Monthly Recap: February

For such a short month, I sure managed to pack a lot in! That said, my attentions certainly weren't equally divided; as you'll discover, I have yet to finish a single knitting project! But my reading levels went way up, surpassing my record from December with 6 finished novels. Read on for my thoughts on it all...

---

Brough Shawl by Donna Smith - This project is still on the go, though very close to being finished! As I mentioned in last month's recap, I'm working with a yarn shortage (thanks to bad math and over-confidence by yours truly), so this shawl will be smaller than the pattern instructs. Instead of having 13 cat's paw motifs running through the centre line, there will be 9, and I'm going to shorten the garter stitch border as well. The shawl is still massive and cozy, definitely a shlanket, and I'm excited to get it off the needles.

Bubbalo Sweater by Sus Gepard - This sweater has been in the works for around a year, so I thought I'd bring it out from hiding and try to get it all finished up. The long break means that my tension has changed significantly, so I'll end up frogging the two previously finished body pieces and rework them to match the sleeves. I am much happier with the most recent tension, so it'll definitely be worth the headache to rip out all that mohair!

Best Beret by James N Watts - What do you do when you're in a knitting rut? Cast on something new, of course! I frogged a beret I had made years ago that was just too dang big, gave the yarn a good steam, and then started in on this new beret, and I'm loving it so far. This will probably end up being my first FO of 2021, although with the way things are going it won't be finished until the end of March (insert eye-roll and self deprecating laughter here).

Not to worry, the newest Knit Ewe Up designs are still under way! I'm stuck in fear of math, and also trying to juggle three designs all at once, so it's super slow going. We'll get there eventually...

---

As I mentioned in last month's post, I technically finished Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light in the first week of February, but I refuse to count it as a February read and so I won't include it here. If you want to see my thoughts on it, head on over to January's recap!

The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim - When work is super slow, I hop onto Goodreads and check out new and upcoming releases to see if there is anything to submit for consideration for the library's collection. I try to focus on works by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, and that is how I came across this novel. The request finally went through, and I found myself with this gorgeous novel in my hands. I enjoyed it, although it was not without it's drawbacks. I found myself confused with the timeline and time setting of the narrative; at times I thought it was the 1980s, at others I was certain it was early 2000s. I also personally would have liked a clearer resolution to the novel, but leaving it up to interpretation definitely aligns with the semi-mythic storytelling interwoven with present-day musings.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - This was another random thrift purchase, and after finishing The God Child, I just picked it off my shelf with no further thought. Similarly to The Good Earth (read my review here), Things Fall Apart details the daily movements and thoughts of the head of a household; and at times I felt like it slowed the narrative down. It was still an interesting story and I would be interested to read more of Achebe's work.

Open City by Teju Cole - *Trigger Warning: sexual abuse* I won't lie, my main reason for picking up this book -- either at a thrift store or from my library's sale rack, I can't recall -- was it's bright cover and arresting design. The reviews featured on the back of the novel got my hopes up for, as The Seattle Times wrote, "a remarkably resonant feat of prose." Honestly, I'm surprised I finished this; instead of the poetic, thoughtful narrative I was expecting, I found myself distanced from the story, feeling no empathy for and at times seriously disliking the protagonist/narrator. The narrator seems overly conceited, almost in a "listen to me, I'm the smartest" kind of way: he details his thoughts on classical music, medicine, philosophy, and more in a way that feels ego-inflating. What really bothered me, though, was how women are treated throughout the novel. They are measured in terms of attractiveness and sex appeal, even in as mundane an interaction as running into someone at the supermarket. Perhaps this was intentional, meant to alienate the reader and characterize the narrator as a predator, as at the end of the novel it is revealed the protagonist had raped an acquaintance, which he had somehow never realized or remembered. I was very disappointed by this novel, and still can't completely put to words my thoughts on it.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou - This book felt like a breath of fresh air, particularly after the last read. Angelou's writing is straight forward and meditative, and the essays felt more like conversations. I read this in just over a day, and enjoyed every moment of it.

Cheeky: A Head-to-Toe Memoir by Ariella Elovic - This was another contribution of mine to the library's collection, and honestly I enjoyed this more than I expected to! Elovic's art alone is enough to convince me to flip through the pages, and I found myself relating to so many of her experiences with body insecurity, friendship, anxiety, and so on. It was a super quick read and made me laugh.

The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld - *Trigger Warning: sexual abuse* Yet another request for purchase at my library! I was intrigued by the polynarratorial perspective, which follows three women throughout different eras -- interjected with horrifying, impersonal vignettes -- who are all connected by trauma and sexual abuse. Mental illness, infanticide, murder, and rape lie dangerously below the surface, bursting through the narrative intermittently. The result is shocking, and visceral.

---

And just like that, February is over and done and March begins, teasing spring with sunshine and thawing ice. Hopefully next month I'll have more to report on the knitting front! For now, keep your eyes on my Instagram feed for announcements on upcoming patterns.

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!