An FO and a New Book

The other day I had a serious–and I mean serious–attack of startitis. Oh, we have all gone through such things, but this was somewhat extreme even for me. I sat there and cast on 3 projects. I cast on a bed sock, a Lily Pad, and a shawlette. And, I’m using 3 different types of yarn. The bed sock is in DK weight, 100% cotton, the Lily Pad in some long-forgotten type and brand (though it is boucle), and I’m using fingering weight for the shawlette.

Last night I finished the Lily Pad. What’s a Lily Pad? It’s a pet blanket. You can get the free pattern here. I make and collect them for Lily’s Friends, a program of my foundation, The Lily M. Foundation, Inc. It is named after my late knitting buddy, Lily McMunster. Anyway, I put this project on rush. Last week, the toilet decided to overflow and spread into 2 rooms before I got the valve shut off. In my haste to sop up the water, I grabbed what was handy, which included the cats’ LilyPads. Well, most of them. All were saved and subsequently washed. Well, all except one.

Clarence lays claim to the newest Lily Pad

Clarence had taken over the very first blanket I ever knit. It was originally a lap blanket, but he decided it was for him. Well, he dragged that thing all over the house. He’d suck on one end and drag it between his legs. His favorite place to leave the blanket was behind my desk chair, which meant, of course, that it got caught in the wheels whenever I rolled back. No matter where I put it, he’d drag it into the office. Whenever I threatened to wash it, Clarence would throw a hissy fit. So, when it was used as a towel last week, it gave me the opportunity to finally get rid of it.

Cat parents will understand. The minute Clarence went looking for it, guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. Seriously. No, I mean really seriously. As if he didn’t have enough issues, I had burdened him with another: the loss of his beloved blanket. I immediately knew I had to remedy the situation, ergo, the casting on of the Lily Pad. There’s another benefit to knitting a Lily Pad, at least using the pattern I’ve posted under Patterns and which I use most often. It is absolutely mindless knitting. After the work stress of last couple of weeks, I really needed something like that.

Last night I finished the Lily Pad. And as you can see, it met with Clarence’s quick approval. I have been forgiven.

Not My Daughter

Most of the books I receive from publishers to review are pattern books. Which is just fine with me, by the way. But a few weeks ago, I received the novel Not My Daughter by bestselling author Barbara Delinsky. When I read the jacket flap, I couldn’t see why the publisher sent it to me for review. I used to review books for children and young adults, but not for adults.

Then I read the press release, and the reason became clear: some of the characters own a yarn-dyeing business.

Not My Daughter is the story of three high school girls who make the decision to get pregnant. Sound familiar? Yes, there is the influence of the real-life, Massachusetts high school girls who got pregnant (the pact that wasn’t a pact). The girls in this book are popular, talented, and good students. In other words, their decision to get pregnant makes sense to no one–other than, perhaps, themselves.

Though at first glance it may seem the girls are the focal point of this novel, they are not. The real main character is Susan Tate. Her daughter, Lily, is one of the pregnant teenagers. This is a situation to which Susan can relate, because she was unmarried and pregnant with Lily at the same age. She can relate, but that certainly doesn’t mean Susan is happy about the situation. And complicating the situation is that Susan is the principal of the high school the girls attend. As might be expected, the school board is incensed by what has happened, and Susan finds herself its scapegoat, dodging threats of termination for most of the book. And then there’s Rick, Lily’s father, who has an important presence in Susan’s and Lily’s lives. And Susan’s strained relationship with her family. . . .  Well, you get the picture.

Dyers and knitters will relate to the fact that, when faced by stress and frustration, the main female characters turn to their dyepots or yarn and needles. The pregnancies put a strain on the women’s yarn business, but it’s also what helps to hold them together–both personally and as a group. Unlike many novels that feature knitting and yarn, that’s not the case in Not My Daughter. It’s incidental to the plot, not a major player. Still, yarn, knitting, and dyeing do make frequent appearances.

If you’re looking for something fun to read, and I realize “fun” might seem like a strange word for this subject, Not My Daughter might be a good choice. As I read it, I kept thinking that it was the perfect type of reading to be done in front of the fireplace, a winter storm outside, dressed in jammies and handknit socks and with a big mug of tea. Of course ocean waves crashing on the shore wouldn’t have been bad either. It grabbed and held my attention for about two-thirds of the novel. As it got closer to the end, I got the feeling the author was in “hurry-up” mode. Ends seemed to be wrapped up neatly and suddenly. With only a momentary–though potentially bad–moment, the girls seemed to experience no serious consequences of their actions. In retrospect, the book’s plot line is predicable–especially if you’ve seen even one Lifetime movie.

And in a clever marketing campaign, Mountain Colors Yarns is producing the Eclipse colorway for spring.

Incidentally, I loved the fact that the dyers give knitting blogs much of the credit for their company’s success!