the audiobook, and she is wonderful. For a taste of her style, you can watch the video recording of her reading from her previous book at Powell’s in Portland, OR.

While editing definitions in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, she came across the following:

begonia (n.): 3 -s : a deep pink that is bluer, lighter, and stronger than average coral (see coral 3b), bluer than fiesta, and bluer and stronger than sweet william — called also gaiety

The whimsical quality of the definition felt out of step with the dry, technical wording of other definitions in the edition. Bluer than fiesta? Called also gaiety? This was her first step down the rabbit hole.

The story Stamper tells covers a lot of territory, with delightful detours along the way. How is a dictionary compiled? What is color? How are color variations described? What efforts have been made to establish color standards? Why do we need color standards? How do we come to assign meaning to words?

Color perception is subjective. When you think of the color “mustard”, do you see French’s yellow mustard or Gulden’s brown mustard? You might call a color maroon, while I call the same color burgundy. Your teal may be my turquoise.

As someone who loves both words and color, I was fascinated by this book. I think you’ll love it, too.

Things that caught my eye…

• A new movie is coming out in a couple of weeks based on Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full. In the novel, a shepherd is unexpectedly found dead. His flock, to whom he spent evenings reading mystery novels, sets out to find the killer. A silly, escapist romp? Yes! And just what we need right now. The film, The Sheep Detectives, has a star-studded cast, including Hugh Jackman as the shepherd, Emma Thompson as his lawyer, and Conleth Hill as the local butcher (not a friend to sheep). The voice actors portraying the sheep include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Patrick Stewart. It opens in theaters on May 8 and seems to be just the thing for an afternoon when you feel like you need a laugh.

• This is a fascinating look at the variability of sizing in women’s clothes. It was written in Singapore, but I think the ideas presented are universal, and the visual storytelling they employ is terrific.

• If all you know about Henry David Thoreau is Walden, your eyes will be opened by the new documentary available on PBS Passport. The first episode explores his life before Walden Pond, the second focuses on the time he spent in his cabin in the woods, and the third episode chronicles his life after. The narration is by George Clooney, Thoreau’s words are read by Jeff Goldblum, and Meryl Streep provides the voice for the women in Thoreau’s life.

Your company and support are much appreciated this week, as always. Don’t forget to tell me what strategies you use to get back on track when enthusiasm wanes.

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As a society, I believe we Americans have a responsibility to bear witness to the atrocities being committed under our flag. Turning a blind eye is not an option. But as an individual, I know living in a state of outrage is not healthy. We each need to find a way to stay anchored in calm.

One of my main strategies for staying anchored is what I’ve jokingly called emotional support knitting. This is a knitting project that lives in a basket next to my desk. I reach for it in the early morning as I read the news on my computer.

My current emotional support project is this stockinette stitch scarf made with Purl Soho’s Paintbrush Mohair. This role has also been filled by the bodies of top-down pullovers, basic ribbed hats, and the legs and feet of simple socks.

Emotional support knitting often ventures beyond the walls of my home office. It’s with me when I travel, at the doctor’s office, at the hospital while a friend is in surgery, at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Any activity that might involve indeterminate waiting is an occasion for emotional support knitting.

What Qualifies as Emotional Support Knitting?

An emotional support project is knitting I can do while reading. My hands do the knitting without requiring much thought or attention. This means basic textures like stockinette stitch, garter stitch, ribbing, or seed stitch. No lace, no cables, no colorwork, no charts. Little, if any, shaping.

The yarn must feel good in my hands. It must be soft and elastic. It must flow easily through my fingers and have enough structure that my stitches don’t split. It must be a calming, happy color. Poopy browns and neon brights need not apply.

Studies have shown that the repetitive action of needlework can reduce the physical impact of stress, lowering your blood pressure and heart rate. I think it also provides a small sense of control in a world where we often have so little. I may not be able to avoid airport delays or stop the falling bombs, but I can make this simple, beautiful, useful thing.

Do you engage in emotional support knitting? What are your criteria for an emotional support project? What other strategies to you find helpful for maintaining your equilibrium in this world gone mad? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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Thanks to my beloved friend for suggesting emotional support knitting as a topic worthy of a post.

I’m grateful to subscriber for recommending this week’s book: The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore.

This work of narrative non-fiction tells the story of Elizabeth Packard, a married mother of six who, in 1860, was committed to an insane asylum by her husband of more than 20 years, Theophilus Packard.

At the time, the State of Illinois, where the Packards lived, required a public hearing before a person could be committed against their will. The exception was married women, who could be committed by their husbands without either a public hearing or her consent. Married women had no independent legal identity and no legal rights.

The story of Elizabeth’s three years in the Jacksonville Insane Asylum is horrifying. Her insistence on her sanity and her fight for release on her own terms displayed an inspiring level of courage.

When she was finally released, Elizabeth became an advocate for the equal rights of married women to property and custody of their children. She was instrumental in the introduction and 1869 passage of legislation in Illinois and Massachusetts granting married women these rights. Until her death in 1897, she traveled the country lobbying for reform of both insane asylums and the status of married women.

The author crafts Elizabeth’s story into a powerful and propulsive narrative, with ample quotations from Packard’s own journals and published writing. The audiobook is skillfully read by the author. Her voice is pleasant and well-paced. She avoids the temptation to convey too much personal outrage in the reading.

The Woman They Could Not Silence is one of those stories I can’t believe I didn’t know before now. It’s a compelling reminder of just how ingrained patriarchy is in our culture, and of the impact one woman can have when she insists on being heard.

Things that caught my eye…

• Here’s a look at the exhibition of the work of Thomas Gainsborough at The Frick Collection in New York through the end of May.

• Enjoy this look at what it takes to feed a film crew at work.

• Do you have what it took to earn membership in a Medieval Knitting Guild?

• In the past week, I’ve watched all 24 episodes of RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service on PBS Passport. I’d happily watch another 24 episodes. This is a terrific show, a medical drama along the lines of early E.R., but in small airplanes in the Australian outback.

As always, thank you for spending your time with me this week. I’m grateful for your company and support. Remember to stay strong and take care of yourself, but don’t close your eyes. Speak up for what you believe and spread kindness where you can.

“When you put love out in the world it travels, and it can touch people and reach people in ways that we never even expected.” — Laverne Cox

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The Knitting

I finished the commissioned design project and shipped the samples to the yarn company earlier this week, so I’m back to work on the second version of my garter stitch stripe pullover. (Here’s the first one, if you need a reminder.)

I’ve separated the body from the sleeves and am working my way down the body. Right now, it feels like slow going. But speed is not the point, and I know that just a handful of rounds each evening will eventually add up to a garment I’m going to love.

As I write this, Linen Quill is discounted 25%. I don’t know how long the sale will last, so if you’ve been considering adding this lovely yarn to your stash, now would be a good time. The fabric looks sort of rustic but is soft against the skin and very lightweight. I have another sweater made with Linen Quill, and it has held up well over the past couple of years. It holds its shape well and has little tendency to pill.

I’m also making steady progress on my scarf in Paintbrush Mohair. I’m coming to the end of the second skein of yarn (out of three), and the scarf is about 45” long. I suspect the finished scarf will be about 70”, which is a good length to snuggle into on a cold day.

Do These Books Belong on Your Shelf?

I have two books I’m happy to pass on to new homes—you pay the postage, and I’ll send it along. Here are the books:

The first is Malabrigo Timeless Knits, which I talked about in detail a couple of weeks ago. I received two copies, one because I’m a contributor to the book, and the second as a review copy from the publisher. It’s this second copy I’m giving away.

The second book is Summer Knits by Ida Wirak Trettevik, a Norwegian designer and the owner of Witre Design. This was also sent by the publisher for review. This is a pattern collection. The book contains are a total of 20 patterns: 13 sleeveless tops, 3 cardigans, 1 long sleeve pullover, 2 skirts, and 1 dress. All the designs are made with either worsted weight cotton or (strangely, given the title) chunky brushed mohair.

The designs read quite young to me. Only a couple of the tops would conceal a normal bra strap. (I’m old, and I’m my mother’s daughter. I will never think exposed lingerie looks right. You are free to think differently.) They are mostly cropped to some degree, with most hitting right around the waist. The sizing is labeled XS–3X, but I wouldn’t call it inclusive sizing. The 3X has a finished chest circumference right around 50” in most styles. In contemporary US patterns, we usually see the largest size with a finished chest circumference over 60”.

Summer Knits is 160 pages, soft cover, with lovely photography. If you have young women in their teens and 20’s in your life, these patterns could be a big hit.

If you’d like to own one of these books, here’s what we’re going to do:

NOTE: The drawing is only open to subscribers with US shipping addresses. I love my international subscribers, but I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with international shipping.

1) Leave a comment with the name of the book you want. If you’d be happy with either, it’s fine to put both names, but you can only win one.

2) I’ll accept entries for a week—until April 9.

3) Paid subscribers get priority. I’ll do a random drawing from the names of all paid subscribers who express an interest.

4) If one or both books are not claimed by paid subscribers, I’ll do a second drawing from the names of free subscribers.

5) If you win the drawing, I’ll send you an email letting you know and giving you my PayPal info. You’ll need to send $5 to cover the cost of shipping via USPS Media Mail.

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My sister and I went to a terrific concert last weekend. We saw Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. The tour is continuing in the US and Canada through October (see the schedule here.) If you can, go!

This was the music of my childhood. My parents owned the early Herb Alpert records and played them in the house.

I’m a little wary of these sorts of “oldies” shows. After all, Mr. Alpert turned 91 on March 31. But he can still groove on that trumpet, and he has a terrific group of musicians backing him up. It was a marvelous, joyful performance.

Don’t know Herb Alpert? This was a Top 40 hit in 1965, before it was the theme song for “The Dating Game.”

And this one from 1979 has a touch of funk. Keep your eye on the bass player—he is really feeling it:

This week’s book recommendation is a very unusual debut novel. I guess you could call it a crime mystery, but it defies the boundaries of genre. It’s Good People by Patmeena Sabit.

The Sharaf family appears to be the model of the American Dream come true. They came to the US as refugees from Afghanistan. Two decades later, they have built a successful business, live in a big house in a prestigious suburb of Washington DC, and send their four children to exclusive schools. Then something happens. I’m not going to spoil it.

The magic of this novel is in the kaleidoscopic narrative. It is written as transcriptions of interviews or as witness statements. We see the family through the eyes of friends, former friends, schoolmates, police officers, investigative reporters, and casual bystanders—never from within. Each witness tells us as much about themselves as they do about the events that form the core of the story. It’s up to the reader to decide where the truth lies.

Sabit handles this chorus of voices with surprising skill, exploring issues of racial and class prejudice along with relationships within families and communities. The audiobook is read by a full cast, so each witness has a distinct voice. I was riveted.

A quick reminder

The discount for the Farguile hat pattern expires at midnight on Sunday, April 5. If you’d like to save 20% on this pattern, just click the button below. The pattern will be added to your Ravelry cart, and the discount will automatically be applied.

Save 20% on the Farguile pattern

I Almost Forgot

The profile I wrote about Upland Fiber Co. was published this week by Farm & Fiber Knits. The article is not behind the paywall, so click on over. It’s a great story. This is the company from which I bought the COR Worsted yarn used for the sample of Farguile.

Things that caught my eye…

• I delight in having A.O. Scott of The New York Times show me layers of meaning and resonance in a poem. This month, he tackles one from Wallace Stevens.

• If I were going to be in New York in the coming months, I’d make a bee line for the new Raphael exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Get a glimpse here and here.

• I’m enjoying watching the new series The Forsytes on PBS. This is a remake of the 2002 miniseries The Forsyte Saga, which starred Damien Lewis. I love a good period soap opera and this one delivers, with stunning locations, gorgeous costumes, and tangled storylines.

It’s a strange thing. I sit down thinking I have nothing to say, and here we are 1400 words later. I’m grateful for your support and company this week and every week. Don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re interested in the book giveaway.

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While I appreciate the attention Women’s History Month brings to the often-overlooked contributions of women to all aspects of society, sometimes I simply want a good read, an enjoyable story, a relatable heroine.

That’s where historical fiction comes in. At its best, historical fiction fuses deep academic research with a storyteller’s flair for the human connection. It breathes life into historic events and allows the reader to become immersed in another time and place.

If you’ve enjoyed reading Kate Quinn (The Alice Network, The Briar Club), Hillary Mantell (the Wolf Hall trilogy), Kristin Hannah (The Nightingale, The Women), and Ariel Lawhon (The Frozen River, Code Name Héléne), I’m confident you’ll love Becoming Madame Secretary by Stephanie Dray.

Becoming Madame Secretary tells the story of Frances Perkins, who arrived in turn of the century New York as a young idealist with a grant from Columbia University to study infant malnutrition among the immigrant population. She earned a master’s degree in economics and sociology from Columbia in 1910.

Perkins became the first female US Cabinet Secretary when Franklin Roosevelt appointed her Secretary of Labor in 1933. She remained in that position for more than twelve years.

Perkins was the architect of our social safety net. She was a tireless advocate for a minimum wage, the end of child labor, workplace safety regulations, and unemployment insurance. She chaired the committee which designed the Social Security Act. At a time when women in politics were exceedingly rare (the 19^th Amendment giving women the right to vote in the US was only ratified in 1920), Perkins guided (prodded?) Roosevelt through much of the legislation that became his enduring legacy.

So, that’s the history. What about the novel?

Becoming Madam Secretary is written in the first person, a risky move that Dray pulls off with aplomb. We see the Triangle Shirt Factory fire of 1911 through Perkins’ eyes and share her horror as she watches young women try to escape the blaze by jumping from windows on the 8th and 9th floors. We stand by her side as she lobbies legislators at the State Capitol in Albany to pass a bill limiting the number of hours women and children can work. We feel her ambivalence as her society friends encourage her to marry, and her grief as her husband (and eventually her daughter) succumb to mental illness.

Like the best writers of historical fiction, Dray is scrupulous about telling us which parts of the novel are based on documentary evidence and where she has taken creative license.

I listened to the audiobook of Becoming Madam Secretary. It was read by Cassandra Campbell, a skilled and prolific narrator whose voices never outshone the words and the characters.

There are parts of American history that many of us never learned in school. Frances Perkins’ role in shaping our modern expectations for work and retirement was one of those gaps for me. Becoming Madam Secretary is a great read that filled that gap. Highly recommended.

What I’m Knitting

My personal projects (the second version of my striped garter stitch pullover and my emotional support mohair scarf) have been on hold for the past 10 days as I work on a couple of design commissions with short deadlines. I am, of course, grateful for the assignments, but I’m looking forward to returning to my regularly scheduled knitting within the next week or so. I can’t tell you about or show photos of those commissioned projects, as usual. Suffice it to say I’m getting even more practice working with mini skeins in a rainbow of colors!

Things that caught my eye…

• For more on Frances Perkins, watch the documentary Summoned. You can stream it on PBS Passport or Prime Video. Perkins left an extensive recorded oral memoir at Columbia University, and the documentary includes some excerpts. I was fascinated to hear her own voice after having listened to the audiobook.

• My son will turn 35 in a couple of weeks(!), and this article has me feeling all the feelings about being a parent.

• The wise and talented wrote a terrific piece about teaching knitting to a class of fashion students.

• Enjoy this lovely appreciation of opposable thumbs from poet .

• “The pleasures of a good book review are less in being a leader than a follower — to have smarter minds tell you things you didn’t know about things you weren’t necessarily thinking about.” From David Streitfeld’s article in The New York Times.

Thank you, as always, for giving me your time and attention this week. Your support is what keeps me writing.

Continue the conversation: Do you have a favorite writer of historical fiction I should know about? I’d love to hear about your recommendations in the comments.

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COR Worsted is a blend of 50% American Cormo and 50% American Corriedale wool. If you told me I had to choose only one yarn to knit with for the rest of my life, COR Worsted would be a strong candidate. Let me tell you why.

FYI: I purchased this yarn through Upland Fiber Co.’s website. The links are not affiliate links. I receive no compensation for this review (other than from paid subscribers 🩷), nor will I receive a commission if you make a purchase. I have no financial relationship with Upland Fiber Co., other than as a delighted customer.

First, the Specifications

This yarn is suitable for use with patterns calling for worsted weight yarns.

Let’s Take a Closer Look

COR worsted is a round, balanced, 3-ply yarn with a moderate amount of twist. The surface is smooth, and the yarn is strong; I can break it with my hands, but it takes some effort.

This yarn was spun at Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill, a small wool mill in upstate New York. As you can see in the photo, one of the singles at the un-twisted end is slightly thicker than the others. This slight inconsistency is to be expected with small-batch yarns and is evened out when the plies are twisted together. Overall, the yarn is consistent and evenly spun.

One of the skeins I sampled had no knots or joins. The second skein had no knots, but two felted joins.

In my experience, felted joins are more secure than knots and less disruptive in the knitted fabric, so I don’t cut them out. If they seem a little bulky, like the one pictured here, I rub the thick area briskly between my dampened palms to felt it a bit more and compact the fibers. Then I just keep knitting.

Both skeins had a very small amount of vegetable matter which was easily picked out while knitting.

Let’s Look at Some Swatches

My stockinette stitch swatch was knit on size US 7 (4.5 mm) needles. My gauge is 20 sts and 26 rows = 4” (10 cm). This is slightly tighter than the gauge range indicated on the yarn label. The fabric is smooth and cohesive, with a moderate amount of drape and crisp stitch definition. It would work well for a three-season pullover or a cozy blanket. I can wear this fabric against the skin at the back of my neck very comfortably. It doesn’t have the “oooo, soft” quality you’d get with merino or cashmere because there is no halo of fibers on the surface. I suspect this also means the yarn would be slower to pill than a merino, but I can’t say that with certainty since I haven’t wear tested it.

If I were going to use this yarn to knit a cardigan or a pair of mittens, I’d probably go down a needle size to a US 6 (4mm) to create a denser fabric with more body.

How About Some Cables?

With its smooth surface and clear stitch definition, I suspected this yarn would work well in cable patterns. Boy, does it!

The cables pop right off the reverse stockinette stitch background. The fabric has a wonderfully rich texture.

The Colors

Upland Fiber Co. offers COR Worsted in a palette of 14 subtle, sophisticated colors. None of the colors look like they came out of a crayon box.

All the colors are slightly heathered. While the wool from both Corriedale and Cormo sheep is usually white, some Cormos carry the gene for natural color. When this yarn is spun, the blend is 50% white Corriedale, 45% white Cormo, and 5% dark Cormo. The undyed yarn (sold as the color Flock) is a creamy color with grey-brown undertones. When dye is added, that toned base shines through to create the heathered effect.

Fiber Facts

Corriedale is classified as a mediumwool sheep and is the second most populous sheep breed in the world (after Merino). It was developed in New Zealand in the late 1800s by crossing Merino ewes with Lincoln Longwool rams to create a sheep that would produce both heavy, high-quality fleece and a sizeable carcass for the meat market. The wool has a pronounced crimp, is very durable, and felts easily.

Cormo is a more recently developed breed out of Australia. A breeder of Superfine Saxon Merinos wanted larger sheep with improved fertility but without degradation of fleece quality. He achieved this goal by crossing his Merino ewes with Corriedale rams. Cormos were first imported to the US in 1976. Cormo wool is extremely soft and warm with a velvety hand.

Upland Fiber Co.’s COR was created to combine the best of these two breeds. The result is a warm, durable yarn that is next-to-skin soft.

In addition to the worsted weight yarn I tested, COR is available in fingering weight.

What You Can’t See

COR is a true small-batch, artisan product. There is nothing industrial or corporate about this yarn. The wool is sourced from two farms, and the sheep are shorn only once a year. Upland Fiber Co. has only one opportunity each year to buy the fiber for COR.

The raw wool is scoured at Clean Fleece, a scouring facility in Mechanicville, New York owned by the non-profit Hudson Valley Textile Project. It is spun at Battenkill Fibers in Greenwich, New York.

Upland Fiber Co. must decide how much of each year’s harvest to allocate to each color. The yarn is dyed at Caledonian Dye Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then labeled and shipped from Upland Fiber’s office in Pound Ridge, New York.

All of this means that you might not find all the colors in stock all the time. If there is a sudden surge of interest in a particular color, there is no way to quickly replenish the inventory.

I think a yarn this special is worth waiting for. I’ve signed up for Upland Fiber Co.’s newsletter so I can stock up when the next batch comes in.

Of Course I Made a Hat

You know I enjoy stranded colorwork, and a hat is my standard test drive for a new-to-me yarn. Say hello to Farguile.

Traditional argyle patterns are made using the intarsia technique, with the thin diagonal lines added using duplicate stitch in a third color. This is a faux argyle, using stranded colorwork to create a similar vibe with less fuss. Faux + Argyle = Farguile!

Paid subscribers should have already received a link to download a complimentary copy of the Farguile pattern. For everyone else, please enjoy a 20% discount until April 5, 2026. Use coupon code FARGUILE20 at checkout on Ravelry or simply click the button below to have the pattern added to your Ravelry shopping cart and the discount automatically applied.

Get Farguile at 20% off

The Bottom Line

I started off by saying I could be happy knitting with nothing but COR Worsted for the rest of my life. It’s a traditional, non-superwash wool and is fully traceable to the farms where the wool was grown. It is scoured, spun, and dyed without harsh chemicals using environmentally-friendly processes. It would make beautiful pullovers, cardigans, blankets, hats, scarfs, and mittens. It looks great in cables, colorwork, and good old stockinette stitch. COR is basic in the best possible sense of the word—a beautiful, classic handknitting yarn I feel good about buying.

This has run very long, so I’m going to skip the book recommendation and links this week. Those will be back next week, pinky promise.

In the meantime, thanks for your company and your support. Continue the conversation: If you were asked to choose just one yarn to knit with for the rest of your life, what criteria would you use to make your choice? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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^[1] The profile article on Upland Fiber Co. hasn’t been published yet. I’ll be sure to tell you about it and share a link when I can.

The Farguile (faux+argyle) hat was designed as a test drive for Upland Fiber Co. COR Worsted, which you…

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Malabrigo Timeless Knits is a collection of knitting patterns designed with yarns from Malabrigo. I received a complimentary copy because I designed one of the projects in the book, the Marigold Poncho.

Note: This book is due to be released on Tuesday, March 17^th, but you can pre-order now. The link above is an affiliate link to Bookshop.org, a non-profit that supports independent bookstores. If you make a purchase via this link, I’ll receive a small commission.

Timeless Knits is a gorgeous, traditional, stitched-together hardcover. The cover is wrapped in paper with a subtle woven texture. The title is deeply embossed. A ribbon bookmark is sewn in. Malabrigo partnered with Quadrille, a part of the Penguin Random House publishing group, to create a thing of beauty. This book is a delight to hold in my hands.

Pattern collections put out by yarn companies are nearly always soft cover with glued pages, known as perfect bound. That is the binding I expected for this book. Hardcover books are far more labor intensive and costly to produce.

This book was published as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Malabrigo. The book begins with essays about the history and mission of the company, the yarns they produce, and how to care for garments made with this hand-dyed yarn.

The 208 pages contain a total of 17 designs: 2 socks, 2 hand coverings, 2 hats, 4 cowls, 2 shawls, 2 cardigans, 1 pullover, 1 vest, and 1 poncho. The layout is expansive, with multiple photos of each piece and lots of white space.

The Marigold Poncho was originally published in 2019 as part of Malabrigo Book 17: Ponchos & Familia. For Timeless Knits, it was re-knit in a different color and photographed outdoors with updated styling.

The photographs, by Facundo Cabot, are spectacular. In addition to the project photos, there are beautiful panoramas of the Uruguayan landscape interspersed throughout the book.

Timeless Knits is a brilliant love-letter to color, wool, and Uruguay, the country that is home to Malabrigo. I couldn’t be happier to add it to my book collection.

I’m making steady progress on the second version of my striped garter stitch pullover. I’m well past the point where I had to backtrack, as reported last week. I have 42 rounds to go before I divide the sleeves and the body, but they are looooong rounds. I’ll probably hit that milestone within the next two weeks.

You may be wondering why there are two stitch markers shown in that photo. The ring marker tells me where the raglan line is and is centered between the raglan increases. The removeable pin marker sits on the sleeve side of the raglan line. It serves two purposes: 1) to remind me that the sleeves only get increases every fourth round, as opposed to the every-other-round increases in the front and back, and 2) to tell me when the last sleeve increase was made. I move the marker to the new round each time I work a sleeve increase. I can quickly determine whether the current round is a sleeve increase round or not.

This strategic use of stitch markers lets me knit without using a row counter or keeping track with paper and pen. I know I cannot be trusted to consistently click a counting device or make a check mark on a worksheet while I’m knitting. Over the years, I’ve developed ways to keep track of my progress that work for me.

I had the great pleasure of listening to Kin by Tayari Jones last weekend.

Annie and Vernice grew up together in Honeysuckle, Louisianna in the 1950’s. Annie’s mother deserted her when she was just an infant, leaving Annie to be raised by her no-nonsense grandmother. Vernice’s mother was murdered by her father (who then turned the gun on himself) and Vernice is raised by her unmarried aunt Irene, who thought she had shaken the Louisianna dust off her shoes years ago.

The girls refer to each other as “my cradle friend”. They might as well be sisters. They are each other’s constant companion and only confidant until their last year in high school. Then their paths take dramatically different turns.

This novel is about the relationship between woman and their mothers: dead mothers, absent mothers, and surrogate mothers of all kinds. It peers into the void at the center of motherless children and explores the efforts these children make to fill that void.

The narration alternates between Annie and Vernice. Each is read by a different narrator (Angel Paen and Ashley J. Hobbs, both terrific).

The writing is beautifully evocative of the American South early in the civil rights movement. We see bus stations where the colored waiting rooms do not include access to a toilet. The only work available to women in Honeysuckle is as domestic servants for white families. Black travelers consult The Green Book to locate safe places to stay the night. When Vernice goes to Spellman College (an historically Black women’s school) in Atlanta, some of the women in her dorm are active in the movement.

Kin contains lots of laughs on the way to a devastating ending. Through it all, Annie and Vernice learn again and again that the one person they can count on, no matter what, is their cradle friend.

Things that caught my eye…

• Can we please agree that using Meta glasses to film people for social media without their knowledge or consent is unacceptable behavior? Please?

• Statues of men usually commemorate a true historical figure. Statues of women usually depict a mythological or allegorical figure, often nude. Women in Copenhagen decided to do something about it.

• Here’s a fun game to test your ability to remember and match colors. I scored 45.5 out of 50. How about you?

• wrote a lovely story about wartime knitting in the 1940’s.

• Last Friday night, I went to a performance by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. The final piece was Ravel’s Bolero, which I adore. It was delightfully accompanied by a film showcasing members of the orchestra playing Bolero at locations around Charlotte. The film was synchronized with the live performance. Here’s a snippet:

I’m grateful for your company and your support this week and every week. Continue the conversation: Do you buy books that are collections of knitting patterns? What criteria do you use to choose which books you buy? Do you ever buy a book simply because it is beautiful? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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It was only after knitting 52 rounds, increasing 8 stitches every other round, that I remembered the rate of increasing in the sleeve sections changed fairly early on. And I checked my spreadsheet again.

In this raglan pullover, for my size, the front and back increase 2 stitches every other round 43 times, then every fourth round 6 times. But the sleeves increase 2 stitches every other round 11 times, then every fourth round 22 times. I should have begun increasing every fourth round on the sleeves way back on round 23.

I spent half a day trying to convince myself it would be fine; I could compensate for those extra increases in the rounds to come. I’m not a perfectionist. No one would ever know. But I knew this wasn’t true. I would know. I’d end up with too much fabric in the upper chest. It would look weird. The sweater wouldn’t fit correctly.

So, I ripped back 30 rounds, put the stitches back on my needle, and resumed knitting, this time with the correct rate of increases in all four sections.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of lessons learned long ago. In this case, the lesson was: Don’t assume you’ll remember. Always make good notes. And always read the pattern or the spreadsheet.

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The mohair scarf, on the other hand, is coming along just fine. It’s 38” long, and I’m about halfway through my three skeins of Purl Soho Paintbrush Mohair. With all the insanity in the world right now, I’m glad to have this emotional support knitting at the side of my desk.

It’s been almost two weeks since the Olympic games ended, and I’m still thinking about gold medal winning American figure skater Alysa Liu.

More than the actual performance, I’ve been thinking about the stories woven around this young woman and what she has come to represent.

Liu was not expected to win. We’ve been told she felt no pressure around this competition. She seemed to be loose, relaxed, and joyful throughout. And when all was said and done, she won the gold medal. She appears to be the embodiment of the old Joseph Campbell adage, “Follow your bliss.”

It’s a seductive story. I imagine we’ll see young women trying to capture a bit of the magic by copying Liu’s cabana striped hair color. After all, didn’t we all want Dorothy Hamill’s wedge haircut after her win 50 years ago?

This story is amplified by the contrast with Ilia Malinin, the so-called “Quad God”, who was heavily favored to win the men’s competition but choked in the free skate, finishing eighth. Afterward, he said he was unable to manage the emotions and the pressure.

Can the lessons of Alysa Liu apply in our own lives? Is the path to success to work hard at something we love, and do it joyfully and without expectations? Is this even possible when there are people counting on us to show up, when there are bills to pay?

I don’t have answers—I’m still sitting with the question. But I’d love to hear what you think.

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My younger brother is one of my most trusted sources of book recommendations. So, when he told me I’d enjoy James Comey’s novels, I immediately added them to my audiobook queue.

Yes, these books were written by James D. Comey, former Director of the FBI who became a target of prosecution under the current president. (His federal indictment was dismissed several months ago.)

Central Park West, Westport, and FDR Drive all feature attorney Nora Carleton. In Central Park West, she is a federal prosecutor working on organized crime cases. In Westport, she has moved to the private sector and is the chief counsel for a hedge fund. In FDR Drive, she has returned to government employment as the Deputy US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

These crime thrillers are a little short on character development, but the well-paced plots kept me fully engaged. Comey’s writing really shines in his depiction of the process of investigation, building a case, and bringing it to trial. I learned a lot about the tools available to prosecutors to track a suspect.

If you enjoy John Grisham, Michael Connelly, and Harlen Coben, you’ll find Comey’s novels right up your alley.

Things that caught my eye…

• Spend a little time being dazzled by an iconic piece of art, then read the accompanying article to add context.

• I’m loving the new adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo on PBS. I’ve even added the novel to my queue (have you read it?)

• The Knit for Food Knit-a-thon is coming up on April 11. I won’t be knitting along this year because of a schedule conflict. but long-time subscriber is participating. Won’t you join me in making a donation to support Marie’s efforts?

• @loganlaineknits made this is very cool animation. Useful in teaching beginners, right?

Thank you for sharing your time with me. We all need respite from the anxiety of world events. Let’s hold each other close, while keeping our eyes wide open. We have a responsibility to bear witness to war, violence, and tragedy, even when it feels like we have no control. Write to your congressional representatives, and vote at every opportunity.

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This pullover is exactly what I wanted. It fits me with about 5” of positive ease, like a big comfy sweatshirt. This is not a shy sweater—those colors are bright and cheerful. But it doesn’t feel gaudy, perhaps because the stripes are so narrow.

As a reminder, I knit this sweater with the set of 24 mini skeins of Barstow from Jill Draper Makes Stuff, a fingering weight 100% Dorset wool. Of the 680 grams (24 ounces) of yarn in the set, I have 74 grams (2.6 ounces) left over, enough to make a stripey hat. I added a skein of Palette from Knit Picks in Navy because 1) I wanted the ribbing at the neck, cuffs, and hem all in the same color to pull the piece together, and 2) it was in my stash. I used 14 grams (about half an ounce) of the Palette.

As soon as the last stitch was bound off, I cast on my swatch for the second version of this sweater. This will be a very different garment.

The obvious first difference is the color scheme. Instead of looking like someone spilled the big box of broken crayon ends, this one will be a quiet blend of blue-gray and off-white.

The next difference is the repeating stripe pattern. The first iteration of this design used 2-round stripes of 24 colors arranged more-or-less at random. This one will use a 16-round repeating stripe pattern—10 rounds dark, 2 rounds medium, 2 rounds dark, and 2 rounds light.

The last difference is the yarn. This is Purl Soho Linen Quill, a fingering weight blend of 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. It has a rustic, heathery look because the long linen fibers tend to squirm out of the twist and they don’t take the dye in the way the animal fibers do. This 2-ply yarn is soft and lightweight. It also happens to be Purl Soho’s top-selling yarn ever. My dark color is Stillwater Blue, the medium color is Gray Denim, and the light color is Oatmeal Gray.

I already own a sweater knit in Linen Quill, so I know it’s a yarn I enjoy wearing. The yarn for this new striped pullover has been patiently hanging out in my stash for a couple of years. By the way, at the time of writing, Linen Quill is on sale for 25% off. If this yarn appeals to you, now is a good time to buy. I don’t know how long the sale will last.

Why am I Knitting the Same Design Again?

Some of my favorite sweater designs are simple, classic, and basic in the best sense of the word. They are blank canvases that invite the knitter to bring their own personality to the project through color and yarn choice. Yet many people find it a challenge to imagine making those sorts of changes to a design. Many knitters will choose a pattern, then buy the same yarn used by the designer to make the sample pictured (often in the same color). Not that there’s anything wrong with that—in fact, yarn companies depend on this reluctance to deviate from the pattern.

By making a second sample using a very different yarn, color palette, and stripe arrangement, I hope to demonstrate the versatility of the design. When this pattern is published (probably late summer), I hope knitters (maybe you?) will feel encouraged to make it their own. As long as you can match the gauge of 24 stitches and 44 rounds = 4” in garter stitch, anything goes as far as fiber content, texture, and color.

Those of you who enjoy character-driven fiction will love Table for Two by Amor Towles.

This book has been sitting in my to-be-read stack for nearly two years. I’m so happy I finally read it. The book contains six short stories set in New York, followed by a 218-page novella set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The New York stories are perfectly polished gems centered on deceit and desire. In Towles’ New York, no good deed goes unpunished. Shady characters lurk around every corner waiting to pounce on innocence or hubris. There are plenty of morals to these stories, but Towles is too subtle and sophisticated a writer to hit you over the head with them. These stories linger like perfume in a small room.

The diamond of this collection is the novella, “Eve in Hollywood”. Towles has lifted a character from his first novel, Rules of Civility, and imported her to Los Angeles during the filming of Gone With the Wind. The writing has the snap, crackle, and pop of hard-boiled detective stories. Eve Ross, our protagonist, is kind-hearted but nobody’s fool. You’ll cheer for her, but you wouldn’t want her for an enemy.

I’m glad I bought this book in hardback. I like knowing it’s on my shelf, available for me to dip into again anytime I get the urge. Towles is a writer I am always happy to spend time with.

Things that caught my eye…

• Architectural Digest noted that some makers have begun incorporating knitted lampshades into their homes. I designed a pattern for pendant lampshades for Twist Collective back in 2011, so I’m not opposed in theory, but the mohair shades depicted in the AD article sort of give me the creeps.

• Yellow is a color I struggle with. It’s the lightest, brightest hue, and immediately draws the eye in most contexts (case in point: the yellow stripes in my pullover above). I enjoyed this short piece on the use of yellow in art.

• Hard truths for those caring for aging parents. And yes, I’ve sent the link to my son. He is not yet my caregiver and hopefully never will be. But you never know.

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As we reach the end of February, I hope you’re noticing the days getting longer. The equinox is only three weeks away! Thanks for your company and support as we turn together toward the light.

Continue the conversation: Do you usually knit with the yarn specified in the pattern, or do you change yarn and coloring to suit your whim (or the contents of your stash)? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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What would happen if you followed the desire path in your knitting? What if, instead of starting with a scarf, then a hat, you skip straight to the sweater that sparked your desire to knit in the first place? What if, instead of making do with cheap acrylic yarn until you’re “good enough”, you treated yourself to the tactile pleasure of soft wool right from the start?

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Would your learning curve be more challenging? Probably. But you’re far less likely to get bored. By allowing yourself to be led by your desire (and ignoring the well-meant advice of those who urge caution or restraint), you are more likely to find pleasure in your knitting practice. You’re less likely to leave a trail of abandoned projects in your wake.

For most of us, knitting is not a job we are paid to do. It is a pastime we engage in for pleasure. It’s entirely appropriate to let desire dictate our choice of projects, methods, and materials. If someone tries to tell us (with all good intentions, of course) that a project is too hard, or a technique too advanced, or we’re doing it wrong, we can simply thank them for their opinion and continue on our way.

If you need it, consider this your license to knit whatever you want, however you want, for whatever reason makes sense to you. Follow your own desire path and leave the sidewalks to others.

What I’m Knitting Now

I finished the design commission I was working on last week, so I’m happily back to work on my stripey pullover. I finished the first sleeve and started on the second.

I have made no attempt to match the stripes on the sleeves and the body. I’m also not worrying about matching the sleeves to each other. With all these colors in a more-or-less random arrangement, I don’t think it matters.

I’ve decided to publish the pattern for this sweater, but it won’t be soon. I want to knit another one with a limited color palette and a repeating stripe pattern. I have a bunch of Purl Soho Linen Quill in my stash that should be just right. With any luck, the pattern should be ready in time for your Fall 2026 wardrobe.

I have also begun knitting a scarf with the Purl Soho Paintbrush Mohair I reviewed last month.

This project sits next to my desk. As I read the news each morning, I am soothed by the soft, fluffy yarn, the gentle color, and the simple repetition of 30 stitches in each row. It’s my emotional support knitting.

I finished listening to The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits a few days ago, and I’m still thinking about it.

The story is told by Tom Layward, a 55-year-old law professor in Scarsdale, New York. To outward appearances, Tom is doing just fine. But he is suffering from what he believes to be long COVID, coupled with low-level depression and a forced leave of absence from his job. When his wife had an affair twelve years ago, he told himself he could leave her as soon as his youngest child left for college.

After dropping his daughter off in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon, Tom keeps driving west without ever actually deciding to do so. He visits an old college friend, his younger brother, his college girlfriend, and finally, his adult son in California.

Markovitz tells this story as if we were sitting beside Tom in his old Toyota eavesdropping on his internal monologue. The ruminations over memories, regrets, deferred dreams, and broken hopes will be familiar to anyone who has ever taken a long road trip alone. By the time Tom waded into the Pacific, I felt I knew him far better than he knew himself.

The Rest of Our Lives is a tender, funny, ultimately life-affirming look at the turning point that late-middle-age can be.

Things that caught my eye…

• I enjoyed this interview with George Saunders, author of the Booker Prize winning Lincoln in the Bardo.

• finished her hand-spun k tog tapestry. I’m in awe of her artistry and craftsmanship.

• My sister pointed me toward The Life of Chuck, a lovely adaptation of a Stephen King short story. It’s worth the rental price on Prime Video just to see Tom Hiddleston dance with abandon.

Thank you for your company and support as I follow my desire path. After all, a path is not created by one person stepping off the sidewalk one time. Paths appear when others feel the pull toward a similar deviation. A desire path is reinforced by collective action, easing the way for those who come after. Thanks for walking with me.

Continue the conversation—are you one who makes your own path, or do you prefer to stay on the sidewalk? Is your answer different in different parts of your life? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

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The design was created with Suffolk wool yarn from Mountain Meadow Wool. I was delighted to have the opportunity to write about this extraordinary Wyoming wool mill. The article which accompanies my design focuses on Mountain Meadow’s commitment to community, sustainability, and preserving the ranching traditions of the American West.

My stripey garter stitch sweater is still on hold while I finish up a design commission which I can’t show you until it’s published by the yarn company (probably late April/early May.) I should be done with the commissioned project by this time next week, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the stripey sweater and finishing up the sleeves. What are the chances that sweater will be done before warm weather returns to this part of the world? I’d say its 50/50.

Since I can’t show you any knitting progress, let’s double up on book recommendations this week. First up: Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan.

Of course, we know Julia Whelan as an accomplished narrator with more than 600 audiobooks to her credit. If you listened to The Women, The Great Alone, or The Four Winds (all by Kristin Hannah), that was Julia Whelan. She also reads many of Emily Henry’s and Talor Jenkins Reid’s novels.

Thank You For Listening is a hilarious romance that delights in poking fun at all the tropes of the romance genre. Yes, it gets a little heated, but the sex in this novel is subordinate to the characters and their relationships.

Our protagonist is Sewanee Chester, an award-winning audiobook narrator. We see her pulled between conflicting demands: the advancing dementia of her beloved grandmother, the upending of her living arrangements, her best friend’s success as an actress, her own insecurities, and her undeniable attraction to the man with whom she is collaborating on a new narration project.

This warm-hearted novel is an insider’s look at the audiobook recording industry tucked inside an intelligent romance. Whelan writes banter that had me giggling to myself like a crazy person. This novel is entertaining on so many levels. Highly recommended.

For something entirely different, let me suggest you read The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism by Megan Marshall.

This is the shared biography of three extraordinary women: Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody. Born between 1804 and 1809 in Massachusetts to a family of impeccable breeding but little fortune, the sisters had to make their own way in the world. Through their own intellectual and artistic achievements, they found themselves at the center of the nascent Transcendentalist movement in America.

Sophia, the youngest, was an accomplished painter before she married the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne at the age of 34. The middle sister, Mary, worked as a teacher and schoolmistress. She married educational reformer and congressman Horace Mann at the age of 37.

Elizabeth Peabody, the eldest sister, was the intellectual powerhouse of the trio. At a time when education for women was considered a luxury, and nearly 50% of American women were illiterate, she read ten languages and published the first English translation of Buddhist scripture. At the age of 18 she began operating private schools for girls and small children in order to contribute to the family’s income. Elizabeth was committed to improving the opportunities for learning available to “respectable” women. She held reading parties, gave lectures on history and moral philosophy, and conducted discussions for the ladies of her social circle.

Elizabeth was the country’s first female publisher, producing works by writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. She opened a bookstore and subscription lending library in Boston which became a salon for Transcendentalists, abolitionists, and suffragists. Elizabeth never married.

Marshall spent twenty years digging through archives, searching for long-forgotten caches of correspondence, researching the lives of the Peabody sisters, and investigating the lives of all within their milieu. The result is this engaging portrait of both America in the decades immediately following the Revolution, and of three singular women who each found a way to excel within the constraints of Puritan expectations.

Things that caught my eye…

• The Ross Farm in Pennsylvania suffered a catastrophic fire last week. Their historic 1910 barn was completely consumed. Not surprisingly given the cold temperatures, their entire flock of ewes (days away from lambing) was in the barn and did not survive.
  The Ross Farm is renowned for their work in preserving rare breed sheep. Rebuilding their barn and their flock will require the support of the community. If you can help, please do. You’ll find more details, along with a donation link, on their website.

• Take a look at what the brilliant has conjured from a knitting abbreviation and two fleeces. Simply stunning.

• I’m completely caught up in the Winter Olympics. Every four years, we all become armchair experts in ski jumping and bobsledding, and I’m here for it. If, like me, you can’t get enough of Ice Dancing, you’ll love this 3-part documentary on Netflix.

• Speaking of Ice Dancing, I remember being entirely mesmerized by this performance. I can’t believe it was more than 40 years ago!

Thank you, as always, for your company and your support. Continue the conversation: What Winter Olympic sport can you not get enough of? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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I’m delighted to have contributed both a sweater pattern and an article to this issue. The sweater is the Northern Exposure pullover.

This design was inspired by a binge watch of the 1990’s television series Northern Exposure. In case you need a reminder, this series centered on New York City native Dr. Joel Fleischman, whose medical education was subsidized by the State of Alaska in exchange for an agreement to practice medicine in the state. He ends up in the remote town of Cicely. It is not what he thought he’d bargained for.

The residents of Cicely are a motley group of characters. Before this re-watch, I remembered the show most for introducing me to John Corbett (long before his turn on Sex & the City as Carrie’s boyfriend Aiden). He plays Chris Stevens, the philosophical DJ on the local ratio station, and he’s a heartthrob.

Unfortunately, Northern Exposure is no longer available to stream for free, but it is available for purchase on Amazon Prime.

Anyway, back to the sweater design. In the final season of the show, Dr. Fleishman settles into a shack in a remote, off-the-grid fishing village. He is shown preserving fish while wearing a battered sweater. That got me thinking: If you’re living off the grid in a shack in Alaska, you probably only own one sweater. You’d want that sweater to be thick and warm, sturdy enough to stand up to hard work. That sweater would be roomy, with a high neckline and snug folded cuffs. All these qualities show up in the Northern Exposure pullover design.

It won’t surprise you that we chose 100% wool yarn for my Northern Exposure pullover in Farm & Fiber Knits. Specifically, we chose worsted-weight Suffolk wool from Mountain Meadow Wool hand-dyed in a gorgeous golden color called Marigold. Grown, spun, and dyed in Wyoming, Suffolk is a strong, hearty yarn. It’s a little too rough for me to comfortably wear against my skin, but it is fantastic layered over a flannel shirt. It makes the perfect everyday pullover for someone who spends time working outdoors in the winter.

The Northern Exposure design accompanies a profile of Mountain Meadow Wool. I loved learning about this family-owned wool mill and the owner’s dedication to supporting the sheep ranching traditions of the American west.

If, like me, you appreciate having quality knitting magazines in print, become a subscriber to Farm & Fiber Knits. They have just expanded publication to four issues a year, and they send a weekly newsletter packed with great information. This is a quality magazine produced by a small team of brilliant women who are passionate about sheep, wool, and all the wonderful things you can make with yarn.

FYI: These links are not affiliate links. I receive no compensation if you make a purchase. I am a regular contributor to Farm & Fiber Knits as both a designer and a writer.

Knitting Update

I finished the body on my stripey garter stitch pullover and have started the first sleeve. But the project has been set aside for a few weeks as I work on a new design commission. I’ll update you when I return to that multi-colored basket of goodness.

I recently listened to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. If you haven’t yet read this delightful novel, stop right now and add it to your queue.

Sybil Van Antwerp is a septuagenarian, divorced, retired court clerk living alone in Annapolis, Maryland. Through the letters she sends and receives from an astounding array of correspondents over more than a decade, we come to see beyond her façade of a rather formal and somewhat prickly woman in denial about her failing eyesight. We see Sybil’s loyalty, wisdom, and kindness. We walk alongside her as she finds the courage to transcend the rigid boundaries of her life and open herself to love.

The Correspondent is a genuinely funny tear-jerker about aging, regret, and forgiveness. It’s a novel that will leave you feeling warm and hopeful. The audiobook is read by a full cast, and the voices of the different letter writers add richness to the listening experience.

Things that caught my eye…

• I always find Beth Bentley’s Pattern Recognition Substack worth reading. Last week, she explored how capitalism drives us to be “dabblers”, with a shallow, passing interest in everything and a deep engagement with very little. My thoughts were provoked.

• I rarely read judicial rulings (that’s an understatement), but this is amazing.

• Some voices never grow old…

Thanks for inviting me into your life once again. I appreciate your comments, your “likes”, your shares, and your support.

Continue the conversation: Do you subscribe to any knitting magazines? Paper or digital? If so, which ones? If not, why not? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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