Knit and Read



This is a felted iPod cover which I made last week for my daughter S. I think she likes it and it will prevent the iPod from scratches. I made the pattern up myself and it is knitted in Freedom yarn by Twilley's. This comes in great colourways and felts like a dream.

Had book club last Tuesday, and the book for discussion was 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian' by Marina Lewycka. Nikolai, aged 84 suddenly falls in love with Valentyna who is in her thirties, very well endowed and glamorous. Immediately we can see that Valentyna's reason for marriage is to extend her visa so that she can have a better life with her son in UK. This thread of the book is quite a romp and parts of it make you laugh out loud. His two daughters, Vera and Nadezhda are not at all pleased and make every attempt to prevent the marriage, without success. However, there is a more sombre side - that of the effect of earlier and indeed current times in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe - deprivation, cold, misery, lack of freedom. Nikolai was an engineer and obviously very intelligent. He is writing his History of Tractors in Ukraine. We can see from his novel his knowledge of engineering and its history and the difference it made to life in Ukraine.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It has many themes. It is hilariously funny at times but very sensitive and real. One can empathise with the characters. Marina Lewycka writes very well and can tell so much with so few words. I would highly recommend it.

Comments

Diane said…
isn't felting addictive?
21 January 2007 at 18:51
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