Our whole family is down with a cold. Well, we hope it is a cold. I’m getting tested for COVID tomorrow, and I expect to get a negative test. In our house having a cold means we eat even more bread than normal. This week I made challah, hamburger buns, and naan. They were all good. Not that we could tell. We are all so stuffed up it is difficult to taste.

• 

• 

I will finish these socks this week. I will finish these socks this week. I will finish these socks this week.

If I say it enough time maybe it will happen.

I had Audrey and Elliot pick out fabric for Christmas pillowcases last week. They both wanted a red truck Christmas print. I finally got around to making them today. They were well received, by the kids and the dog.

I finished my Hansel Hap by Gudrun Johnston this week. I knit this out of alpaca from the orchard where the kids and I spend as much time as possible in the fall. I have many wonderful memories at the orchard, and wearing the shawl is a nice reminder of those memories. It’s also a nice reminder that I love smooshy yarn. And soft things.

I knit the full hap, which is a square. The pattern also has directions for a half hap. Knitting a full hap had been on my knitting bucket list for a couple of years. Now that I have one I’m fairly certain I will knit more. Having two layers of fabric in the shawl makes it so darn warm.

• 

• 

Now that I’m done with the shawl I suppose I’ll have to work on John’s darn socks. Also I have a pair of John’s socks to darn. Darn John and his socks.

I’ve been reading a lot lately. All I want to do is crawl into my cozy flannel sheet adorned bed and read. It’s really a shame I have to get up and parent, as there are so many books I would like to read. I read seven books this month, many of which I’m going to insist that you read.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center. I’ve yet to read a Katherine Center book that doesn’t bring me joy. In this book a teacher is surprised to find her huge crush from her prior school is the new principal at her school. He has changed completely, yet she still finds herself fumbling around him. Somehow they find a way to work together to improve the school. I really enjoyed this book. I give it three out of five stars.

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein. In this novel a former elite gymnast finds a new purpose as a coach. Also she finds love. And friendship. I didn’t love the writing in this one, but if you really love gymnastics and romance novels this is probably a book you would enjoy. I give this book two out of five stars.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Why yes, sometimes I do read real books. This book is about identical twins. One twin crosses over to live as a white woman, forming a life filled with lies. The other sister lives in their home town. Eventually their daughters meet and try to forge a relationship. This book was incredibly well written. I devoured this book – I could not put it down. You really should read this book. I give it four out of five stars.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. OK, so you know how sometimes people recommend books and you really question them on the recommendation because do you really seem like someone who is interested in a book about teenage witches at a boarding school and maybe one of them is a vampire and also there is romance and what the hell it is a pandemic so you read it and then suddenly you know why fan fiction exists? No? That’s just me? Huh. Well let me change that. You really need to read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I know that is is young adult. I know that it is about teen magicians. I don’t care. I finished this book immediately looked for fandom inspired yarns. There aren’t any, so I think Alissa or Liz need to read this and then dye the yarn because they are really good at dying yarn. This book is so much fun. It is like Twilight meets Harry Potter, but the vampires don’t sparkle or pass moral judgement. Please read this book and then talk to me about it. I give this book five out of five stars.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. After the emotional high of Carry On (have you requested it from your library yet??) I needed a predictable book. I picked up this enjoyable tale of two people who share the same birthday. One appears to have a charmed life. The other appears to have a cursed life. They keep bumping in to each other and strike up a friendship….or is it more? I give this book three out of five stars.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. You guys! Baz and Simon are back, and this time they are on a road trip across the US. They stop in Des Moines! They go to a Renaissance Fair in Omaha, where they find real vampires! This book has it all. Action! Friendship! Twists! Turns! I don’t wait until July for the third book to come out. I’ve seriously considered e mailing Rainbow Rowell to share my feelings on how this series should end. Don’t mock me. It is that good. I give this book four out of five stars.

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan. After Thanksgiving it is time to break out the Christmas novels. I really like Jenny Colgan’s book. I enjoy her characters. I greatly enjoyed the first Rosie Hopkins book. This book lost me. If you believe a successful relationship is built on constant confusion due to no communication I have a hard time believing that the relationship will last. I give this book two out of five stars.

What have you been reading lately? Do you have any Christmas novels to recommend? Will you text me when you finish Carry On so we can talk about it? Please?

On Sunday I decided it was probably time to get started with Christmas knitting, so I started a pair of mittens for my sister. She wanted color block mittens, so we discussed color and yarn choices. We ended up deciding on Beaverslide Dry Goods in gray and blue. I’ve been knitting on it here and there and I already have a HO.

I still have at least one more Christmas project to cast on. It should be a quick knit though, and I’ll be back to selfish knitting soon.