Tea & Possibilities Episode 60 : Knit Harrington

INTRODUCTION

You can find me on Instagram and Ravelry. We also have a Ravelry group where the Episode 60 Chatter Thread is live!

Today’s tea is a jasmine tea that my aunt brought back from Russia. We have a tea recommendation thread on the Ravelry group, if you're looking for something new to try.

WIP'D UP

Wearing:

Industrial Pavement
Pattern: Pavement by Veera Välimäki
Yarn: Stranded Dyeworks Merino Nylon in Industrial Kingfisher

FOs:

Christmas Socks #1
Pattern: Vanilla Sock by Meanwhile at the Castle

Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Fairy Lights (Christmas 2018 colourway) and Bubblegum

Find the #SOSKAL2019 Chatter Thread in the Tea & Possibilities group (prizes pulled from this Chatter Thread!)

WIPs:

Cosy Stripes
Pattern: Granny Stripes by Attic24
Yarn: Various! (See Cosy Squares Ravelry project page for more details)

I worked on this while watching Chernobyl, which I highly recommend, but it is incredibly graphic and hard to watch at times.

I gifted the baby knits I made for a friend last weekend - Puddle Jumper Cardigan, Mini Selbu Mittens and Garter Stitch Hat. They were very happily received - so happily, I may well knit some bits and pieces for when the baby is a little older; probably the Flax Light by Tin Can Knits.

I crocheted my friends Christmas stockings a few years ago and now that their little one is that bit older I want to make sure she has one in time for this Christmas.

HERE BE SPOILERS

I've been waiting to rant about Game of Thrones for ages!

On the whole, I have loved the series, I think it's an excellent adaptation of books I also adore. But as the series moved away from the source material, it became very apparent that it was weaker for it.

I don't necessarily hate where everyone ended up at the end of the series, but I don't buy how they got there.

Daenarys Targaryen has, over the course of several seasons, become the epitome of a white saviour.

She has freed slaves in cities across Essos - but has proven herself more addicted to the thrill of liberation than to the governance needed to ensure those who were once enslaved can thrive. So her descent into tyranny makes sense. Her realisation that she is not loved in Westeros, but the man she loves - her great rival - is adored, is a heavy one.

But it all happens far too quickly. And her continued trust in Jon rings hollow for me.

The Night King and Jon Snow's true identity feel like failed plot points to me. Chekhov stated that you should not 'place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off'. Both the Night King and who Jon Snow is have felt like weighty questions hanging over the series, but neither, in my opinion, 'go off' in any satisfactory way.

Finally, King Bran makes zero sense to me. Calling him 'the Broken' left a bad taste in my mouth - yes, this is a quasi medieval period, but we are in 2019 and we should be moving past this kind of gross language.

But Bran has felt like a peripheral character for years now. Almost like no one knew what to do with him. Deciding that he - a potentially immortal, omnipotent god-like being - is the best choice for King felt like no one had learnt anything.

Highlights for me were Sansa's story. I loathe the lazy writing that had her cite her physical and sexual abuse as the catalyst for her strength, as I believe she actually learnt from a list of strong women - her mother, Cersei, Margaery and Lady Tyrell. Becoming Queen in the North felt so right and I could watch her getting dressed for her coronation a million times.

Finally - Lady Lyanna Mormont. A minor character, but a total badass whose story arc was infinitely more satisfying than that of major characters - even though she died.

If you're curious about the history that inspired Game of Thrones, check out the History Hit and Rex Factor episodes.

KNIT & NATTER

Nan joins me again to share her sock project (loves socks - less sure about magic loop) and to lament the lace repeat in her current garment project.

She also shares her love of Gentlemen Jack, which we all here in the T&P household settle down to watch on a Sunday evening. It's the true story of Anne Lister who was a lesbian landowner in the 1800s - a formidable and fierce businesswoman, determined to live her life on her terms, no matter what society said.

We'd both heartily recommend it and we're looking forward to a second season! I'll keep you posted on if my Nan does watch any Game of Thrones!