Monthly Recap: December

At long last, we've reached the end of 2020! What a year it's been! December was probably one of my most productive months in terms of reading, as I raced to meet my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal. In terms of knitting? Not so much...

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Let's get my pitiful account of my knitting progress out of the way, shall we? I finished up one my gift knits in time for Christmas (the other, though finished, didn't reach it's new home in time for the holidays unfortunately). Apart from that, I made a bit more progress on my sock designs, reworking the heel on one of them to ensure a perfect look and fit. I do, however, have one new cast-on!

The Brough Shawl by Donna Smith - I've had this pattern in my queue for quite a while! I picked up this yarn, by Ocean Park Yarns, at Knit City in Vancouver last October, knowing that the subtle dove grey would be a perfect colour to highlight the gorgeous lace of this shlanket (shawl-blanket). Who knew that this colour, called "Uncertain Times," would be the theme for 2020? So far I am loving the repetitive and expansive lace motif. The pattern calls for DK, and though Ocean Park calls this their "Ecowash Sport/DK" I would definitely count this yarn as a light sport rather than a DK. Still, I'm loving how it's knitting up, so I'm not too worried about that distinction.

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My reading, on the other hand, reached a high for this year (if I'm not mistaken), with a total of 5 books finished this month! This brought me up to my Challenge goal of 36 books. It felt so good to achieve it; I've never met my Goodreads goal before!

Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco - My dear friend sent me her copy of this novel to read, because she had loved it. While we usually end up liking the same books, this time it wasn't a hit for me. Although I enjoyed the lyricism of Baricco's narrative, I found the story -- which included magic and cannibalism, among other interesting features -- to be a little too far out for my liking. I also had an issue with the focus on the sexuality of young girls and the over-repeated use of the word "womb" throughout the story (though the latter may be more due to a mistranslation from the original Italian; of course, being unable to read Italian, I cannot confirm this hunch).

Tin Man by Sarah Winman - After a somewhat disappointing read (see above), I searched my shelves for something new, and landed upon this slim novel. I had picked this up at a thrift store years ago, drawn to the beautiful cover, which boasts Van Gogh's Sunflowers. I knew nothing about this book, but was hooked after the first few sentences. I could not put this down! I devoured it in the course of 24 hours, tears streaming down my cheeks, heart full to breaking. It's a gorgeous exploration of friendship, love, secrets, and grief. One of my top books of 2020.

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - I decided to read one of Hardy's more well-known novels, having loved the most recent film adaptation (starring Carey Mulligan). One thing I love about Hardy are his simple yet beautiful descriptions of the British countryside -- it instantly transported me back to the UK. Although I really enjoyed this story, I did find Hardy dragged on a bit, and could probably have edited out some of the side information.

Death at Wentworth Court by Carola Dunn - This first instalment of Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series was very kindly sent to me by a dear friend for Christmas, all the way from London, England! I started into it right away. This is definitely a story I would classify as a "cozy mystery," and while not my usual genre of choice, I found myself really enjoying it! Set in the early 1920s, Dunn integrated lots of slang without making it feel kitschy. This was another novel I finished within 24 hours -- but not my last for this year!

Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley - This striking book was another Christmas gift, and as soon as I had finished Dunn and Hardy I cracked into this. It was touted as a modern take on the ancient epic, bringing new perspectives to the women within the narrative. My immediate thought was "Heck yeah!" Headley's version is colloquially known, I have now learned, as the "Bro version," because, well.... it opens not with "Hark!" or "So!", as many previous translations do, but with "Bro!" And that is not the only instance of its use within Headley's poem; it appears throughout, along with descriptors such as "swole," "your boy," and "hashtag: blessed." Although I admire what Headley set out to do by using this modern (albeit already fading) slang, I found it just didn't work for me, wrenching me out of the otherwise swift and strong rhythm of Headley's poetry. Still, despite that, I once again could not put this book down, and finished it within 21 hours, according to Goodreads.

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For a little fun, how about a 2020 retrospective?

Knitting projects completed: 16

Books read: 36

Sewing projects completed: 2 (and both Demeter Dresses!)

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As always, you can follow along with my knitting updates on Instagram and Ravelry, and follow my reading process on Goodreads! Want a brain break? Check out the Knit Ewe Up YouTube account, where you'll find process videos backed by chill Lofi tunes!