Overcoming SSS

Yes, the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. I don't usually fall victim to this insidious malady, but something has been keeping me away from the second sock for the Bat Mitzvah girl. In the last few days, though I got strict with myself:

You can't tell, but I have just started the heel flap, so I think I'm over the hump with this sock, the second of the Rosa Rubiginosa Socks. I'm itching to try a new sock pattern, but I am trying to be more focused with my knitting.

I finished reading Evicted and I have to say that author Matthew Desmond hit a home run. This book about 8 families who are evicted in Milwaukee reads like a heart-breaking novel because the writing is as strong as the research. The daily grind of poverty creates a parallel universe to the one the rest of us live in. I see the fallout in my students, and it was hard to read about what their parents go through. One mother of two boys had to make more than 80 calls to find a new apartment.

Last night, I started Jacksonland by Steve Inskeep (yes, of NPR!). I tend to like history written by journalists because they focus on accuracy and good writing, and this one is off to a good start.  Tonight, I hope to also begin The Sellout, a satirical novel that was on a lot of the best-book lists of 2015.

It's been an eventful week at school. I don't think it's a coincidence that some of our struggling students' families have been evicted in the last few years. I'm hoping for a couple quieter days now. Friday is a staff development day, so at least that will be one quiet day!

Joining up with Ginny for Yarn Along.

In Progress: Knitting, Stitching, Reading

The healing power of a week of vacation is amazing. I returned to school yesterday feeling happy to see my students and ready to tackle another quarter. 

It seems like I'm in the middle of a million projects, but I don't really want to know how many I have on the go! So, I'll just share a couple of them. First up is the first Bat Mitzvah sock, the Rosa Rubiginosa Sock from The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet. 

 I don't know if you can tell, but the lace goes down the top of the foot in a triangle shape, which is a fun twist.

My Door County Cross Stitch is slow going. I find that I need to do this in natural light (which couldn't possibly be a result of my age, could it?). Stitching a lot of white floss on white Aida cloth might be a factor, too.

I like the way it is coming out, which is good because it's going to be a long process.

I am almost done with Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh, and I highly recommend this story of a family in Pennsylvania coal country. The book follows the characters through the second half of the 20th century, a type of book that has been done a million times. Often these books are predictable or silly; not this one. Baker Towers is well-written with characters that feel real. It's the kind of book to curl up with for a good long read.

Next up is The Prize by Dale Russakoff, which tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg's failed donation to the school district in Newark, NJ.  I expect to enjoy this one. I'm not a Zuckerberg fan.

I'm joining up with Ginny to Yarn Along.