yesterday i very fleetingly mentioned a book i read this weekend, because i was dashing off to classes and didn’t have time to write all about it in my post. i love to listen to audiobooks while i spin and knit. not only is it the way to keep up with the reading i like to do, but i quickly became addicted to being read to—the right reader/story combination work wonders at pulling me away from my work day and into more wonderful mental pursuits during the evening, whenever i can make that happen.
so i picked up this book at the library saturday, alog with a pretty tall stack of other selections.
the rug merchant, by meg mullins
i almost didn’t take it, because i had a preconceived notion that the subject matter might be treated with some tired sort of examination emblamatic of many post-9/11 stories about cultural divide. i didn’t want to read about cultural divide—i wanted a fresh perspective. but then i noticed that the author’s work was chosen for best american short stories, so i bit.
i’m so glad i did, too. this is an absolutely beautiful book that explores the deepest, most painful and personal aspects of trying to migrate from one cultural state of being to another. set in new york city, it is the story of a man from Iran, who, after 3 years of physically living in america, begins to leave iran mentally and spiritually, in order to pursue new friendships and a love affair.
in telling the story of this man’s cultural awakening, the author chooses not to define her characters or substantiate their personalities by their political beliefs, nor the political climate of their respective homelands. rather, she explores more basic human responses such as insecurity, confusion, love, grief, and sexual attraction through the events that unfold. and these too, are decidedly simple and familiar, yet serve as examples of the human arena on many levels, from interpersonal to intercontinental.
her extraordinary main character is an everyman who possesses a highly-developed memory, a keen sense of observation, and the ability to recall the sumptuous in even the plainest of circumstances. his poetic, private descriptions of objects, people, and environments, reveal an inner life that is rich, but disconnected from his outside associations. once he begins to navigate the crossing between there and here, his panic and dread of making mistakes are palpable, even excruciating—because it is so easy to recognize oneself in his fledgling attempts at socailization.
and then there is the wool. trust me, this book is full of yarn porn.
i was very much affected by this story, and wished everyone could read it. as a society, we have such painful and ill-conceived relationships with countries in the middle east. and yet we share a planet, and i think most people would welcome having a MUCH better understanding of each other. and while this is just one story book, it seems to convey a little bit of wisdom and insight about others in a very humane way, a way that doesn’t use easy political/religious stereotypes.
so, how about what i did while i listened to that book? we-e-ell, i finished spinning and plying my navajo roving into a 2-ply sock yarn
it’s looking a little washed-out here, but the colors are really quite rich. it’s on the bobbin til tomorrow night to set the twist, and then i’ll skein it up for washing. i prepared another spunky eclectic offering—this time, winnipeg—for spinning
and got a little bit onto the bobbin before bed last night
i know, it’s a puny effort, but i was tired. this morning i put a few more rows on the smoke socks
and i’m ready to start the heel. i thought i’d be further on these, but there you have it. if i spin, i don’t knit. if i knit, i don’t spin. i need another set of arms.
17 thoughts on “a book and a bobbinful”
another set of hands for sure, but there are days when I would like to have another head as well…
You have made me to get out the wool as well, being read to and spinning feels just the right thing to do now.
Thanks for the book review. And the spinning is just lovely.
Your winipeg roving looks like a flower…
What an excellent book review! I’ll have to pick that one up at the library.
thanks for the book mention – i am always looking for new titles.
the spinning is beautiful! I love the barberpole effect of the navajo yarn….
I’m putting that book on my list of “to-reads.” Thanks for the review/synopsis.
I have decided to make it an effort to spin AND knit at least 15 minutes a day. It has the added benefit of meditation for me, so hubby lets me do it in peace. So far, knitting is far surpassing the spinning in time taken!
Whether we knit or spin, it’s a win-win, true?
Hi Anne, the spinning looks wonderful. I have some spunky eclectic fiber myself to spin and I wonder what sort of preparations you make and do they have anything to do with achieving a certain color result? The last one I spun from Spunky Eclectic was bright and varied as roving, but turned to mud when I spun it. I must have done something wrong.
I love to hear people say intelligent, compassionate things about the middle east. A dear friend of mine is Egyptian, spends a lot of time here in the US and frequently encounters horrifying ignorance.
Pink and brown, yummy! Puts me in mind of spring. 🙂
Thanks for the book recommendation–I will put this one on my list. It sounds excellent.
Great book review! The 2-ply looks yummy, I hope you won’t wait too long before turning it into socks. 🙂
Thanks for the book review; I want to read it now. I have been reading Freya Stark’s books of her travels and studies in the Middle East in the 1930s (Winter in Arabia is good). She writes beautifully and has a real gift for bringing people to life on the page.
The spinning looks great, and I really like the smoke sock, too.
Thanks to you and Brenda for the book recommendations. I also listen to audiobooks while I knit (and ride the bus and do chores), and I also get them from the library.
Your pink/cream/brown yarn looks familiar and lovely!
I have to agree with LaurieM about the winipeg roving, it does indeed look like a flower.. and your other spinning looks so beautiful too. You have a wonderful sense of color.
Great book review! I JUST got that audiobook and I’m glad to hear it was excellent. Have you read (or istened to) THE KITE RUNNER? That book stayed with me-it was so descriptive-also about mid-east culture.
I’m a rabid consumer of books on tape, so thanks for the recommendation. That one sounds fabulous. I recently read THE KITE RUNNER, and had similar trepidation before reading it, but it was fabulous.
It’s fun to see the spinning, even though I am resisting learning myself (because I already don’t have enough time to knit).
i tried to listen to _the kite runner_ on audiobook, but i couldn’t absorb the story and concentrate on my other activites. now, if i were on an exercise machine, that might be a better combo. so, i ended up reading the book instead.
i’ll have to remember your recommendation after i get through the small pile beside my bed 🙂
I’ve just discovered audiobooks. I shall try and get this one. any other recommendations?
I had one of the “why didn’t I think of that?” moments when I read your post on audio books. I usually knit to rather crummy prime-time network TV shows–and I used to sew to them as well. But things usually take a turn for the worst when there are reruns, because even listening to these with half an ear is more than sufficient. I don’t want to “watch” them again, and I may even skip (gasp) a night of knitting. But an audio book would be much more absorbing. I’m off to my local library later to see what they might have that would interest me.
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