The Thoughtful Shawl Project: Shawl Five

Shawl Five: Dreambird KAL by Nadita Swings

Back in 2014 I was still very much a beginner knitter, I was starting to experiment more and poke around in more complicated patterns. I've actually always been of the opinion that as long as there's a tutorial or Youtube video, then I'm game to learn any new stitch no matter how intimidating it might seem. So when I heard about the Ravellenic Games, and the ethos behind it, I was really excited to join in and challenge myself. 

I actually initially picked Stephen West's Esjan shawl to be my project for Sochi 2014. I purchased some beautiful buttersoft Malabrigo worsted in sunny shades of red and orange. I waited eagerly for the Opening Ceremony to cast on.

The day came and I clasped my needles enthusiastically, ready to start a new knitting adventure. But within hours it became clear that me and Esjan, never going to work. I'm sure that it's not you, it's me Esjan. But your lace pattern is as undecipherable to me today as it was back then. My brain just refuses it. 

So, it left me in a bit of a panic. I was a day down, patternless and with yarn specifically purchased with this project in mind. I scoured Ravelry for a replacement that could use the same yarn. But nothing spoke to me. Nothing was the challenge I needed, but without tearing my hair out after the disaster of Esjan.

So when I saw the Dreambird KAL, it was unsuitable and looked incredibly difficult. I'd never even heard of swing knitting (and to be honest, even today I'm not entirely sure what swing knitting it). But it was so beautiful, I fell in love. 

Growing up, my favourite fairytale was always The Firebird, and I couldn't stop imagining this shawl in smokey, charcoal tones and fiery splashes of colour. It felt like a sign that this pattern reminded me so strongly of an old Russian folktake, when the Olympics was in Sochi. So, I steeled my nerve and bought the pattern. 

I had a beautiful, but unidentified yarn that I bought at Yarndale previously. The tag had somehow wandered in between my purchasing it, and camping in the wilds of Skipton. But I knew the flaming tones would be perfect. Rob made an emergency dash to my LYS (props to the wonderful Kath of Little Houndales for letting a big, hairy man into her house late at night on a non-shop day to pick up the emergency yarn) to grab a skein of Malabrigo sock in a lovely deep purple.

I was ready to go! And only delayed by two days, I could do this! 

I knitted that shawl religiously. I watched the moguls, the freestyle skating, the curling and so much more. I fell in love with Winter sports and the steady click-clack of the pattern. I felt a swell of pride as Team GB won medals, and I knitted hard and fast and finished just in time. 

And my goodness what a beautiful shawl this is. I don't know why I don't wear it more. It is the very reason I needed to start this project - I have beautiful shawls, full of stories and love that deserve more. So, I've dug out my Firebird shawl, and resolved that it will get much, much more wear. 

What is the Thoughtful Shawl Project?

I saw a post by Jennie of tinypaperfoxes about her 39 shawls project, it sparked something inside of me.

Like Jennie, I have an absolute wealth of shawls, but wear the same ones regularly which means that I own unloved, neglected shawls, just like Jennie.

The Thoughtful Shawl Project is my journey to reassess and explore my shawl collection and decide whether to frog, donate or keep. 

You can read the whole post about the project here: The Thoughtful Shawl Project or you can browse the other blog posts about shawls here: Previous Thoughtful Shawl Project Posts.

Book Review: The Wicked Cometh

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"But I know that even if the sun were to illumine the whole borough, it would still be dark. Dark with the business of the people who live here. Dark with the deeds that are done."

Laura Carlin's The Wicked Cometh is an atmospheric, gothic novel set in the Victorian slums of London. Her evocative prose conjures up the smokey, dirty backstreets overflowing with crime and poverty with ease. However, this is in someways at the expense of character development. I feel like a heavy portion of the book was dedicated to painting a grim picture of the dense alleyways and slums, leaving the main characters Hester, Rebekah and Calder a little underdeveloped. It also means the book has a tendency to meander at times, spending a lot time scene-setting that could possibly be better used in helping the reader empathise and care about the characters more.

The plot itself was as twisty and tense as Carlin's wonderfully imagined London slums, leaving me constantly wondering where it was going to move to next, until the last few paragraphs. I saw the twist coming from a mile off, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the story in general.

As part of the LGBTQ+ community, I found it incredibly heartening that the slow-burning, but passionate relationship between Hester and Rebekah was given time to grow organically, and never felt gratuitous or scene-stealing from the main story.

On the whole, there were parts I enjoyed about this book, but felt it was let down a little by length and slow pace at the beginning. I'm glad that I read it, but I wouldn't do so again.

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Book Review: The Cliff House

The Cliff House by Amanda Jennings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Edie's life was dipped in gold. How could she ever understand?"

Amanda Jennings' The Cliff House is a tense and unsettling read of obsession, love and teenage rebellion. The titular house and wild Cornish coast are so sharply painted that they almost become characters in their own right in the book, their landscapes changing to echo moods and moments.

Amanda Jennings' writing is beautifully poetic, but without ever moving towards overwrought purple prose. It's a perfect example of sparing details being used to paint the most vivid images. Jennings' evocative description made it easy to picture the stark white house, or even taste the salt spray, from the first few pages I was instantly immersed into her world.

The story flows at a nice pace, feeding you intrigue and tension bit by bit always leaving you hungry for more, until the last few chapters. I feel they're more rushed than the rest of book, and they lose some of the edge and punch because of it. To me, the big reveal was dampened a little as it hurtled along too quickly.

However, unlike in the case of some books I've loved with weaker endings, it does nothing to detract away from my overall good feelings about this book. It was a gripping read and I could barely put it down.

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Book Review: Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Growing up, I was often found with my nose in a book, at school, at home, in the park. It didn't really matter where, books were my constant companions. So, when I saw Bookworm, I knew it was for me. Written by a self-professed bookworm, for fellow book lovers everywhere.

Right from the first pages, I knew this was going to be a book I took to my heart. Lucy Mangan writes with confidential ease, like she's sharing these bookish secrets with you, and you alone. It's charming and relatable instantly. I've tried to read bookish non-fiction before, such as The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller but I struggled with relating to the memoirs and anecdotes. This was absolutely not the way with Bookworm.

Although we were born 11 years apart, it seems Lucy and I share a great deal in common with childhood reads, from the classics like Where The Wild Things Are and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to more niche reads such as Dicey's Song. So, it was happy coincidence that reading Lucy's memoirs took me back through my own memories of my pony book phase, Sweet Valley High addiction and forays into adult books.

Bookworm is a thoroughly charming book, and Lucy is an engaging writer with bags of humour and passion. Her joy of books is infused in every page and I loved sharing this journey with her.

I would like to add a warning though, my Amazon basket is positively groaning now with books that Lucy loved and that I missed as a child. So read with caution!

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Book Review: While You Sleep

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt is a gorgeously gothic thriller, packed full of atmosphere and suspense, it follows American artist Zoe as she leaves behind her life and estranged husband to spend some time in an isolated Scottish house with an eerie history.

The setting of a tiny, remote Scottish island adds a claustrophobic twist to the tale, with tension building up from both the isolated location and the close-knit community. I found While You Sleep to be a little slow going to begin with, using the go-to thriller mechanic of strange noises and an eerie atmosphere. But the book soon takes an interesting diversion, replacing Zoe's feelings of dread and fear with an unsettling eroticism and general unease.

On paper this reads very much like a formulaic horror-thriller. Single, lonely woman in a strange, haunted house, but there's much more to this story and Stephanie Merritt's writing and ideas keep things fresh, throwing ghostly singing, demon lovers and witchy women into the mix.

My only criticism is that I predicted the twists in the story before the big reveal, which removed some of the knife-edge paciness that I prefer in thrillers. However, it was certainly an enjoyable and fresh take on the classic haunted house tale.

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