Knitting Notes

My Sibella cardigan is actually done, but it turns out I don’t have buttons I like, so I had to order some (which I’m very thankful are currently still available, even though I’d say they’re probably non-essential).     So I’m going to consider this done in March, but it’ll probably only be wearable in April.   I’ll do a regular final post whenever that is.

Which leads me to the new project I started, which I can’t talk about, because it’s test knitting.  I’ll just say I love the pattern, and the yarn is lovely.   I’ll post more about it May, when I can.

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The Kingdom of Copper – S. A Chakraborty

It’s five years after the first book in this series. Nahri is continuing her work as a healer, and dreams of reopening her family’s hospital in Daevabad. Ali has been exiled to his mother’s homeland, and has found a use for the marid’s power he picked up, finding water in the desert. But events (engineered by others) bring him back to Daevabad.

There’s clearly a revolution coming, and the actions of various parties in various factions is absolutely all over the map of denial or overreaction. It really struck me with what’s going on in real life right (note to future self: it’s the end of March in the great Covid lockdown) how much that’s consistent with human behavior, and seems very logical to carry over to fantasy worlds as well.

Gilsland Farm – Falmouth, ME

Jewell Falls – Portland, ME

Crescent Beach State Park – Cape Elizabeth, ME

Garden Notes

The barest touch of Spring in the garden.

Hamilton House – South Berwick, ME

Spinning Silver – Naomi Novik

I loved this book. At its barest bones, it’s “Rumpelstiltskin”, but the author is just using the spinning things into gold conceit and adding in Russian and Jewish folklore to get a fantastic tale of women taking charge of their lives to save the people they love.

Miryem is the daughter of the local moneylender, a man so kind-hearted that his own family goes hungry when he won’t reclaim debts from people he feels need the money more than him. It’s Miryem who takes charge of the debts when her mother becomes sick, and it’s clear that someone needs to bring in money somehow.

She enlists the help of Wanda, the daughter of a local farmer who beats the three children that have survived the hard life of their farm, and the lack of provision that his alcoholism has caused the family.

Their lives end up being entwined with that of Irina, the unloved, ugly daughter of the local Duke, who through magic is suddenly placed in the unlikely position of being able to marry the Tsar.

You wouldn’t think these women should be tied together, and yet they are, and they save everyone from an enemy that is not initially clear. It’s a great story – it just keeps getting better. I was happy how it ended, but sorry it was over.