I’m in a bit of a knitting and reading funk, which means I’m working on lots of things, but not getting far fast on any of them. This is Andrea’s Shawl, which was my Tour de France project, but there are some socks and some other things in progress, too.

I’m about halfway through each of the books shown, Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, Fannie Flagg’s The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, and Elizabeth Strout’s My Name Is Lucy Barton. I’m enjoying the first two, but not so much the latter. However, it’s short, and I haven’t read anything by this much-touted author before, so I want to give her a fair shake before dismissing her from my should-read list. I’m also a third of the way through listening to David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy, which is fine so far, but not as good as some of his other works. That said, though, I can see how it’s a foundation piece for Two Boys Kissing, which I loved.

Yesterday I finished Another Brooklyn, which meant I had choices when it came to picking out a new book to pack this morning. I had plans to attend a baseball game this evening and rain was a possibility, so I decided to plumb the depths of my personal collection, rather than endangering library books. Fannie Flagg’s The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, a gift from Kate during last winter’s Ninja Book Swap, caught my eye, and I started it while waiting for a delayed train this morning.

The ball game didn’t end up happening (or, rather it happened yesterday, without us), and Sarah managed to catch me to let me know not to come just as I was passing the turn-off to the library. Taking this as a sign, I wandered in and picked up the second book in the Phryne Fisher series, Flying Too High. (Did you know in the books, there’s a Mrs. Butler, as well?) I spent the evening reading it.

The knitting is the mate to this spring’s Sock Madness Slip-Stripe Spiral, and I’m nearly to the heel. I don’t love the pattern or the yarn combination, which makes it slower going than it ought to be, but I expect it’ll be finished by month’s end, when I may want to wear wool socks once more.

Yarning Along with Ginny.

After work, volleyball, the garden, and the pool, I decided to head down to the new café near my house that opened a couple weeks ago, Emissary.

My chai was a little weak (I miss the homemade chai from Bakehouse, which closed their coffeehouse to focus on their bakery back in the spring. Emissary’s won’t replace it.), but the cannelé were tasty. Right now, Emissary is too expensive to become a go-to stop, but it’ll be a nice treat occasionally.

Yesterday, I started reading Another Brooklyn, a novel reminiscing about coming of age in the titular borough in the 1970s. Newly released by Jacqueline Woodson, author of the verse memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, it would be obvious even without knowing that that this was written by a poet, with lyrical, yet slightly distant, prose the defining characteristic of the novel thus far.

I’m listening to a couple of YA novels, as well: David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy, which sounds like it’s narrated by Michael Cera (who co-starred in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, the novel of which was co-written by Levithan) and Tamara Ireland Stone’s Every Last Word, which I just started listening to tonight.

On the knitting front, I’m into the gusset decreases of this sock, but I’m debating ripping back some. Whenever I started the heel flap, I accidentally did a single row of slip-stitch heel set up on the instep needle before moving onto the heel stitches. I fixed it tonight, when I went back to knitting in the round, but the half row is tight and I’m concerned it will be noticeable when worn. I tried it on and didn’t pick up on it, but I’d hate to be wrong after the fact. Plus, the sole stitches might be looser than I want on this size of needle. I’ll make a final decision tomorrow after I’ve had some sleep and some time away from it.

Yarning along with Ginny.

Last week was a productive week, with two knitting projects coming off the needles, which I hope to share soon, after I get some natural light photos. This means I was able to move back to a couple more projects. My Andrea Shawl is still in the stripe decreases. I should really get onto Ravelry to look at the projects I favorites to find out when, exactly, I’m supposed to stop decreasing if I’m going to adapt the shape to one that many people suggest stays on better than the one in the pattern. Tonight I had a sudden flash of insight into where I’d stuffed the project bag containing my Sock Madness sock. With one sock fully knitted, it seemed a likely contender for my finishing the pair by month’s end. Let’s hope I’m slightly more focused than I was with the first sock, which took me two weeks to complete. Also sitting within arm’s reach of the couch, but not pictured, are a pair of nearly completed socks, a pair of nearly completed fingerless mitts, and the other pair of vanilla socks I had in progress around the house.

As for my reading progress this week for Bout of Books, I read the entirety of Patrick Ness’ The Rest of Us Just Live Here (YA fantasy’ish about the kids who aren’t the Chosen One) on Monday, began R.S. Spratt’s Friday Barnes, Girl Detective (kidlit gumshoe genius) on Tuesday, and finished listening to The Heist (adult caper/romance between an FBI agent and an extremely attractive and suave world-class thief she’s been pursuing for years), by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, tonight. Summer reading’s been extended a couple more weeks here in D.C., which may mean I’ll tackle some longer books, rather than just all the short ones in the house designed to bump up my numbers. (Although, to be fair, all those short books are currently sitting in a pile on my coffee table, so maybe I’d still better tackle them first.)

It’s been a busy week here at the Burrow, with friends in town, Rudi’s first surgery, Olympic coverage, a minor kitchen plumbing issue, and a summer cold-cum-sinus infection, in addition to the normal array of work deadlines, volleyball games, and heat waves.

Not pictured here is my Hitchhiker shawlette, which is at its final row, waiting to be bound off. I felt confident I had enough yarn until I wound the tangled remains of the yarn into a ball, wherein I realized there was clearly not the 6 grams of yarn the pattern recommended remaining. My kitchen scale today confirmed I was somewhere between 2 and 3, and I’m currently mulling options: tink back a row (or possibly two) to bind off with the yarn I have or chance it and most likely need to add in some leftover red yarn I have not yet located from a pair of socks a few years ago. Does anyone have experience adding in yarn in the bind off? Big deal/not a big deal? That said, I’m really happy with how it’s turned out and look forward to sharing photos with you over the weekend.

This means I’m back to my vanilla socks. I remain confident that I can finish these before the end of the Olympics/Ravellenic Games, since I’m halfway through the heel flap on sock #2, and there’s no patterning to worry about. Plus, the heat is supposed to break, which should mean I’m less grumpy about knitting outside.

While there was lots of time for knitting in the waiting room (there were unannounced and unrelated-to-us delays on both end of the surgery), there’s been less time or concentration for reading. I’ve currently got five books going: The Rabbi’s Cat, set in 1930s Algeria, is a graphic novel I saw at the local comic book shop and requested from the library. The current audiobook is Vivian Apple at the End of the World (not pictured), about what happens when a series of worldwide disasters lend credence to a cult leader and his predicted Rapture seems to happen as scheduled. Vivian’s parents leave behind matching holes in their bedroom ceiling, and the daughter who refused to adopt the antiquated gender norms that would make her a candidate for salvation. When things get violent and dangerous in their hometown of Pittsburgh, Vivian, her best friend, and her crush take off on a cross-country trip in search of answers. Ruby Lee and Me and Connect the Stars (also not shown) are the two kid-lit novels I’m reading, and Elizabeth Strout’s latest rounds out the selection.

We’re down to the final eight days of the summer reading program at my library, and I’m way behind where I’d wanted to be (and my numbers for last summer), so I’m pulling out all my books-in-progress, graphic novels, and short reads for the next week to see if I can boost my numbers. (I mean, I already finished the required bits and picked up my burrito voucher, but the top readers get tickets to the library’s literary gala later this fall, and I’d like to go.) We’ll see how I do, but given I’m only at 18 completed books for the past 11 weeks, I’m not thinking I’ll score the golden ticket in the final days.

What are you working on these days?

August is traditionally a finishing month for me, so I’ve got several WiPs (works in progress) out and in circulation. The vanilla socks from the spring have a second heel flap coming along, and I’ve nearly reached the halfway point of my yarn on my Hitchhiker. Both remain easy knits, and I’m optimistic I’ll be crossing the finish line with them during the Olympics (and their accompanying knitting event, the Ravellenic Games).

Bookwise, I’ve been averaging a couple books a week this summer. The two I’m actively reading right now are The Game of Love and Death, which maybe I’d categorize as magical historical realism? It’s definitely historical fiction, set in Seattle 1937, and featuring two humans, Henry and Flora, who are unwitting contestants in the title competition between immortals. I’m enjoying it so far, but Death is a cunning foe, and I fear we’re going to see more of her as the pages turn.

The other book is my newest acquisition, the latest project from Jo Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It’s the working script of the play currently being staged in London’s West End, so while it’s good, it’s not as good as a novel. (I’m totally biased here.) I’ve heard that reading it aloud makes it pop, so I may give that a go after I’ve read it once. (Or maybe I’ll see if there’s an audiobook version at the library. It was nice to see one thing revealed I’d always thought should happen, so that’s rewarding. Jo has asked audiences (and readers) to #KeeptheSecrets, so that’s as much as I’ll give away.

Yarning along with Ginny at Small Things.