Book Review and Two FOs

I recently finished reading The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I have already reviewed Knitting Under the Influence, and I must say that Ann Hood's novel is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of writing quality. While Knitting Under the Influence was more of a beach book, The Knitting Circle would be ideal for a book club. The novel tackles some difficult issues as several women come to know each other through their tragedies and their knitting. The main character, Mary, has lost her daughter to meningitis, and her mother, a recovering alcoholic, keeps telling her that she must learn to knit because it will help her through the grieving process. Mary and her mother have never had a great relationship, so she takes her advice with much trepidation. It turns out to be advice that is worth taking, as Mary grieves and knits her way through the next two years of her life. She learns along the way that everyone in the knitting circle has a story, and that she must take hold of her own future in order to heal herself. I would recommend this book to knitters and non-knitters alike. It was very well written, and I will be curious to read more of Ms. Hood's books in the future.

However, for the present, I have two FOs. I finally finished DF's Frogman Knit Scarf from the Morehouse Farm Knits book. I bought the yarn almost a year ago on our yarn crawl through NYC and the Hudson Valley, and the pattern proved difficult at first, but I plowed through and succeeded. It's a gorgeous green, and I will probably be stealing it to wear as well. But, it does mark the first FO for my fiance, and that makes it special. He even said that he's sad that it's done because he likes watching me make things for him. Guess the hat won't be too far behind in the making.




Pattern: Frogman Knit Scarf from Morehouse Farm Knits book
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3-Strand in Moss
Started: Over and Over, but officially for the last time in late December 2006
Finished: March 16, 2007
For: My fiance

I also completed my first dishcloth for the Monthly Dishcloth Knitalong. I joined this knitalong for a number of reasons, but it is a great way to do some stashbusting. Unfortunately, it also led to a little stash enhancing when we traveled to a baseball card show at a mall that also had a Jo-ann store. Thus, I purchased a few balls of Sugar and Cream cotton yarns in order to complete the other washcloths for the year. Below is the Mid-March KAL cloth that we bestowed upon friends of ours that we visited this week. They are redoing their whole house that they just purchased, but I think the tile has to stay. It's a great little touch of detail in a kitchen.



Pattern: Mid March KAL basket pattern
Yarn: Reynolds Saucy #44 in Peacock (I lost the ball band and am taking a guess there)
Started: March 15, 2007
Finished: March 21st, 2007
For: My friend D and her new digs