Hi friends, and happy Wednesday!
Did you know Yarn Along is back? That’s right, in January, Ginny announced the return of Yarnalong, in a monthly format — she posts the first Wednesday of every month. Obviously, today is not the first Wednesday of February (apparently, this month I’ll be doing everything one week late) but in the spirit of getting back to normal blogging, I figured better late than never.
Knitting: For me, it’s been all sweater knitting, all the time of late. My EYF Stasis is so close to being done, I can almost taste it. I also started a Carbeth sweater last week, and that’s been flying off the needles in bulky yarn. In fact, I thought I’d have both of these jumpers finished Monday or Tuesday, but a case of the flu has slowed me down a bit (hence those cough drops). I’m happy to report that, in the end, it seems I’ll have plenty of yarn to finish my Stasis (I had been a bit worried at the beginning). Carbeth, on the other hand, is another story … I’m just shy of the neckline and have run out of yarn! I think my lovely mom is going to come to the rescue though, and send me a ball or two as she has some in stash (thanks Mom!)
Reading: Completely by chance, my books this week seem particularly apt given it’s Galentine’s Day.
I’ve just finished up Mary Beard’s Women and Power. It was a very quick (like read in two sittings) and cogent read. It’s based on lectures Beard gave, and I like that the book has maintained the conversational tone of a talk given by someone at the top of their game. There are issues surrounding women, power, race, and class that I think could have been given a bit more space, but on the whole, Beard gives us a good reminder to think about how authority remains gendered in the modern world. Who do we think sounds authoritative? Who do we think looks authoritative and why? For me, there was nothing particularly revelatory, but it was good food for thought, and Beard does of course an excellent job of tracing back some of women’s disempowerment in the public sphere to the classical era. I do recommend giving it a read!
I’m also slowly making my way through Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear. I learned a bit about Potter’s life in and love of the Lakes District (not far from where I now live) when I read James Rebanks’s A Shepherd’s Life. Ever since we moved here, I wanted to learn more about her life. I’m still not too far into the book (Beatrix is just reaching adulthood), but so far I’m really enjoying reading about Potter and her love of art and nature. It’s also got me thinking a lot about how historians write successful biographies. So far, so good!
What are you reading and knitting this week? Head over to the original Yarnalong to see what people around the world are up to this month.
fiber and sustenance 