Grounded (The Seven #1) | On My Bookshelf

This review was originally published on my Goodreads page . I purchased the Kindle version of this book during the pre-orders.

Grounded by Heather Ordover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knit, so let's go straight to the important bit: yes, there's knitting in this book, and it's realistic, fitting in with the storyline nicely, while not requiring any special knowledge on the part of the reader (if you knit, however, you'll likely spot at least one inside joke).

Even if there weren't any knitting in it, I'd still enjoy reading it. The characters have actual character, the storyline is well-paced, and I have a special appreciation for YA that hasn't been dumbed down.

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Casting on: Hot in Norway

Rhinebeck is this weekend! I'm not going!  

Instead of crying into my teacup, I've cast on for my "not going to Rhinebeck" sweater. While I have other projects going on, it's mostly work related and involves a fair amount of stopping and starting and thinking and tracking etc., and even the House Clogs I'm knitting require keeping track of shaping rows. That's just too much for me at the end of the day, when I want something soothing, meditative, and hard to screw up. Last year around this time, my attempt at that was a scarf knit in mistake rib, which I managed to repeatedly mess up by making mistakes in mistake rib (basically I'd start knitting ribbing "correctly"). This year? This year it's big blocks of garter stitch for an oversized, baggy sweater, a modification of the Skappelgenseren that reportedly took Norway by storm in 2012. Instead of the fingering-weight yarns called for, I'm using a single strand of worsted weight, Berroco Remix that I originally bought in 2011 to knit a Beatnik with. I got three sleeves and a hem in and then it hibernated - in order to fit me, I'd have to modify the armscye and sleeves, something I just wasn't up for. The gauge is close to the recipe, but the fabric is a bit denser, so there's a nice nubbly texture. I think it will be very much a tropical version of the Skappelgenseren, and useful for me if it does manage to cool off here by December. 

Other modifications: slipping the first stitch of each row, to help firm up the sides (it's drapey enough to need structure from the seams), and I added 6 stitches to the front and back. I'll likely adjust the sleeve stitch count as well.