Princeton Library Lounge

What is it about those women walking around with yarn and needles sticking out of their bags? Sitting on the subway, knitting away? I just never got it. Don't get me wrong. I never thought there was anything wrong with it, but, really, what is it with knitting?

I decided to find out. Last Thursday evening, we hosted our third
event in which we informally chatted about Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Yarn Harlot, and then we learned how to knit. Kathleen Gittleman, of Pins & Needles, along with a wonderful volunteer from my Thursday morning Contemporary Fiction group, taught a small group of us how to work magic with a couple of bamboo needles and a little yarn. I'm still not going to knit a sweater any time soon, but I may just see how many little rectangles I can do.

If you haven't visited the Yarn Harlot blog, do! McPhee is hilarious. And, check out some of our great knitting books.

If you haven't joined us for a Book Journey yet, take a look at some pictures of our most recent pilgrimmage to the land of ravioli, via Hoboken and Whole Foods. Author Laura Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken), was gracious enough to make the trip down the turnpike to demonstrate the art of ravioli making. Not only that, we got to sample some, too!

If you haven't read Laura's book, give it a go. It's one woman's quest to find something authentic in her life - food, family, and home. Follow Laura as she travels to Italy to find the origin of her great grandmother's ravioli recipe, and, as a bonus, finds so much more.

Stay tuned for more Book Journeys in the new year. You can always find information about our many book groups from our Books and Reading page, just click the link for Book Groups @PPL. January 22, we'll be meeting at Whole Foods to discuss Joanne Harris' Five Quarters of the Orange; and join us in February for two sessions - we'll be screening Babette's Feast at the library on February 10, followed by a Whole Foods discussion/food demo on February 19.