Unraveled Wednesday: 12/24/25

I’m happily joining Kat and the Unravelers on Christmas Eve, with all of my Christmas gift knitting completed, and some mittens for me in progress. The last thing I had to finish was a hat for John. I hope it's acceptable to him and that it's "warm but not too tight" so he will wear something besides the Bankhead hat I knit for him four years ago. 

The gifts are all bagged and ready, including some catnip toys I sewed for my Grandcats.

 

I'm knitting The World's Simplest Mittens for myself and enjoying them so far. I've got enough Malabrigo left over from John's hat and Justin's slippers that I might even make some mis-matched Frankenmittens to use it up. But I'm also hearing my Hitchhikers calling to me, so they'll soon be back in my knitting rotation. 

 

 

I reread some L.M. Montgomery short Christmas stories  but they were just some Christmas-flavored filler so I won't comment here. I also finally finished The Antidote for our Read With Us discussion in January, but I'll save my thoughts for that. I did read a decidedly non-Christmas related book, 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them. It's a darkly funny, fast-paced tour through the many alarming ways the human body can fail and how to avoid becoming an ER cautionary tale. Written by an emergency medicine physician who has truly seen it all, this book blends gallows humor, practical safety advice, and just enough medical detail to be both informative and unsettling.

Each short chapter focuses on a specific danger, ranging from the bizarre to the painfully ordinary, and is anchored by patient stories or professional anecdotes. Alker has a knack for making serious material accessible: she explains complex medical risks clearly, keeps the tone light without being flippant, and often manages to make you laugh just as you’re realizing you may never look at everyday activities the same way again.

That said, the sheer volume of scenarios can feel repetitive over time, and some entries are more compelling than others. Readers looking for deep dives into physiology or systemic medical issues may find the treatment a bit surface-level, while anxious readers might want to pace themselves. The episodic structure makes it easy to dip in and out, but it doesn’t always build momentum.

Still, 99 Ways to Die succeeds at what it sets out to do: entertain, educate, and make you just a little more aware of how fragile, and also surprisingly resilient, the human body can be. It’s an enjoyable, eye-opening read for fans of popular medical nonfiction and anyone with a strong sense of humor about mortality.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on January 13, 2026.

I hope you are enjoying a lovely and peaceful Christmas season, love and light if you celebrated Hanukkah, or a very pleasant Wednesday if that's what today is for you. I'll be back next week with a few year-end posts about making and reading. 

What are you making and reading this week? 

The World May Be Imploding ...

 ... but the bread still rises. My SiL (let's call her Phyllis) and I write each other weekly newsy emails and she told me about her plans for a dinner party she was going to be hosting for friends. Phyllis was making bone broth to use in preparing beef stew and listed the various dishes that friends were making. These included stuffed mushrooms, a salad with winter vegetables, cheesecake, and one friend would be bringing whatever bread she had baked that week. Phyllis said that this friend had started baking bread in January and kept baking as things got worse and worse. She told Phyllis that "The world may be imploding, but the bread still rises."

I was struck by this and felt compelled to start a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, especially because I hadn't baked any bread in quite a while. It was done baking later at night, so it was dark and the pictures aren't terrific, but it was one of the nicest looking loaves I've made.  

 

 

It looked just as good when I cut a few pieces the next morning, and tasted wonderful. 

 

 

Everybody has to find the coping mechanisms that work for them, whether they involve voodoo dolls, reading, knitting, appreciating nature, music, or baking bread. Just thinking about what my next loaf will be makes me feel better because even though the world may be imploding, the bread still rises. 

 

 

A Gathering of Poetry: December 2025

It’s the third Thursday of the month, which means it’s time for A Gathering of Poetry - welcome!

I just came across this poem and it evoked such a lovely picture in my mind that I thought it was one worth sharing.

Christmas Mail

by Ted Kooser  

Cards in each mailbox,
angel, manger, star and lamb,
as the rural carrier,
driving the snowy roads,
hears from her bundles
the plaintive bleating of sheep,
the shuffle of sandals,
the clopping of camels.
At stop after stop,
she opens the little tin door
and places deep in the shadows
the shepherds and wise men,
the donkeys lank and weary,
the cow who chews and muses.
And from her Styrofoam cup,
white as a star and perched
on the dashboard, leading her
ever into the distance,
there is a hint of hazelnut,
and then a touch of myrrh. 

====

Kooser, Ted. "Christmas Mail". Together, Brooding Heron Press, 2012. 

 

You can read more about Ted Kooser here.

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Thank you for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. You are

more than welcome to add your link below if you would like to share one of your

favorite poems. The more the merrier! 

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Unraveled Wednesday: 12/17/25

I’m happily joining Kat and the Unravelers today, with completed slippers, Hitchhikers in progress, and a barely begun hat. I realized that I hadn't knit John a hat this year and since it's a Christmas tradition, I looked around for a pattern, ordered yarn, and then worked on the gray Hitchhiker while I waited (impatiently) for the yarn to arrive.

Deciding on a hat pattern was slightly difficult because John always wears the one I knit four years ago, Bankhead. I finally asked him what he liked about it and he said it was warm but not too tight. I chose the Bulky Waffle Hat for this year because I enjoyed knitting Justin's slippers with Malabrigo Chunky and wanted to continue the enjoyable experience. Once the yarn arrived yesterday, I was a little dismayed to find that I didn't have the recommended size 10 needles. I decided to use Justin's slippers as a swatch, and ended up using size 8 needles and casting on four extra stitches. Right now it's just ribbing but it will hopefully go quickly. If it doesn't work, I can always frog it after Christmas and make adjustments (or maybe it will fit me). I also ordered more of the Malabrigo for mittens for me, but they will have to wait.  

And since they're officially an FO and will soon be wrapped, here are Justin's slippers. I do hope he wears them sometimes, or maybe his cats will sleep on them since they are so soft and warm. 

 

 

I only finished one book this week. I'm sorry it is an ARC and won't be published until June, but it was so good I'm going to share my thoughts here in December. Ann Patchett has always had a gift for writing about the quiet, powerful moments that shape us, but Whistler feels like something even more tender and resonant, a novel that hums with memory, regret, and the kind of love that never fully lets go. From the very first pages, I was completely absorbed.

The story begins with a chance encounter at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Daphne Fuller and her husband notice an older man trailing behind them. It turns out to be Eddie Triplett, Daphne’s former stepfather from decades earlier. What unfolds from that moment is a luminous, deeply human exploration of time, connection, and the strange ways our past selves remain alive inside us. Patchett writes their reunion with such grace that it feels both miraculous and inevitable.

This is a novel about the choices we make and the ones made for us, about how small events can redirect entire lives, and how love, unexpected, unconventional, or fleeting, can echo for years. Patchett captures the fragility of memory and the incredible feeling of simply being known by someone else. The book is understated but emotionally expansive, filled with those sharp little truths the author inserts so delicately you don’t realize how deeply they’ve settled until you feel the tug in your chest. 

Whistler will absolutely be one of my top books of 2025. In fact, finishing it has left me with the distinct (and slightly comical) worry that there may not be much to look forward to (book-wise) in 2026 because I may have already read the best book that will be published during that year. It’s that moving, that beautifully crafted, and that unforgettable. A quiet masterpiece that I will re-read several times before publication on June 2, 2026.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper for providing me with a copy of this stellar book.

What are you making and reading this week? 

 

It's A Little Tarnished ...

 ... but I still like my angel chimes in spite of their slightly bedraggled appearance. 

I got this 33 years ago at Ryan's insistence. We were at a little 5 & 10 store (which has sadly closed) and they had one on the counter with the candles lit and the angels whirling around. Because he was two, Ryan was fascinated by the candles but also by the angels and chimes. I think it was $2.99, so of course I bought it.

 

 The base has some spots of rust on it, 

 

and the angels have also dulled over time and have their own areas of wear. But I enjoy watching the angels whirl around and dinging the chimes for a few minutes each year. It always reminds me of good memories, like the kids promising to be good if I would light the candles and laughing hysterically when I accidentally installed the angels the wrong way and they flew around backwards.

 

 

I've thought about replacing it for several years, but I haven't found another red one like this. Now it seems as if they are all shiny brass and cost about 10 times what I paid. More importantly, they also don't come complete with sweet memories, so a little bit of rust and tarnish is just fine with me. 

Look What I Got!

Some family members were visiting last weekend so I had brunch on Sunday for John's sister, her husband, their oldest daughter, and her son. They are always wonderful people to visit with and I wish we could have spent even more time together. 

We were having so much fun talking to each other that I didn't take any pictures but I do want to show you the very special gift that my SiL made for me. 

My very own voodoo doll! I love everything about it - the colors she used, the hair, the tie, the tiny hands, and that expression. I have wondered many times how I was going to cope over the next three years, and I think this might actually help. When I read the news about the destruction of the White House, deportations, Venezuela, the demise of the CDC and vaccine policy, and everything else, there is very little I can actually do. But it's surprising how poking a few pins in strategic places can help. 

My SiL has made four of these voodoo dolls so far and gifted them to friends in New Mexico, Sweden, PA, and NJ. We even joked about coordinating and poking our pins at the same time just to see what might happen.

At the end of the day, after we’ve done what we can to make our voices heard in real and constructive ways, I think it’s healthy to laugh together. There’s no reason we can’t also laugh at the absurdity coming at us from every direction these days. Honestly, I think we need laughter more than ever.

Let me know if you’d like me to place any pins for you!

 

Unraveled Wednesday: 12/10/25

I’m happily joining Kat and the Unravelers today, with an almost-completed second slipper and a few rows on my Hitchhikers. 

I had hoped to be done with the slippers, but I've still got 18 rows of ribbing left to go on the fold-over cuff. The winter light was fading fast on Tuesday afternoon, so I took the photo but I'll have them completed by next week. I have a full skein of the soft green Malabrigo Chunky and I'd like to make myself a pair of mittens, but I don't think one skein is enough. I just might have to do some Christmas yarn shopping for myself. 

I did a few more rows on the blue Hitchhiker and cast on (again) for the soft gray one. I've only knit six teeth on the gray one but I'm glad to have it back on the needles. Sometimes I'm in a gray mood and sometimes I feel more like working on something in a cheerier bright blue.

I haven't finished any books this week but I've been reading our current Read With Us book, The Antidote, and several excellent advance reader copies. The ARC s are so good that I want to take my time and savor them, while also reading quickly to see how they turn out. This is a good dilemma to have.  

What are you making and reading this week?