All’s Hallowed around here but the [censored--consigned to damnation] doorbell. We’re not really big fans of All Hallow’s Eve around here. Merriam-Webster defines “Hallow” as Function: transitive verb Etymology: Middle English halowen, from Old English hAlgian, from hAlig holy — more at HOLY
1 : to make holy or set apart for holy use
2 : to respect greatly : Venerate

But frankly, none of us feel particularly holy on this day, and really, we blame the doorbell. How can you enjoy yourself when your dog is being driven crazy by the bell and running frantically around trying to protect his house, barking all the while? All of our dogs have hated Halloween, and the barking has pretty much caused my mother to hate Halloween. And, really, I’ve never been that much of a fan, either.

When I was little, I admit, I did dress up and go trick-or-treating, but really, it was for two simple reasons. Free candy and a chance to wear Mom’s makeup. Other than that, I wasn’t that interested–especially if I couldn’t wear a costume that was “pretty.” (The year Mom insisted my sister and I dress up as witches, we were pretty witches, like Samantha Stevens, with eye shadow and lipstick.) But I outgrew the Princess phase, and ever since . . . not so interested in dressing up for Halloween. There was the Halloween Parade in 6th grade when my teacher told me, “Debbie, if you don’t wear a costume, you can’t march in the parade with the other children.” She was obviously under the impression that that would inspire me to get a costume, but she never did understand that I was an independent child and the chance to stand on the sidelines with the adults was far more appealing to me than being just one of a crowd of weirdly-dressed kids. (This same teacher used to tell my mother I was going to grow up socially warped, or something, because I preferred spending my lunch break with a book than running around with the other kids. Makes me wonder–was I possibly the first independent child she’d ever taught??)

Anyway, so it’s been quite some time since I dressed up for Halloween. 1991, in fact, the first year I worked at my office. (I wore a medieval-kind of robe I’d made based on a dress from Ladyhawke, which I’d mostly made just so I’d have something warm, long, and flowy to wear around the house on cold winter nights, but really . . . I have to admit, though, that the idea of a Masquerade Ball with real, elaborate gowns and such does sound pretty appealing, but the odds of my ever being invited to such a thing (and having a suitable costume) are about as slim as my having any occasion to wear a gown of any kind. In other words, I’m not holding my breath!

What I am doing is sitting here in the living room with my laptop, on doorbell duty. Chappy’s standing guard in the dining room window and not actually barking at the moment. (He barks more as a general rule than Katy did, but nowhere near the amount our dachshunds used to bark.) I don’t know WHAT he thinks about all the kids coming to the door.

Cute story: We took him for a walk as soon as I got home from work today, and there were already some trick-or-treaters out. We were walking down the street, and up ahead, saw a family we know–two kids, two parents, and their dog, Ella, who is one of Chappy’s favorite doggy-friends. Except she was wearing a Wonder Woman costume. Ella was standing there, wagging her tail, happy to see her friend, but Chappy stopped dead in the street and started walking forward very cautiously and verrrry slowly, trying to figure out WHAT that was in front of him. A person? A child? A dog?? She took a step toward him, and he ducked over toward me (“Mommy!”) until he realized, “Oh, it’s Ella!” and started wagging his tail and saying hello. Very funny. Ella’s Dad (holding her leash) thought so too.

The closer we got to home, though, the more hyper Chappy got. Normally, he walks along pretty calmly on his leash–gets and excited and pulls sometimes, but is mostly good. Well, by the last quarter of the block we were walking around, his adrenalin was running high and he was not only pulling on the leash, but running back and forth in arcs in front of us. And when he saw a crowd of trick-or-treaters two doors up from his house? He started barking. Not mean barking, but excited barking, and barked his way all the rest of the way home.

Once everything quiets down tonight and he lets himself relax? He is going to be one, tired dog! Though, not as tired as Marley. And be sure to check out the very cool Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes Alison made for her twins. Not to mention the pirate hat Julie made this weekend.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:All’s Hallowed But the Doorbell // 6 Comments »

First, the exciting knitting news–I’ve finally finished the body of my Union Square Market Pullover. (Yay!)

I still have the sleeves, of course, and they require a whole slew of recalculations, but see? I’m so happy to finally have this part done. What with the huge difference in gauge, the short-row calculations for the neckline and shoulder-shaping, about the only part of the actual pattern I was able to follow were the words–anything that involved a number had to be adapted. Not an impossible task, but definitely not a project where I was able to just sit and follow a pattern.

On the plus side, I think I got the size just about right. It’s difficult to try on at this point, since there are no shoulder seams–nor will there be. The shoulders fasten with buttons. But I did pull it on and it seems like it fits pretty nicely around the waist–I hope! The neckflap in the front isn’t as pronounced as the one in the pattern, either, because I had so few rows to shape it in, but I’m content with that–just a small fold-over, not as pronounced a design element.

The part that I am a little concerned about? The way all the hems are curling over. Obviously, this is just off the needles and I haven’t had a chance to try blocking it yet, but it’s got me concerned. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

  In other knitting details for the weekend. There’s this apple green Debbie Bliss cabled sweater of mine. Back in February, as part of Alison‘s “The Fix is In” I tore out the mismatched, light green zipper I’d sewn into the sweater, and replaced it with a black one–which actually looked better . . . but only when the zipper was zipped. Really, though, it was an unfortunate choice. (See? This is something I never gave a thought to when I picked that gorgeous shade of yarn for the sweater–finding a zipper that would match. I just assumed that I’d be able to, and then learned the hard way that it’s not always possible. Sigh.)

It’s been bugging me for months, the fact that the sweater was still essentially unwearable through no fault of its own, and finally I decided that it would be better off with no zipper at all, no closure of any kind, than one that is so faulty. So yesterday, I tore out the zipper altogether and right now the cardigan is foot loose and fancy free, as it were. I think it looks better already. I’ll consider adding a button or a frog or two for some minimal closure, but am really just happy that I’ll be able to wear it out of the house for a change.

  I had a helper, too. Chappy supervised the entire job. Or at least, carefully examined the sweater to make sure all was well.

I also cleared out some space in my closet this weekend. A big, green garbage-bag full of pants, skirts, shirts, and sweaters. (No handknits, though.) Actually, there were three wool sweaters I almost put in there until I remembered . . . in that book, Alterknits, the author describes a way to felt old sweaters and turn them into tote bags. That sounded like a much more fun way of recycling sweaters than giving them to charity, so I pulled those out of the pile, and right now they’re sitting in the craft closet, waiting for their next step. Exciting, no?

And now, it’s bedtime, and we need our rest. Tomorrow is Doorbell Day (also known to other households as Halloween).

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:FP: Finished Piece, Anyway // 5 Comments »

Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted a dog very, very badly. Even though she was 32 years old, she begged and begged her Mom to let her have a puppy, but her Mom said, “No. We’ve had dogs for the last 21 years and I’m tired of taking care of them.”

“But, Mom,” the girl cried, “I’d take care of her myself! She’d be your, your . . . grandpuppy! And we could name her Katama, like the beach on Martha’s Vineyard (you know how you love anything from Martha’s Vineyard), but we could call her Katy.”

It took months, but Mom finally weakened, only insisting that the dog not be a miniature dachshund, like they’d had before. “No dog,” she’d been saying for months, “But absolutely not a dachshund.” So the girl took the second part for truth and started to look for another dog breed to love. Some were too big; some were too small. Some were too active; some were too sickly. Some were too cutesy; some were too ugly. She despaired of ever finding the perfect breed. Then one day, while scrolling through a list of dog breeds, like magic, there was one that had her name on it. A Boykin Spaniel. It was perfect. Medium-sized, smart, friendly, active but not too active–and even curly brown hair, just like her own. After that, she knew she’d won her Mom over and now it was just a matter of finding the perfect dog.

First, she looked for a rescue dog, figuring that a dog that needed a new home as much as she needed a dog would be just the right match. But that didn’t work–there is only one Boykin Spaniel rescue organization in the country, and there was never a dog of the right age or the right personality at the right time for the girl’s needs. So, she decided to start looking for a puppy. This was harder because so many Boykins come from the south and our girl lived in New Jersey, but one day in September, she called the Boykin Spaniel Society to ask if they knew of any litters that were available. They listed five, and one one of them, the girl’s hair stood up–a litter of girl puppies from Madison, NC. That was the one!

She called the breeder–the very first person to ask about one of Summer’s puppies–and they arranged that she would get a puppy–the best, picked out by him–who would be (gulp) flown up to NJ as soon as she was old enough. Say, October 29th, when the puppies are exactly 7 weeks old. Excited, the girl bought and read dozens of books on dogs, puppies, clicker training, and then she bought things like chew toys and crates and treats–everything her puppy would need. On October 27th, she overnighted the check to pay for her puppy and started planning her Friday–she would go to work for a few hours, have lunch at the office Halloween party, and then leave early to go to the airport to pick up her precious little bundle of fur.

But [dramatic music here] evil forces had gathered, and had prevented her check from being delivered on time! The breeder called her on Thursday night, apologetic but firm that he would not ship the puppy without having received the money. The girl understood but was distraught (an understatement, really). She tried tracking the package, calling the delivery company, even trying to find another way to get the money to the man, but no. He wouldn’t budge. After little sleep, she went to work the next day, despondent at the thought that she wouldn’t get her Katy that day after all. All her dreams of a puppy seemed far from fulfillment, just because of the evil shipping company. (Okay, maybe not evil; just misguided.)

Around lunchtime, though, things got better. Not only was there food and wacky co-workers dressed in distracting costumes, but there was word from the breeder–the check had come! Huzzah! He made plans that he would bring Katy to the local airport at 6:00 the next morning (which meant leaving his own house about 5:00–he really did feel badly about the whole thing), where she would catch a connecting flight to Charlotte, which would then fly to Newark’s Liberty Airport. The girl had paid extra for “counter to counter” delivery of her puppy (no cargo terminal for her precious ball of fur!), and so the next morning, she and her Mom–who had sworn she didn’t even want to be around when the puppy came–were at the airport luggage claim, singing the chorus to the K-K-K-Katy Stammer Song, anxiously waiting the big Arrival.

Then, a man walked by with a little, yellow carrier. Could it be? The girl and her mom followed him to the office and peered at the crate. There, huddled in the back, was a scared, little, brown puppy. The girl leaned forward and said, “Hi, Katy. Hi, Sweetie,” while her Mom melted into a big, gushy puddle behind her. After a few moments, the girl opened the crate door to reach in to pet the puppy, who licked her fingers, but wasn’t willing to come forward yet. (It had been a pretty scary morning so far, you must admit–for the first time away from her mother, she’d been on two airline flights, all alone, in a cargo hold. Pretty traumatic for a puppy only 7 weeks old.) The girl signed the paperwork, and then picked up the crate to carry it, carefully, out to the car.

Once at the car, she opened the crate door again and dragged the reluctant puppy out to be cuddled and reassured. Then there was a blinding flash of light….

On the drive home, the puppy sat very, very still, moving nothing but her head, as if she was still afraid of her new surroundings, the new people (who no doubt sounded pretty funny to her southern ears). But little by little, she started to relax. She accepted a crumb of liver biscotti. She wagged her tail. She started to squirm just a little to explore.

The girl was very happy. She had her puppy in her arms, all was right with the world. And then, they were home.

Katy.

Born September 7, 1999. Arrived October 30, 1999. Died May 7, 2001.

. . . . Don’t miss our next, exciting installment, where Katy meets the many strange people of New Jersey (ghosts! ghouls! goblins!) in “Katy’s First Halloween!” (“You were right FurMom, Yankees ARE strange!”)

• Tags: Family, Katy, Jilly, Muppy • Permalink:The Katy Saga: Oct 30, 1999 // 13 Comments »

So, this morning, after Mom had finally gotten through on the phone to get her tickets to see Carly Simon at Lincoln Center next month . . . Oh, didn’t I mention? Mom is a huge Carly fan. These tickets were her top priority this morning, so at 10:00 we were both sitting at the kitchen table with two phones each–the main phone, my Dad’s line, her cell phone, my cell phone–dialing, redialing, redialing, redialing . . . redialing . . . until finally after 45 minutes she’d gotten through and was lucky enough to actually get tickets. She’s hugely excited–Carly doesn’t tour very often, but she did perform last December at the Apollo Theater, which Mom also got to see–but that doesn’t matter. She’s super excited.

But anyway, after that dialing marathon, we hopped in the car and headed to Montclair to Modern Yarns. This is a brand-new shop that Tina mentioned on her blog a couple weeks ago, it’s only been open a month. Nice. Clean. Friendly owner. Rowan yarns. Debbie Bliss. Noro. LHS. Manos. Naturally, to be supportive, I bought some yarn–some Kid Silk Haze in this lovely, caramel-yellow (my guess is it’s the “Swish” colorway). It looked yellow under the halogen lights, but the bag in the car looked like I was carrying buns. Really, it was quite a sacrifice on my part to buy this, but you know, had to be nice to the new shop. It’s located on Church street, right behind the movie theater. There’s even a bead shop a little way up the block which had some nice beads, but since the girl working there was too busy chattering with her friend the entire time Mom and I browsed through the selection–not even a “Hi,” as we walked in–or, for that matter, even a glance to acknowledge us–I’m not anxious to go back. The yarn shop was much friendlier.

We also noticed there was another yarn shop on the same block, and looked in the windows but it was cluttered and crowded-looking, with nary a customer in sight. I know there’s a fine line between a store that’s filled with merchandise to provide a good selection and one that’s just crammed full of, well, not junk exactly, but so much yarn that it might as well be. Maybe it’s just me, but I like yarn shops that look like they’ve been cleaned and dusted in the last decade or so; that seem to have a big enough turnaround that their yarn hasn’t been sitting on the shelves for an eon or two; that have enough room to reach your hand into a bin to feel the yarn without scraping your knuckles, or knocking over piles of yarn. A fine line, I admit–because you want enough yarn for there to be a good selection–but I don’t like a LYS that’s too cluttered. All I can think of is the amount of dust.

On our drive home, though, we saw two signs we thought were pretty interesting.

First, while waiting for a traffic light in Montclair, was this one, directing traffic to the some nearby towns and the Jersey Shore. The Jersey Shore?? You have to realize, Montclair is in the middle of Essex County–nowhere near the ocean, so far as I know. I mean sure, if you head south out of town and go past the Oranges, Irvington and keep going past Elizabeth, Newark and so on, eventually you will come to within reach of, um, water, but! This reminds me of the road signs they had at the M*A*S*H 4077 camp, giving distances to Cleveland, New York, Hong Kong and basically anyplace-but-here.

Second, a sign for an Evacuation Route on Bloomfield Avenue. Um, Evacuation Route from what? Nuclear catastrophe, apparently. But I’ve got to say, considering the length of time it took to drive down that street on a normal Saturday afternoon, with all the traffic lights and insane drivers, heaven help anybody trying to use that road to flee for their lives, is all I can say!

Now, for your sweet tooth, if you’re craving chocolate, check out this recipe for Hot Fudge Sundae Cake. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but the message board I found it on was raving about the recipe. I don’t know if it’s as good as Norma’s Microwave Chocolate Cake (I haven’t been able to bring myself to bake a cake in the microwave yet–it’s a prejudice, what can I tell you?). All I know is they’re both chocolately, they’re both hot and rich, and they both go great with vanilla ice cream . . . or so I hear! Yum.

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Evacuation to the Jersey Shore // 4 Comments »

The handles for my Berocco Knitting Tote came today. I’m very happy with them, they’re just right. Nice color, and I love the smooth curve of them. For that matter, I love the way the whip-stitch which attaches the bag mimics the way the curved handle is attached to the straight bar.

Surprisingly, there’s almost nothing about this bag that I don’t like. That’s surprising because I’m not generally that excited about knitted bags. Bags and purses, sure. Knitting? Absolutely. But bags that have been knitted? Well, I’ve seen some I like well enough, but this is the first I’ve felt like I really wanted to make. I like the texture to the pattern. I like the suede look to the yarn. I like the simplicity of the design.

(And, yes, I do have a Booga bag that’s been knitted but not yet felted. We won’t discuss it. Because while I admire Julie’s bag immensely, the fact that the knitted bag has been languishing in the closet for a year now says a lot about the intensity of my feeling about my, particular bag. They’re all gorgeous, mine is just . . . you know . . . kind of there. My fault entirely.)

  Any road, here’s evidence that I am, in fact, making progress on this bag. You’ll remember that I was only able to buy 4 skeins in the color I wanted, and so went for the 5th skein in an accent color. I decided that I wanted the bottom of the bag to be the accent. (And then perhaps the very top? But I’ll decide that later). I knitted most of the purple skein and then switched to the green this evening. I’ll be knitting 13″ of this tube before I’m done, at which time the bottom seam is sewn, the handles attached, etcetera.

I can see it’s going to be difficult photographing this properly–the purple wants to photograph as blue, and the green wants to photograph as brown. A sad state of affairs, but what can one do? At least I’m trying!

I can’t imagine wearing anything in this yarn. But, my, it knits up very pretty indeed! I love the way the color varies just a little, just like the real thing.

Now, back to my decision-making. Not a knitting decision, but I’m looking at a new laptop. I have a Fujitsu Lifebook, my second one, and like it quite a lot–so far (knock wood), practically no problems with either of them. But which one to choose? The S7000-series? The S6000-series (similar to what I’ve got)? Or the very cool, convertible-tablet/notebook T4000 series? Decisions, decisions . . . but one I should make soon. They’re having a free printer/free shipping offer that’s good until Monday.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Getting A Handle On It // 4 Comments »

I really blame Sandy, of course. On my drive to work this morning, I just had to stop the car and take some pictures of the sky.

Isn’t it stunning? This is facing East into the sun as it rose, and the clouds are busy scudding off–it was mostly blue overhead, and off on the horizon, you can just see a long front of clouds brilliantly backlit. They ran the whole length of the horizon, and I wasn’t quite able to capture that gorgeous gold glow. (Hey, my Canon Elph is a great little camera, but it’s not exactly professional equipment, you know? But proper cropping can do wonders…)

It’s been raining for the last several days, of course. (You may have heard about the Northeast coast’s Nor’easter?) We were lucky enough to just get rain and some wind, though I saw a couple trees down today, and one fell on a passing car in Morris Twp yesterday and killed the driver . . . but really, we missed the worst of the storm. But still, it sure was pretty to see the sun today!

We even got Chappy out for a walk this afternoon, and my hands looked rather more green than blue, and my gloves were very happy to be out and about. And they did a decent job keeping my hands warm, too . . . except when the wind would blow!

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:Kickin’ The Clouds Away // 4 Comments »

  Typepad was down last night, so I couldn’t tell all of you that I’ve finished my gloves–every one of those two dozen ends are woven in.

Now, I don’t mind weaving in yarn ends that much. It’s not my favorite thing, but it’s not usually that difficult and it leaves things being all neat and tidy, and I like that. So–no biggie. This though? Now I realize why I’ve never made gloves before!

It wasn’t so much the weaving in the ends, really, as the grafting of the stitches between the fingers. On this particular pattern, there are two stitches left waiting on each side of each finger when you join them all together to knit the glove. Since the stitches were already on spare yarn as the fingers waited for me to knit all 10 of them, I just left them there, being careful not to catch the waste yarn in the stitches as I picked up the fingers. That much worked fine–when it was time to pull out the waste yarn, it slid free easily.

No, the hard part was finding those two, waiting stitches on each finger. It seems that, as I knitted the glove, the holding-yarn allowed some of the stitches to technically drop–to slide out of their last row–but with the waste yarn as kind of an anchor . . . but the space between fingers is obviously small, there were at least three yarn ends flying around at each one, the glove fingers regularly falling in the way, and since I had one hand inside the glove while doing this grafting which made it harder for my left hand to help hold everything still while the needle in my right hand searched for the stitch, and of course, weaving-in is done on the inside and I find it harder to spot where one stitch begins and ends on the purl side of the fabric . . . Basically, you could say I found the process frustrating!

What would have made it easier? If I had realized up front how difficult it was going to be to salvage those 32 stitches (four at each finger-intersection), I would not have left them on the waste yarn. I would have put them on something solid, like a safety pin so it would have been easier to locate them. Then I would also have had only one yarn-end at each intersection, rather than three, which would have made visibility easier.

What did I like about making gloves? I really enjoyed the I-cord finger idea–there’s something delicious about using a really clever, new technique for something that’s been done the same way for centuries. I have nothing against DPNS (though I admit I prefer Magic Loop when I can use it), but I-cord for the entire finger . . . it’s ingenious. I love ingenious things. I also really enjoyed using my handspun yarn, finally, for something! I was happy with the way it felt as I worked it, happy with the spinning which, if not perfectly consistent, was still effective and made a nice yarn. Besides, I’ve never made gloves before–firsts are fun.

Am I happy with the finished product? Yes and no. It’s not the pattern’s fault at all, or the yarn, but they’re not perfect specimens. The joins where the fingers were picked up to form the palm aren’t as tight as they could be–that’s my own fault. I opted for plain-jane gloves, no extra touches at the cuff since by then I was anxious to get them done. The gauge is 5 stitches per inch, so they’re not a tight-knit . . . and that means lots of little holes between the yarn loops. (Some holes are a little bigger than others because the yarn wasn’t perfectly consistent, but like I said, I’m so happy to have used my handspun, I’m not complaining about that!)

I am going to try lining them with silk glove liners–I mentioned that idea when I joined the KAL–but I’m not sure if that’s going to work. I knit these gloves to fit my hands (definitely a bonus to handknit gloves), but (1) glove liners would be standard proportions and so the finger lengths might not fit into mine. My little finger, for example, is on the short side compared to my other fingers–would I be able to cram a glove liner in there and still have room for my actual finger? Because (2) they’re actually such a close fit to my hands, they’re a little snug. Not uncomfortably tight, but I should have left a little more ease–not something I thought about ahead of time. But also not leaving room for anything extra in there other than my hands.

Ultimately, while these are adequate, and reasonably pretty to look at, I think they may fail at a glove’s main purpose–keeping the hands warm. Better than no glove at all, I’m sure, but nowhere near warm enough for taking Chappy out walking in 20-degree weather. I’ll block them and see what happens. Glad to have them, though. Thanks for the knit-along, Nona!

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Full-Fingered Fashion // 8 Comments »

75. That’s how many e-mails I had in my inbox this morning when I went back to work, and for a week’s vacation, that’s incredibly good! (Other times, I’ve come back to as many as 200.) Whew! I so picked the right week for it, too–our weather from Sunday to Friday last week was perfect, and only went downhill over the weekend (right at the time my allergies decided to strike), whereas it rained the entire week before, and it’s supposed to rain a fair amount this week. I was lucky. October’s usually not this wet a month, and usually the leaves and autumn color are a lot further along than they are this year. Kind of sad, really, but maybe I’ll be lucky and we’ll end up having beautiful autumn weather for my birthday for a change?

Those of you who went to Rhinebeck may recognize these little faces–little sheep-shaped stress balls given out by the NY Ram Project. The nice lady handing them out insisted that both Mom and I take one, and so we brought home two, and I’ve got to tell you, they’ve taken on a life of their own. They have wandered all over the house, and have cropped up in the most surprising places. For instance, when I came home from work this afternoon, they were on my bed. I’ve found them hiding in the pots in the kitchen. In the cabinet with the vitamins. On the towels in the linen closet. Next to my toothbrush. Watching television. Next to the cereal. (They’ve kept their distance from my spinning wheel, though.) They even have names now, courtesy of Mom. The one on the left is Baa-baa, and the one on the right (with the pink bow) is Baa-bette.

At least I come by my silliness honestly. (Thanks, Mom!) I’m starting to think I could use a little stress-ball sheep dog to keep the “flock” in line . . . I can’t imagine how they’re getting around the house like this! Nope. It’s a mystery to me. And I’m sure if Chappy saw them, he’d try to stop them. Hmm . . . I wonder if Mom knows anything about this??

I started knitting that Suede tote bag last night. I decided I’m going to start with the purple, so that will be the color of the bottom of the bag, and I’ll save enough (or try to–it’s hard to know where the end of the skein is since this is rolled onto cardboard centers) to edge the top of the bag and for the tassle, but most of it will be that lovely green. It took forever to cast on the stitches–210 of them–and knitting the first row is always a hassle. (It’s not just me who thinks that, is it?) But I did get through the first pattern row last night, an interesting little texture stitch, not too complicated, not too boring. This will be nice “automatic-pilot” knitting–because there is no shaping to the bag whatsoever. It’s knit in a tube and then seamed for the bottom. All the shaping comes post-production, as it were.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Seventy-Five // 5 Comments »

Mom was watching Sleepless in Seattle while making dinner tonight–the movie forever known in our family as “The Earring Movie.” Why, you ask? It’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it short. When I saw this movie in the theater (1993, was it?), I was taken by the earrings Meg Ryan is wearing in the car, when she’s listening to Tom Hanks’ character on the radio. They’re nice and simple–a yellow gem at the ear, with a pearl drop below it. (They even show the earrings on the 10th anniversary DVD). I was entranced. My birthstone is topaz/citrine, and I just loved these. And I talked about them. A lot.

That year, Mom and Dad went on a cruise somewhere that had wholesale gems, and they brought me home a matched pair of 5-carat, emerald-cut citrines and the news that they would get me my earrings for my birthday. I was so excited! I took the citrines to a jewelry store recommended by a friend, and, when my birthday rolled around, had a lovely pair of earrings. Except.

Well, they were kind of uncomfortable to wear. (Five carats is huge!) And, to balance the size of the gems, the pearl drops were fake. And all in all, they weren’t really “me.” The following year, I decided I was going to try again. I took the existing earrings to a different jewelry store (recommended by a different friend) and explained that I wanted the exact same thing, only somewhat smaller. And in the meantime, could he do something so I could wear the existing citrines?

So, he adapted the existing earrings–removing the fake pearls and turning the citrines themselves into drops below a simple ear wire. But the other, new earrings? Not even remotely close to what I wanted (and this, with an example right in front of him!) He gave me earrings that had both the citrines and the pearls dangling below an ear-wire, the citrines were pale and barely yellow, the pearls were irregular fresh-water pearls . . . And I won’t go into the customer service nightmares that ensued. But I was disgusted by the whole project.

Still . . . I loved those earrings! Just after Christmas, Mom and I ended up at a jewelry “club”–a single storefront filled with lots of individual sellers which therefore keeps rents and prices down–and while she dealt with some sort of Christmas exchange, I wandered around, looking at all the sparkly stuff. And . . . not citrines, but one vendor had exactly the earrings I wanted. So . . . I commissioned a pair, with citrines (for half the price, incidentally, of the trashy pair jeweler #2 tried to sell me), put down a deposit and went happily on my way. A week later, went to pick them up . . . the color of the stone wasn’t right, but . . . he tried to tell me he’d been in business for forty years and never seen citrines as dark as I said I wanted, but I knew that I had, and . . . long story finally coming to an end. . .

  A few days later, I had these. Exactly what I wanted. Classy. Comfortable to wear. My birthstone. And, finally, I’d be able to watch “Sleepless in Seattle” without moaning over how gorgeous those earrings were . . .

Funny thing. These days, whenever I admire jewelry in a movie, it makes my family nervous. Isn’t that strange??

You might be wondering why I told you this story now. Well, the movie was on, so it came to mind, but also, I don’t have a whole lot else to tell you today. I haven’t done much this weekend–my sinuses have been making me miserable. I swear, I go through this every year, not being able to tell a cold from allergies. I’m thinking this is allergies . . . but am not 100% sure. It’s either non-contagious allergies or it’s a cold I’m successfully fighting off since the symptoms are so relatively mild. But my sinuses are making me kind of cranky.

Chappy’s been glum all day–an unusual mood for him. I can’t decide if this is because I have to go back to work tomorrow, when we’ve been able to spend so much time together this week, or if he’s disappointed he didn’t get out for a walk today (we decided my sinuses–no matter which cause–could use the day off), or if he’s worrying about my health. I had something remarkably close to bronchitis last December (I remember it well, it was the week I got my Kiwi and I was too sick to try it out, poor thing). There was one night when I was coughing and wheezing and otherwise sounding pretty horrible, that he paced. The entire night. Up on the bed to make sure I was breathing. Over to the door, presumably hoping Grandma or Grandpa would come to help. He was really frantic the entire time, but the minute I got up in the morning and he saw me on my own feet? He was fine. The white night might never have happened. (Of course, I would have liked some sleep myself that night, but that’s another story!) Anyway, I think he’s been concerned today–he keeps coming over and giving my mouth and nose a sniff and then turning his head away, disgusted. I’ve brushed my teeth, so it can’t be my breath…

  I haven’t been completely lazy this weekend, though. Except for sewing a couple dozen ends, I finished knitting my gloves forNona’s Peaceful Palms knit-along. This was Meg Swanson’s I-cord pattern, from her Handknitting book, and knitted with green yarn spun by yours truly. I really enjoyed working with it, too, although, now that I’m done, I was thinking that what I really should have done was knit these larger and then felted them, so they’d be extra warm, but . . . too late now!

I also did a lot of reading. (Something that’s pretty effortless for me, even when I’m feeling less than wonderful.) I finished reading the Initiate Brother series by Sean Russell. I cannot recommend these two books (or the author) enough. Technically, they’re fantasy books since they take place in an imaginary world, but this is not a Dungeons & Dragons, Sword & Sorcery kind of place. It’s a world a lot like China (or so I imagine), and follows a young monk of Botahara as he serves the Shonto family in a war against invading barbarians and intrigues coming from the Emperor. It’s complex and beautifully written, not a fast-moving story, but not one that gets too bogged down in the philosophy of the characters, either. It’s just . . . lovely. I’m not usually a fan of oriental stories, but these are just great.

That, I followed up with one of the Liaden books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I love this sci-fi world they’ve created–practically perfect “space opera” stories. Highly enjoyable stories about trading and other things between Terrans and Liadens, a highly formal race just a little different from us. Love them, and am looking forward, as always, to the next new one.

And then, I started on the Mallorean series by David Eddings. He (and his wife) wrote two, separate series using the same characters–Garion, Silk, Belgarath, Polgara, and so on. This is the second one, and I like to pull them off the shelves from time to time. I started Guardians of the West last night, finished it and have so far read King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Kalandra and have just started Sorceress of Darshiva. (My copies of the book are from when they were first published, and so I have all five books in separate volumes. The publisher has since decided to publish them together.)

So, you know, just a little reading . . . I can’t believe I have to go back to work tomorrow . . . Tonight, my Dad will be watching the World Series, even though the Yankees (his favorite team) aren’t in it . . . funny, though. An old friend who lives near Chicago sent Dad a sympathy card the other day. We couldn’t figure out why–it’s been months since my uncle passed away–and then, inside, Mel’s sympathy for the Yankees not making it while the White Sox did! Dear Mel–always good for a laugh!

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:The Earring Movie // 4 Comments »

1. Tea for Two. Mom and I went out to tea today. A rare kind of thing, but definitely a nice treat once in a while. Much more fun than a boring sandwich for lunch. (Incidentally, that’s mom hiding behind the tea cozy at the other side of the table–she didn’t want her picture taken.)

I woke up sniffly/stuffy this morning. It looks like my autumn allergies have finally kicked in (sigh). Sometimes it’s hard to tell, at the very beginning, whether it’s a cold or allergies, but if this were a cold, I’d be feeling achy and miserable by now, instead of just a little . . . clogged. I think I may pull my Neti pot out tonight–I bought it last Spring when my allergies were really bad, but haven’t yet actually used it. And then, there are all the really great tips Norma posted a couple weeks ago. I do hate the whole, stuff, sniffly, clogged, swollen sinus thing–in the greater scheme of things, there are worse things to have to deal with, but it does a fair job of small-scale misery. But, enough about my nose!

2. Two Years. It just occurred to me that it’s just about exactly two years since I’ve been knitting again. I started seriously knitting when I was in college–after I’d spent a semester in London being awed at all the great wool, and kicking myself for not being able to do anything with it. So, I came home, bought “Knitting in Plain English,” some yarn, some circular needles, taught myself Continental knitting . . . these last two were revelations . . . and knitted myself a Lopi Icelandic sweater in ten days. I knitted regularly for about ten years, buying as many books as I could find. I even worked my way through “Vogue Knitting” by sitting there with needles and yarn so I could actually try the cables or short rows or whatever new technique while I read about it.

But then, I ran out of energy. The neighborhood LYS closed up (after doing a dramatic shift toward knitting machines). I didn’t know anybody else who knitted. The only “good” yarn I could find was through Patternworks, which is a great source, but sometimes, you just want to touch the stuff. There weren’t any good or exciting new books coming out to inspire me, and, well, the enthusiasm petered out. In fact, I stopped doing almost all of my favorite crafts–quilting, embroidery, knitting. Because not only was the enthusiasm level low, but in 1999 I got Katy. A puppy. Who chewed on things. And required a lot of attention. Who had the energy to knit? Just as I got her to the point where she was adult enough for self-restraint and had even pulled out a skein of yarn to think about knitting, I lost her. Three months later, Chappy came into my life–a puppy. Who chewed on things. Etcetera.

So, what changed? Well first, about three years ago, I lost some weight. Not on purpose, exactly, but by cutting out as many dairy products from my diet as I could, in an effort to address the ongoing allergy mucus/sinus problem. I honestly didn’t expect the side-benefit of losing 20 lbs. Suddenly, my size 10 jeans were huge on me and I was wearing an 8–if not a 6. And all my large sweaters didn’t fit anymore. So I was faced with the dilemma: do I buy a new wardrobe, or use the yarn in my closet to make myself a new one?

Thinking I would save myself some money . . . yes, please, this would be a good time to laugh at my naivetee . . . I went for option number two. I did actually use some of my stash, too. I made myself a Dale of Norway Bjerk out of some Rowan “Wool & Cotton” in my closet. (Yes, it dated back to when there was an ampersand in the name of the yarn.) But first, to get myself going again, I bought some of the only novelty yarn I have ever bought and whipped together a scarf to compliment my new, winter coat.

That scarf, I remember distinctly, I worked on during my October vacation week, on a day when we lost our electricity for about 10 hours. I sat in the front window with Chappy, and when the scarf got long enough, wrapped it around my neck to stave off the draft coming through the window.

Two years ago, this new odyssey of mine began. Not only was I delighted to see the renaissance of knitting–exciting new yarns and patterns–great ideas like Magic Loop for socks and no cable-needle cables . . . and then, the internet. Knitters Review came up first. A hugely helpful resource for knitting questions of all kinds. And the blogs. I don’t have to tell you about the blogs. The online community of knitters was another revelation. You folks are inspiring and full of enthusiasm–even if ennui hits one blogger, there are dozens of others who are aglow with a new project or a new method. There’s always something beautiful to see on somebody’s site, some gorgeous yarn, or a stunning FO . . . who could get bored with all this excitement going on?

Don’t forget the spinning, either. It’s something I’ve been curious about doing since . . . forever. So many books I read as a kid had spinning in them, I always wanted to know how, but figured it was one of those “lost” skills that only people who worked at museums knew how to do. The mere fact that spinning is alive and well and that there are so many things available . . . who knew?

So, thanks everyone. I can’t believe it’s been two years since I picked up my needles again, but I can’t see getting tired of it any time soon. You folks are too inspiring.

And, oh yeah, did I mention that you’re a ton of fun, too?

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Two // 6 Comments »

Well, I have all my fingers done for my gloves.

No, really. All ten. It’s just that so far, only four are knitted into the actual glove. I know it doesn’t look that great right now, but give it a little time. Some finishing, some weaving-in. There are a ton of ends right now.

I’ve got to say, I’m enjoying using my handspun for these. This really is the first time I’ve actually knitted anything beyond a swatch or so. Why didn’t someone tell me about that extra sense of satisfaction??

And, in preparation for that nifty knitted tote bag, I ordered the handles for it this morning. It is going to be one pretty bag! But I really do mean to finish my gloves first.

My day today? We took Chappy to the park. Dogs, you may not have realized, are continually asking to go to the park. (Just listen to them: “Park! Park! Parkparkparkpark!“) So, we humored him today–not only did he get a nice, long walk, but he got to wade in the stream–though the water must have been cold, because he did little more than just wet his feet. He also met a 1-year old Cairn Terrier named Angie, with whom he played, hard. We even took him for a second walk when we got home. And, oh yeah, he got a bath this afternoon, too.

He is. One. Tired. Dog.

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Fingerlings // 8 Comments »

More. Stash. Aquisition.

Because, of course, I needed more yarn.

See, it started with the haircut. I stretch them out as far as they can possibly go, but it was time again and since I’m on vacation this week, I figured it would be easy to get an appointment and so . . . that’s where I was at 10:00 this morning. Afterward, though, it seemed a shame to just go home. What kind of vacation day would that be? So, first, I headed over to Nonna’s, except they didn’t open until 11:00. Back to the car (since there’s only 1 or 2-hour parking in town and I didn’t want a ticket), and in moving it, I decided to drive past the other yarn shop.

Back around May, the LYS that we had closed–this was a shop which I didn’t hate, but didn’t love, either. The owners were only friendly to me about 20% of the time, and while they had some nice yarns, it wasn’t one of my favorite places to patronize. (If I’m not going to get decent service from my LYS, then I’m going to buy my yarn cheaper online because–why would I want to give rude, unhelpful people my money?) Well, they’re open again, right next door to where they were before and with a much smaller selection . . . but they open at 10:00 and so I figured I’d stop in to check it out while waiting for Nonna’s to open. For a miracle, the owner was actually friendly, even though she was helping a patron with the sleeve for her sweater, and since I really liked the colors in this sock yarn, decided to patronize the store for the cost of a skein of yarn.

Then, back to Nonna’s–which I frankly like better–to buy some Suede in that “Tonto” spring green I like so much. I don’t remember whose blog I saw the pattern on, but this is for a knitting tote bag, which is brilliant because, while it’s a beautiful yarn, I don’t see how it could “breathe” and think it would be awfully uncomfortable to wear as a garment. Now, as I walked into the shop, the owner recognized me and greeted me by name. They were in the middle of a crochet class, so the place was full of happy, crafty people, lots of sunlight . . . much nicer. I’m glad I waited to buy my Suede from them. I needed 5 skeins, but they only had four in the color I wanted, so, I bought my fifth skein in a contrasting purple (because I love purple and green together). I’ll do a stripe, or something. But now I need to figure out where I can get the handles for that bag! (If you have a link, please let me know, huh?)

Edited to add: I think I found the handles for the tote bag here. And look, there was a nice discussion about them in August on Knitter’s Review. Just in case anybody else is interested, too!

So, even after buying yarn at Rhinebeck, I got some more today. How lucky am I?

I’ve also been doing some spinning on my adorable little Golding spindle, shown here next to my Kundert so you can see the difference in size. This is a tiny little gem of a spindle, I just have to figure out how to spin finely enough to really get my copp’s worth since otherwise it fills up far too quickly. (Of course, I’m trying it with 100% silk roving, and that’s got a whole ‘nother set of issues for my fingers to get used to.) It’s adorable, though.

Now, if anyone has any tips on how to empty the copp off my bitty spindle in such a way that I can join the end from my next spindle-full . . . there’s such a relatively small amount of singles on there, it’s not worth pulling out the niddy-noddy, and while I could wind it directly to my Noste, there’s not enough for anything remotely resembling a ball-full, so I’d ideally like to join one copp to the next to the next . . . but how can I do that without using knots? Anyone?

I knitted the first finger for my Peaceful Palms gloves this afternoon–and would actually have done more except I didn’t have any spare yarn to thread through the stitches to move on to the second finger (and was too lazy to come upstairs looking for some). I’ve decided to use Meg Swansen’s I-Cord glove pattern (from “Handknitting“)–this handy-dandy pattern creates the fingers out of I-cord, rather than knitting each one in the round on tiny DPNs. Who wouldn’t love the simplicity of that? I was going to use some leftover Manos from a sweater I made in 2004, but then I figuratively hit myself over the head. “Idiot!” (I told myself) “Use some of your handspun!”

And so I am.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:M.S.A. // 5 Comments »

Ever feel the need to hit the road? Get in touch with your inner hippie? Shake off the bonds of suburbia and explore the existential nature of America culture?

Nope. Me, either, but these people did!

The Beat Museum from California, which we passed literally On the Road this morning. It’s a portable museum doing an East Coast tour, highlighting The Beat Generation, inspired by Jack Kerouac himself. Imagine my surprise when that Airstream passed me on the road! And, sweet, they waved but looked confused when we took their picture. (Don’t you love how you can see the reflection of my sleeve and the camera’s wristband from my car window in the picture?)

What, you’ll ask, was I doing out on the highway this morning? Well, I’m on vacation this week–and so far, let me just say, I picked a stunning week. Ever since Saturday afternoon, the weather has been gorgeous. Sunday, I just did normal kinds of Sunday things. Yesterday, we drove to Madison and dropped off some old dog toys at the shelter, and then took Chappy for a long walk around Giralda Farms, which has a great, long bike path–one of my favorite kinds of walks–no mud, and good friction for Chappy’s nails.

Today, Mom and I went to Short Hills mall for some shopping. It’s not all glitz and glamour–there are stores like Fendi, D&G, Bose Radio, and other ritzy, expensive, exclusive kinds of boutiques, but there’s also the Gap, Sephora, the Limited, J.Jill . . . nothing as budget-friendly as Sears, but you can find some good deals. (Let’s not forget the Nordstrom shoe department, which I particularly love when they’re having a sale, and who wouldn’t love the Crate and Barrel store?) You’d be proud of me–all I bought was some lipstick and an eye shadow. Oh, and some perfume since my Stella is almost out.

What, you’ll want to know, does all this have to do with knitting? Frankly, not as much as I’d like. I’ve gotten barely any done since Saturday. Does that make any sense?? No, not to me, either. Go to Rhinebeck, be inspired by tons of yarn and wool and beautiful FOs by tons of talented knitters and spinners, and then come home to work on . . . nothing? Just doesn’t seem right! I was too tired on Saturday night to knit anything, so that at least made sense. But Sunday? Well, okay, I finished the back and started the front shaping for my Union Square Market Pullover, and I did look at glove patterns for Peaceful Palms. Last night, my stomach was bothering me (too many mixed salads from the Whole Foods salad bar for lunch), although it felt better in time for me to at least get some spinning done while watching Medium before bed. But really . . . I have not gotten much knitting done this week. Clearly, this has to change!

• Tags: General • Permalink:On The Road // 3 Comments »

Argh . . . I don’t believe it . . . I lost my entire post and have to start over, and it’s never as good the second time . . .

So, finally, Rhinebeck. Not only have I been looking forward to this for months, but it took quite an effort to actually get there! The directions were horrible! Instead of what looks like about 15 minutes’ worth of driving, it took us 50 minutes to get from the exit off Rt 87 to the fairgrounds. Three major wrong turns, two stops for directions, and none of us could decipher the directions at all . . . they made no sense! (Since getting home, I’ve checked the website again–the directions are complete, but there are no margins and so they scroll off the page to the right, cutting off huge chunks of directions, including some fairly important points, like, say, mentioning Rt 209 . . . if you are in the business of writing directions on webpages, please do your readers a favor and make sure there are column widths so that they print on a standard 8.5″ piece of paper. This was completely insane.)

We did, finally, get there, parked, admissioned-ourselves in the gate, and started shopping. It was still raining at that point, incidentally. Misting more than really showering, but still–enough that I wore my raincoat into the fairgrounds, so that when the rain stopped around 12:30 (just as NOAA forecast), I was stuck carrying the thing around, crammed into the big, orange tote bag I brought as my purse today. It did turn out to be a lovely afternoon, though–the first sun in over a week, warm, but not too hot. Really nice. And really crowded.

I took barely any photos, but did snap this one of the meet-up that Cara organized at 1:00. It was so nice to actually get to meet some of you that I’ve been reading and commenting and emailing for so many months, and I’m only sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hello to everyone there. (Please know that if I didn’t, it was just because time ran out, not because I didn’t want to.) Among those I got to talk to: Annie. Rose. Alison. Laurie (who gave me a bit of a neckrub in greeting as I struggled to get my shawl back in my totebag). Julie. Julia (who bounced up in one of the friendliest greetings!). Chelsea. Wendy. Nancy. Katy. JessaLu. I caught glimpses of some, that I didn’t get to talk to, like Cassie and Norma. (If I talked to you and left you off the list, I apologize–I’m tired!! And remember, this is my second time writing this post. Please, leave me a comment so I can acknowledge you properly.)

  Of course, Cate and Risa were there, too, positively flaunting their beautiful, perfect, matching Hyrna Hergorbar shawls.

Really, I thought it was quite insensitive of them. But then, I suppose they had friendlier yarn and so were able to complete the project, so I really shouldn’t blame them for having the shawls. I mean, they’re both lovely people (with matching sets of young twins) and deserve beautiful shawls. I don’t begrudge that at all . . . I’m just a little sad for my lost one, you know . . . (sniffle)

But then, it’s not like it made my life that pleasant while it was here, and frankly, at the moment, I’m not talking to either the pattern or the yarn. They’re just going to have to manage without me for a while. Besides, I have some new, fibery “friends” to play with now.

  Like, for example, two skeins of Four Play from Brooks Farm in a lovely blue-with-a-touch-of-green colorway. I’m excited about that since I so enjoyed working with their Primero and Duet in that shawl last winter. Or three skeins of wool in a really beautiful gold-brown shade from the Sheep Shed. And did I mention the dear, little, twee Pinwheel spindle from Golding? (Please also note Chappy checking out my purchases. He was very curious about everything when I got home.)

I had hoped to get some Cormo for spinning, since I’ve heard such wonderful things about it, but didn’t see any–or at least, not in roving for me to spin. (I think I’ve established that I’m not such a fan of the whole raw-fleece processing thing, at least, not until or unless I can get a drum carder.) But I did get pretty much everything I really wanted to get . . . a small Golding spindle (5.5 oz!), some Brooks Farm yarn, some other wool . . .

You know, it’s the funniest thing, but I could swear that there was something else, but . . . gosh . . . I guess my memory’s going now that my birthday’s getting closer. (If you didn’t catch the subtle hint in there, just remember my Mom came with me and now I’m suffering from selective amnesia . . . so, anything else, you’ll have to wait a few weeks for photos.)

Now, I’m tired. So tired, in fact, that I didn’t even consider knitting tonight, and haven’t even summoned the energy to flip through the Vogue Knitting that arrived today. But I wanted to tell you about my day before I started to forget things. Fun. Exhausting. And at least for next year? I already know how to get there . . .

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Weather • Permalink:Finally, Rhinebeck // 21 Comments »

  Okay. I yield. I give up. You win. For now, at least, the Copper Zephyr/Hyrna Herborgar combination has defeated me.

I’ll have the last laugh, though.

I’m going to Rhinebeck tomorrow and I’m going to buy new yarn. Friendly yarn. Yarn that wants to be knitted by me into something beautiful. Something that will show that ungrateful Zephyr just what it’s missing out on. So, hah!

I’ve got some cash, I’ve got my checkbook, I’ve got my credit card. I’ve got my camera. I’ve got my cellphone. Now. If only I could figure out what to wear. I don’t think I’ll know for sure until I wake up tomorrow and see the weather for myself. Here’s hoping!

I’m looking forward to meeting those of you who are going to be there, and am sorry not to be meeting those of you who won’t. I hope everyone has a safe and profitable weekend!

RIP, Hyrna. I’d say it was nice while it lasted, but um, really . . .

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Concedo // 10 Comments »

Last Thursday, I had a dentist appointment, and out of idle curiosity (not to mention stalling about actually walking into the office) shot the following pictures of the Rockaway River:

And then, of course, it started raining on Friday. It poured all day Saturday. Rained on Sunday. Drizzled on Monday. Rained on Tuesday. Poured on Wednesday. Rained on Thursday. Showered on Friday . . . all this moisture made me curious. How much had the river risen in a week? So, after I left work but before I came home, I voluntarily drove to my dentist’s office and took these pictures:

Note how in the first pictures, you can actually see the ground of the river bed. One week ago, we were in a drought. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’re not exactly experiencing drought conditions any more. Morristown has had 10.43″ of rain in the last week; the previous record was of 9.05″ for the month of October in 1995. You can see some articles here, here, here, here, here, and here. And that’s just New Jersey!

If there can be this kind of flooding just from several days of heavy rain . . . widespread throughout the Northeast, and yet confined more to individual houses or small sections of neighborhoods . . . I feel for these people who, yes, just had their houses and their memories washed away. But at least their towns are still here, and the police, the fire department. The grocery stores are still open. And there are neighbors willing to open their houses to help.

Let’s take this moment, shall we, to consider once again the victims from Katrina and Rita? They’ve slipped down the newsstream a bit, but the people themselves are just as much in need as ever–under shelter, yes, but not yet, not nearly recovered. These people lost everything–not just their homes, but their towns, their counties, everything and every place they knew. Let’s not forget them, shall we? And, of course, the Pakistanis are in desperate need after last weekend’s devastating earthquake. American Red Cross. Mercy Corps. Habitat for Humanity. Network for Good. Noah’s Wish. The Humane Society.

I’m reading right now a book called “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond (author of “Guns, Germs, and Steel”). It’s fascinating–exploring the reasons why some societies failed in the past, or are collapsing now–the Polynesians of Easter Island, the Norse on Greenland, the Maya in Central America, and so on. Environmental factors are huge, as are others, but so, too, are the presence of friendly societies willing to help when things get rough (Iceland’s Norse population survived partly because it was close enough to trade with Europe).

Look at some of the catastrophes we’ve faced lately. The Tsunami in the Indian ocean last December. Hurricane Katrina. The earthquake in Pakistan. Other hurricanes here, and cyclones hitting Japan. Wildfires in California. It behooves us, I think, to be aware that in this age of a shrinking world and greater interdependence, that we all are going to stand or fall together. Ultimately, we’re on one ship here in the universe, and have to rely on each other when the weather goes crazy, when the earth rises beneath our feet, and when flames come falling from the sky. No one society can stand entirely alone, anymore, or aloof from the needs of other, less fortunate societies. We’re all in this together, and you can just never tell when it’s going to be your own turn.

Please give a little.

• Tags: General, Reading, Weather • Permalink:Rockaway River Rising // 1 Comment »

  In knitting news today, I’m almost ready to frog that entire Hyrna Hergorbar shawl. It’s still being difficult, and now, somehow, my stitch count is off by 3 stitches between the first half and the second half. Don’t ask me how. The entire thing is a mystery at this point.

And, I’m starting to blame the yarn, too. This is copper-colored Jagger Zephyr that I’ve had in my closet for a while. I bought three cones of it last Spring, with no specific project in mind, and this is the third thing I’ve tried to make with it. It vehemently vetoed the first two patterns–it’s an opinionated yarn–but I thought it liked this one. It was all going so well . . . or, if not actually well, at least tolerably through most of the first section. A couple glitches, but nothing too difficult to fix . . . at least, not until I had to frog 4 rows and had trouble re-picking up the double yarn-overs (even tinking back that final row, they caused trouble). Maybe I should have taken that as a sign. Maybe I should have just given up then. But I persevered, convinced that by the time I got to the middle section, things would be better. But things have just gotten worse. I think the yarn hates this pattern. I don’t honestly know why, it’s a gorgeous shawl, and everyone speaks so highly of the Zephyr . . . but nobody told me what a diva it was. (If anything, people have praised its flexibility.)

But . . . either the yarn hates the pattern, or they’re in collusion together against me. Because I know I can still knit. I can still count. (And, really, this section of pattern doesn’t require you to be able to count above three and I’ve been able to do that since before I was three.) The needle is adequate–not too slippery, not too sticky. The joins are fine and not causing any trouble. I swear, I don’t know what the problem is. I’ve made it to row #94. But if things don’t start behaving themselves, I AM going to frog the entire thing and give away the yarn. (Honest! If it doesn’t want me to knit with it that badly, I’ll give it to somebody who can reason with it.)

On the plus side, I’ve almost got the back of my Union Square Market Pullover done. I’ve just got a couple more rows for the contrast-color shoulder, and then get to finish the front . . . Although, this part, I’m dreading. I really, really am! I don’t want to whine, but there’s a LOT of math built into that–something like 26 short rows, in addition to the neck-flap shaping, and since my gauge (as I keep harping on) is so very different, I can’t possibly end up with actually 26 short rows. It’s going to be more like 18 . . . or something . . . and over dramatically fewer stitches, and . . . sigh.

You know what this means, don’t you? In another day or so, I’m going to have two projects, both of which are being difficult. This is not to be confused with an actually difficult, advanced-level project. That I can handle. No, these are being difficult as in tempermental and obstinate. The shawl (the yarn?) being completely uncooperative, and then the excessive math needed to modify Kate Gilbert‘s beautiful pattern to fit my (obstinate, uncooperative) gauge. Nothing fun. Nothing easy. Nothing mindless.

Except, I suppose, for the socks I’ve had on the needles since July and, well, I lost inspiration for those. I’ve got the toes done, but kind of want to do something different than a plain, stockinette sock, but I don’t know what, and I certainly don’t want to undo the toes I’ve finished (nor, really, should I), but since I don’t know what I want to do after that . . . a lace pattern? A cable? All the way around? Or just on the top until I get to the heel? Too many questions. No wonder I haven’t worked on them! But meanwhile, this means that all of my knitting right now is hard (obstinate, obstructive…).

Hmm . . . maybe I’ll work on some spinning….

Or gloves. Nona’s started a “Peaceful Palms” knit-along for gloves. And–as I said in her comments–I was just thinking about gloves the other day, and thinking how the one pair I’ve knitted wasn’t particularly warm because the cold air always snuck through the loops of yarn. And of course, you can’t make the fingers too bulky, or how would you bend and use your fingers? But then I thought about those silk glove liners you can buy. They’re nice and insulating and can shield from the wind, but they’re kind of inconvenient . . . but what if you actually inserted them into the knitted gloves and then stitched them in place so they were permanent? Handknit gloves with extra warmth without extra bulk . . . Sounds pretty tempting, huh?

Oh, and please, go over to Stephanie‘s blog, and send her some love–she’s had a devastating day.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Hyrna Who? // 7 Comments »

It seems like there’s some kind of “virus” going around–a lot of bloggers seem to be sick this week! Stephanie. Stitchy. Norma (who may not be sick herself, but is generously helping those who are). Cate (a cold and PMS–deadly).

Am I the only one who’s noticed that all these people are planning on going to Rhinebeck on Saturday? And they’re the ones blogging about being sick?? I sense a conspiracy, an internet virus of some kind, no doubt started by those who are not planning a trip to the Hudson Valley this weekend. It’s all mighty suspicious if you ask me!

They probably have something to do with the weather forecast, too, which, right now, according to www.weather.com is “Showers. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 40s.” I’m hoping that this will be one of those times the weathermen are wrong and that the sun will miraculously come out. At least there will be plenty of wool to keep us all warm….

• 20 skeins Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in “Casket” a deep orange
• 13 Skeins Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in “Wintergreen,” a mossy green.
• Then there’s an assortment of other skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran: 4 in “Batik” (really almost 5–the leftovers from a sweater), 1 in “Licorice” (lighter version of the Wintergreen), 1 in “Temple,” a light beige.

All of it is in great shape, I just went really overboard when it was on sale on Elann last year. I’ve made one sweater and a hat/scarf for Dad for Christmas last year. I gave some away last Christmas. Lu just bought 20 skeins from me the other day . . . And I’m still keeping enough for a sweater that’s not on this list. I’m a big fan of having a stash, but . . . I’m trying to be reasonable. I really don’t need this much.

I’m still trying to decide if I have the heart to get rid of my Manos stash. I really do want to make an afghan out of them someday–the skeins I have, the color would be perfect for a throw for my bedroom, just . . . so many other projects to make, too. I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to it . . . but . . . so pretty!

And then–there’s my Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel. I haven’t touched it except to dust it since I got my Lendrum, and I’m feeling guilty about it. It’s second-hand and I got it in December, it’s in great shape, came with something like 7 bobbins, plus oil, and . . . it just sits in my room watching the Lendrum spin. It’s enough to make you cry, really. The practical thing would be to sell it to some other new spinner who would give it a good home, but . . . I guess I just have a hard time letting go.

You are ‘programming in QBASIC’. This programming
language (of which the acronym stands for
‘Quick Beginners’ All-purpose Symbolic
Instruction Code’), which is so primitive that
it cannot easily be used for any purpose
involving the Internet nor even sound, was
current more than a decade ago. You are independent, in a good way. When something
which you need cannot be found, you make it
yourself. In writing and in talking with
people, you value clarity and precision; your
friends may not realize how important that is.
When necessary, you are prepared to be a
mediator in conflicts between your friends.
You are very rational, and you think of things
in terms of logic and common sense.
Unfortunately, your emotionally unstable
friends may be put off by your devotion to
logic; they may even accuse you of pedantry and
insensitivity. Your problem is that
programming in QBASIC has been obsolete for a
long time. What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Making Room // 8 Comments »

I was driving along today and a car–same color, same make as mine–pulled in front of me. And, silly as it is, I caught myself looking at the license plate, almost as if checking to make sure it wasn’t my car . . . you know, the one I was actually driving. (Sheesh) But it made me think . . .

So, here’s the thing. For those of you going to Rhinebeck on Saturday . . . now, obviously, nobody’s going to be wasting time in the parking lot–we’re all going to want to get IN to the show as quickly as possible–but still . . . Points for anyone who can spot my car. I’ve mentioned the manufacturer in the past. I’ve got vanity plates AND there’s a license plate frame around the back plate. I always say that anybody who knows me would recognize my car if they saw that license plate & frame combo . . . so. IF you see my car . . . say something! (Although, please don’t post my license plate number on the internet.) Send me an e-mail, or say something TO me on Saturday. Leave a note under the windshield wiper (if you’re confident enough). There may just be something in it for you . . . This isn’t quite a contest, but . . . something!

And, about Rhinebeck. I’m really looking forward to shopping. And one of the things I want to get is enough wool roving to make a sweater for myself, but don’t know what or how much. Not only will I want a color I’ll like, but also something that will make a nice, soft yarn. Any suggestions on what kind of wool or wool-blend I should get? And, how much??

One other question for those of you who’ve been to Rhinebeck . . . is there going to be anything my mother’s sensitive stomach can handle for lunch? Nothing too greasy? Or would she be better off bringing a turkey sandwich in her purse?

(Oh, and of course, I’m looking forward to meeting people, too. I’m going to have to remember to bring notepaper to jot down names and blogs . . . but, ooh! I just remembered. My camera can do voice memos–that could come in handy!)

I’ve worked on my Hyrna H Unpronounceable Shawl again last night and tonight. I’ve decided that it’s an unpronounceable (to Americans) shawl because . . . not only does it make profanity easier (not that I use that kind of language) but also . . . it’s just uncooperative all around. I do not know WHAT it is about this shawl, but every single pattern row is giving me grief. Every one! I’m simply alternating between two, simple rows, and have been for quite a few rows now. I’m not losing track of which row I’m on. I’m not miscounting. I’m not forgetting the pattern . . . and yet. Every. Single. Pattern. Row. Argh!

On the plus side, I’ve been getting work done on my Union Square Market Pullover. It feels at least like it’s going faster since I split for the front and back. About an inch to go on the back before doing the few short rows up there, and then at least part of it will be done. I feel like I’ve been making no progress at all, which is ridiculous. But . . . there are so many nice, finished ones over on the Knit-Along. Please check out some of the finished products! They’re fabulous, and putting me to shame.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Driving to Rhinebeck // 5 Comments »

You know, I like to think of myself as the kind of person who finishes what she starts. And, really, usually, I am, and yet, there still end up being loose ends . . .

  Sometimes literally–like for this face cloth I made over the summer. It’s the one I brought to see Ragtime and whose double moss stitch ended up being messed up as I worked on it in the dark. I repeated the “ribbing” later on for balance, and finished knitting it weeks ago, but never got around to weaving in the ends.

  Or, maybe, my Booga Bag which I made a year ago (I worked on it while watching Presidential debates last year), but which I still haven’t gotten around to actually felting.

  Then, there are the pants with the torn hem that have been waiting in my closet since around June to be fixed. Not because I can’t do it, mind you, just that I hate mending. I can sew a hem or attach a button, and I can sew a seam so it won’t come undone, but beyond that? Patching? Darning? Fixing a hole? Nope. I’m better at making something new than I am at fixing . . . but yeah, a hem I can do. I just . . . haven’t wanted to.

Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I took some time this morning–since the office is closed this year for Columbus Day–and addressed these items. I finished off the ends for the knitting, sewed up the hem for the pants. I even finished off that Christmas item I mentioned the other day (I’m loving the way it came out, and with only three repeats!) I do still need to felt the Booga Bag, but . . . I’m still not sure when that’s going to happen. The instructions say to toss in jeans or something heavy, but I’m NOT washing my jeans in hot water, and haven’t I heard that felting with towels causes lint issues?

Still, though, there’s one, big, unfinished object that is nagging at me. (You know, other than my novel.)

  This poor, neglected, (dusty) quilt. See, I redid my bedroom three years ago–the first time it’s been painted since I was 17. It went from pink with gray carpeting to gold with hardwood floors with an area rug. New dressers. New chair. Painted my old bed and bookcases. Completely new color scheme, everything. Only the quilts I’d been using on my bed went with the old colors, and I needed something new, fast. So I whipped up this quilt. One, huge quilt square. I even did the piecing on my sewing machine (I usually quilt by hand) so that I could get it put together in a weekend. And then I started the quilting–bare minimum to hold it together. Working from the center out, I’m on the last side of the blue stripe. . . but see, it’s that procrastination thing again.

See, the one thing I didn’t really think through is that, while it’s a tall bed, I have a twin bed. It’s narrow. What on earth was I thinking making a quilt that was 8 feet square? It’s enormous! (Look at the quilting hoop and Chappy for comparisons here.) So I decided that what I really needed to do was trim that green stripe to 6-inches rather than 12 . . . except, well, that’s never happened. You try drawing a straight line down an 8′ long square, with a puppy romping around trying to “help” and really, not enough floor space to do it properly. It’s not something you can risk having crooked! And then, the quilting was supposed to be symmetrical from stripe to stripe, but once that stripe is narrower . . . well, that won’t work . . .

And so, the poor thing got rolled up into a ball (hoop and needle in the center because of Chappy’s fondness for rubbing his head against all things fabric) and has barely been moved since.

Obviously, I have an unfortunate habit of just ignoring projects when I hit snags, rather than buckling down to really address them. You don’t know how surprised I am to realize this about myself. But, there are these projects, the Rowan Elfin cardigan that I finally just pulled off the needles. My novel, stuck because there’s one, esoteric bit of 1912 adoption law I can’t find out. Even my Union Square Market Pullover, which I’ve been dragging my feet on because I’m dreading all the recalculations for the short rows in the front. I guess I don’t really like tackling problems after all. . . .

But then . . . sometimes I do, and I relish it. And these ARE the only unfinished projects I’ve got lying around. I really do finish the vast majority of the things I start. I wonder what the difference is? I started all of these projects with the same amount of enthusiasm, so why do some challenging, difficult ones get finished when others languish in dark corners? Especially since many of the languishers are projects that I’ve got significant percentages finished. (You know, like all the knitting except for weaving in TWO ends. Gosh, all that extra work. Let’s put it aside, I’m too tired….) Usually, if I’ve gotten something to that stage, I’ll finish it because it’s ridiculous not to . . . so, what’s my excuse? I don’t think I’m a lazy person, and I can appreciate a challenge as much as the next person. I usually have things done early rather than late and am famed around my office for being right on top of things. It’s a mystery, really.

Poor quilt. It really does deserve to be finished . . . and laundered!

Incidentally, Chappy and I are both excited–we just won a $25 gift certificate from one of our favorite dog-supply sites: www.sitstay.com. I’ve been ordering treats, toys and all sorts of things from them for years, and every month they give out certificates to something like 25 people. I never thought I’d actually win one, but I did! Great . . . so now I’ve got Chappy’s Christmas shopping started. (Got to replace all those toys we just got rid of, you know!)

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Unfinished // 6 Comments »

A bird tried to commit hari-kari using our kitchen window this afternoon. I was just taking a break and making a cup of tea, when, thud! The poor thing (no idea what species) managed to flutter onto our deck and panted heavily for a minute or two, getting more and more still, until it slumped over to the side and then didn’t move at all. I watched the whole thing from the window, feeling sadder and sadder about it–such a stupid way for a bird to die. After watching for a few minutes, I turned away to pour my tea water, glancing back over my shoulder . . . wait, the angle looked different. Was its head in a different position? I hurried back to the window, and it was! The bird was sitting upright, moving its head from side to side, very obviously not dead. Feeling better about it, I took my teabag out, and carried my mug over the window, telling the bird that I wasn’t going to be happy until I saw him fly away, and after a few more minutes, it did. I don’t know which of us was more relieved, me or the bird.

Chappy–except for one brief, “What’cha’ doin’, Mom” check-in while I was standing vigil–ignored the entire incident. Not because he wouldn’t have been interested to get a closer look at the bird. (It landed just outside of his “bathroom,” and if he’d gone outside, he certainly would have been able to get some good whiffs, though I’m sure the bird wouldn’t have apppreciated it.) But instead, he was playing with a long-lost toy. The one he grabbed right out of the huge pile of toys I dumped onto the family room floor before. It must be two years ago that I split his toy collection in half. I put half in a bag stashed in the guest room closet, and left the others out, intending to swap them out after a few months.

Okay, actually, I admit that the plan was that he would only have about 5 toys out at a time and they’d be swapped almost weekly, but that very quickly became impractical. But dogs, you see, are just as happy to get an old toy they haven’t seen in months as they are to get a brand-new toy, and I figured that way he’d get that new-toy excitement every week (or couple of months) with no real work on my side . . . but, um, well, that bag was in the closet for about two years . . . Mom and I have talked about it, but have never both had the inclination at the same time to weed out the “good” toys. Until today.

Today, Mom and Dad went up to my sister’s house for the afternoon. Chappy and I were invited, too, but since I had a whole slew of chores I wanted to do AND since everything would be impossibly muddy after the 6.5″ (yes, over six inches) of rain we had yesterday and therefore he (and I) would get filthy going out for his bathroom needs . . . we opted to stay home. Not only did I do the usual Sunday things–laundry, cleaning the bathroom, dusting and vacuuming my room–but I tackled some projects I’ve been putting off. Like that basket of Chappy’s toys. And adding a splitter to the tangle of cables going amongst the cable box, VCR, DVD-recorder and television so that we can record one show on the VCR while watching something else via the cable box. You know, like Extreme Home Makeover and West Wing tonight. (I even labled all the cables so I’ll know where they’re going in the future.)

I also went through my yarn stash . . . sort of. I mean, I did go through it. I even sorted a whole lot of it into large, white mesh laundry bags for a little more organized keeping. (Sock yarn in one, lace yarn in another. A bag for Miscellaneous. A bag for Kid Silk Haze–yes, you heard right. An entire bag stuffed full of knitter’s crack. That kind of thing.) What I didn’t do, but really need to, is weed some of it out. For example, I have way too much Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran yarn. I love it, but I have enough for about four sweaters, and I just don’t think that’s going to happen. I also have a nice collection of Manos wool which I keep telling myself would make a great afghan (the colors are perfect for my bedroom), but that’s been sitting there for far too long now, and . . . well . . . it’s unlikely. On the other hand, there’s a sweater’s worth of Rowan Calmer which isn’t going anywhere; nor am I willing to get rid of my Rowan Wool & Cotton (that dates back to when they still used the ampersand in the name). But there are miscellaneous balls of yarn that are either leftovers from other projects or things I’ve been gifted that I just don’t see myself doing anything with (lovely though they are), but certainly don’t want to throw away. (Re-gifting is one thing, trashing entirely another.)

And the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran I was hoping I’d be able to use for that cabled Karabella cardigan? No, apparently the gauge is completely different. Which is a shame, because I’ve using lighter-weight yarns lately and was thrilled to finally find a project for that yarn, and . . . nope. It’s going to languish a while longer. Although–it’s confusing. The gauge on the pattern calls for 24 stitches over 4″. But the Aurora 8 yarn the pattern uses and the Cashmerino Aran both say 18/4 . . . unless all the websites I’m looking at for the Aurora 8 are giving the wrong gauge? Or is that gauge over the cabled pattern of the sweater, not stockinette? I’ll have to check that when I get up. Maybe it would work, after all? But I’m leery–I tend to knit loosely to begin with–that kind of a handicap right off the bat . . . ?

Maybe what I should do is offer some of this yarn for trade, or for sale, huh? It’s all good yarn, just . . . sitting. The Jo Sharp alone fills up an entire storage bin, and even I think that’s kind of crazy, no matter how much I like the yarn. (Hmm, I wonder how my secret pal would feel about getting a box full of Jo Sharp…?)

Anyway, the rest of my day? I colored my hair–something I’ve been badly in need of for the last week or two. One of these days I must remember not to wash my shower walls before I color my hair. It’s unfortunate that the reddish-brown color I use looks (very unfortunately) rather like a bloodbath by the time I’ve gotten it all out of my hair and then, of course, I’ve got to wash the walls again! For supper, I mixed some leftover mashed potatoes with two eggs and ate that (cooked, of course) with a side salad and a fresh-baked corn muffin studded with walnuts and chocolate chips. Pretty tasty!

Next question: is Chappy going to sleep on the bed tonight? Last night, for the first time ever, he opted to sleep in his crate rather than up on the bed with me. No idea why . . . he couldn’t be mad at me, this is two days now that we’ve spent entirely together . . . too much togetherness usually isn’t something a dog exactly disapproves of!

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning, Weather • Permalink:Hari-Kari // 7 Comments »

I’ve read, now, I believe all of Ann Patchett’s novels (absolutely adored Bel Canto), and have been enthralled by the way this woman tells a story. So when I saw her “Truth and Beauty: A Friendship” at the book store, I had to pick it up. It’s not fiction, but is instead a so far very sweet, very touching tribute to her friend Lucy Grealy, telling of their friendship of some twenty years. She writes so beautifully, and since they were both writers, she intersperses her own prose with excerpts from Lucy’s letters, and it’s just . . . moving . . . and I thought I’d mention it, because, well, that’s what you do when you find a really good book, isn’t it?

Here’s a quote for you, with the birth of the title right there in black and white:

“We were a pairing out of an Aesop’s fable, the grasshopper and the ant, the tortoise and the hare. And sure, maybe the ant was warmer in the winter and the tortoise won the race, but everyone knows that the grasshopper and the hare were infinitely more appealing animals in all their leggy beauty, their music and interesting side trips. What the story didn’t tell you is that the ant relented at the eleventh hour and took in the grasshopper when the weather was hard, fed him on his tendered store of grass all winter. The tortoise, being uninterested in such things, gave over his medal to the hare. Grasshoppers and hares find the ants and tortoises. They need us to survive, but we need them as well. They were the ones who brought truth and beauty to the party, which Lucy could tell you as she recited her Keats over breakfast, was better than food any day.”

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Patchett // 3 Comments »

Rain.

That’s what today is all about. It’s been steadily raining all day–not torrential downpours (though it’s gotten heavy from time to time), but pretty much non-stop showers. Something like 3.5″ of rain (that’s 8.75 cm) since yesterday.

We need it badly, but . . . blah. Grey. Wet. Dreary. I’ve been home all day. Mom didn’t want to go out for coffee this morning, so I’ve spent most of the day curled up in the dining room window with Chappy. Reading mostly, but I also did some work on that Christmas knitting. Made some tea in the afternoon. Helped Mom transfer some pictures from digital camera to computer. But really . . . nothing much. It’s just been that kind of day.

Not so for Risa–whose twins are having their second birthday party today. I bet her day’s been busy! Or Jennifer, who was written about in the New York Times. Or Sandy, whose (safe and unhurt) daughter was in a car accident. There was a death in Stephanie‘s family. And of course, there’s something fishy going on over at Lu‘s.

The one bright spot? I’ve been reading about the NaNoWriMo challenge. Apparently, November is National Novel Writing Month. (I mentioned this a couple days ago.) But I hadn’t read through the rules for the actual Challenge. Listen to this:

The idea is to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. You can’t start writing before 12:01 am on November 1st and you must have passed 50,000 words by November 30th to succeed at the challenge. You can’t add to a novel you’ve already started. You can’t start writing earlier than November 1st. You can plan, plot, develop characters, outline–do as much preliminary work as you want–but you cannot write an official word of prose for the challenge. As they say in the FAQs, it’s about quantity not quality, enthusiasm over painstaking craft. And frankly, it sounds like fun!

I haven’t decided if I’m going to participate yet–more than starting a brnd-new book, I’d rather have the incentive to finish the already-50,000 word manuscript I’ve got sitting right here on my computer. And yet–where’s the thrill in that? If the point of the challenge is to inspire you to just sit down and let your creativity out of the box, no holds barred, no worries about whether the plot ties together–just to get a first draft down on virtual paper . . . why start with a book that’s been stalled on my computer for over a year and a half without being touched? Great idea, though! At least something made me smile on this otherwise grey day.

Well, other than Chappy, of course!

• Tags: General, Weather • Permalink:Rain // 4 Comments »

Hyrna H is still waiting in the knitting bag. Instead, I started this, my Christmas project. I told you I couldn’t show you the yarn (Cascade 220 superwash) because the colors would give away, to those who know me, the intended recipient. But then, it occurred to me–black and white photo! You can see how cool this is, but can’t see the colors. There are five, arched sections, and I’ve about 2/3 through my second section. So . . . about 35% done. Gotta love fast projects.

The challenge? It’s knitted with two colors that rotate every other row, and uses two strands of each color. So, I’ve got two skeins of yarn and am using both the center and outside strand from each. All the strands twisting around are . . . challenging. It’s a fun pattern, though (which, again, I don’t want to link to, just in case, but you may have seen it online a couple months ago). And the knitted fabric is nice and thick and plush. It’s going to be warm. I think ___ will like this! (This will also be the last and only photo you’ll see of it until after I can safely show you a color version.)

  It probably won’t surprise anyone to see the pattern that showed up at my door today. The Karabella pattern that I admired so much on Kerstin‘s blog the other day. And, oh yeah, the Rowan Cafe “Classic Woman” book. (Um, because, of course, I needed to make the order worth the shipping fee. Of course!)

Now, let’s talk about reading for a moment, shall we? I just finished the Julie and Julia book. Not really all that impressed. It had some interest, and it was a quick read, but I was bored at parts and frankly thought she came across as a self-absorbed whiner. Cooking all those French recipes was an impressive feat, and some of the writing was good, and I certainly didn’t hate it (Also, yes, the language and the various discussions that I wouldn’t consider “polite conversation” bothered me a bit. I admit it; I’m a little prudish that way.) Didn’t hate it; didn’t love it. Probably won’t read it again.

Now I’m trying to read Castle Rouge by Carole Nelson Douglas. It’s the sixth in her Irene Adler series. (Irene Adler, you’ll remember is the only woman ever to outsmart Sherlock Holmes.) She started the series years ago and I loved it–I loved her take on Irene and the mysteries were really kind of fun–especially when Sherlock himself got involved. In the last couple of years, she’s started writing books in this series again, only now, they’re much darker, much more “noir,” and not nearly as much fun. Frankly, I’m struggling. This one (and Chapel Noir which came before it) mix in Jack the Ripper, as well as Nellie Bly, and the the other nuclei characters are used less and less. I’ve never enjoyed reading Jack the Ripper stories; I don’t like horror or real crime genres, and this series is definitely heading in that direction. Now, her writing is always excellent, and if this is your kind of “thing,” by all means check these books out, but I think I’ll stick to the original four.

Yep. There seems to be some reading ennui going on. Maybe I really should focus on my own book, huh?? (It’s finding the time around the knitting and, you know, that full-time job that’s tricky–not to mention the temptation, when sitting in front of the computer, of checking e-mail, blogs, and that kind of thing–but I acknowledge that at least some of that is just an excuse.)

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:No Title, But at Least There are Pictures // 2 Comments »

See the cool and misty view I had as I drove over the hill on my way to work the other morning? It’s that time of year where we wake up to fog that burns off by afternoon, but at just the right time of morning, the sky is clearing and there’s just some fog settled in the valleys and the lower areas.

It actually looked prettier the day before, but I didn’t think to pull out my camera until I’d rounded the bend and it was too late. I had an impatient SUV driver behind me and didn’t trust that he would stop in time if I tried to pull over, so . . . I just hoped the same light/mist thing would happen again. The next day, it came close!

And speaking of things emerging from the mist, I worked on my Union Square Market Pullover tonight. I know, it’s shocking. I haven’t touched it in days. Over a week, even. You’ll be pleased to know that I have split for the front/back and just finished the armhole shaping for the back. Isn’t that just so exciting? I knew you’d be thrilled.

I left Hyrna H (aka the unpronouncable shawl) in the bag. It’s been so difficult lately, it didn’t deserve to be worked on tonight. I’ve seen it on several blogs lately–including by people who think it’s easy and quick. I’d even be inclined to agree–the actual lace design is pretty straightforward. And it’s not like I haven’t made lace shawls before. Or that I can’t follow a chart. There’s just something about the center section of this shawl pattern that just doesn’t like me. So . . . humph . . . it can languish in the knitting bag for a night or two. It’s not like I don’t have other, better things to knit if it’s going to be difficult.

On a completely unrelated note (unrelated other than the fact that I knit in front of the television with Mom, and so this occurred while I was knitting that nice, simple, straight-forward stockinette stitch), we were watching “Everybody Hates Chris,” tonight–which is, I think, about the only funny sitcom on television right now–and 7 minutes before the end . . . the cable went out. So . . . no idea what happened. Did he play in the basketball game? What happened with the new tenant? I’ll have to check TwoP tomorrow to look for a recap. Frustrating, though. Not only that, the cable has since been going in and out, and I’ve gotten knocked offline a few times, too. On the plus side, I took advantage of the chance to go through my Documents folder and clear away some of the junk that’s accumulated in there. That’s something, anyway.

It’s not like we didn’t have entertainment while the cable was out, though. Chappy took that opportunity to play. Like a maniac. First, he grabbed his pillow in his teeth and started shaking it all over the room–he dragged, pushed, shook it from the hearth, almost to the door, and then halfway back again, leaving it in front of Dad’s chair. Then, he grabbed his Airbud toy and started tossing it in the air so he could pounce on it, and pushing it just underneath the furniture so that he could pretend to rescue it. Except for this time (photo), when he pushed it too far and it actually got stuck beneath the ottoman. He’s very cute at times like these–he’ll try to reach under to grab it; he’ll “woof!” at it under his breath (I don’t know where he learned that kind of language); and when all else fails, he’ll stare at me, waiting for me to pull it out for him. He’s really pretty patient.

This is a “game” he’s played since he was a puppy, and we’ve got the “rules” down pretty pat by now. When it’s well and truly stuck, and he’s not just complaining because he’d rather not get it himself (typical boy), I’m happy to pull it out when I’ve reached a reasonable stopping point at whatever I’m doing–the end of a paragraph, the end of a row of knitting. And the rule is I’ll fetch it three times, but if he pushes the toy out of reach a fourth time, he’s out of luck until tomorrow. (This last rule became very important early on.) But in the meantime, he’ll wait nicely–often with his front paws crossed–until I can get to him. If I’m taking too long, he may come over and nudge my knee, but mostly, he waits.

May I just say how smart it was of me to teach him how to be patient when he was still a puppy?? This is a cute kind of game–I love watching him entertain himself. When he was still really little and more interested in chewing “illegals” like my slippers, he was really sneaky. He’d take an officially sanctioned chew-toy, like his chocolate-flavored Nylabone and lie down with it right next to my slippers. He would lay there for a while, chewing innocently away, edging closer and closer to the slippers. When he felt I had reached a sufficient level of complacency, he would–with bone still between his paws–turn his head to stick his nose in my slipper instead. And then, if I didn’t notice, would quietly start chewing on those instead. The alternate version of this “Trick Mommy” game was when he would actually chase his toy right into the slippers (he bats at them with his paws, as well as throwing them with his mouth), and then, “Oh, I picked up the wrong thing!” grab the slipper rather than the toy. All a perfectly innocent mistake, you understand!

Oh, the other thing I did today? After reading about how Typepad lost some of Snow’s files, I went through and copied all of my blog archives into Word documents and backed them up. Wasn’t that prudent of me? One of these days I’ll even print them out and put them in a binder. The one, big difference blogging has made is that I rarely make an entry in my paper journal any more. It’s sad, really–the poor thing just sits on the desk feeling lonely, getting dusty. And meanwhile, my handwriting–in use less and less–is getting worse all the time, so any entries I do make are practically illegible. Poor book. It just wants to be loved. Obviously, what I need is to practice my handwriting.

Hey, while I’m in clean-up mode–do you think my blog page is looking too crowded? I’m thinking it looks kind of cluttered, and I hate clutter . . .

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Mist // 5 Comments »

First–thank you all for your replies to yesterday’s post. I agree–a Christmas Tree hat really shouldn’t be considered a “religious” item–all you need to do is leave the star off the top and it’s a tree, after all! But who am I to argue? I sent it in to MagKnits last night, and I’ll see what happens. I should know in a couple weeks whether they want it or not, and if they do–wonderful! And if they don’t, I’ll “publish” it myself for a couple dollars here. I’ll even (as Snow suggested) host a Knit-along for it! (Although that, of course, will be tricky until the pattern is available to the public, but . . . it’s a quick knit, so . . . hopefully, in November!)

Then–in some important news–forty-two years ago today, my parents got married.

Isn’t that great news?? Because, of course, if they hadn’t, what would you be reading right now?? And, then, where would Chappy be? (Unthinkable)

Anyway–Mom and Dad went into New York today to see Spamalot, which I very much hope they’ll enjoy. I took the day off from work. Partly so Chappy wouldn’t be alone all day (poor baby!). I got up at my usual time, though, went downstairs, and started making pancakes for breakfast. Mom knew I had the day off, but Dad didn’t and he was really surprised! I figured, a special breakfast couldn’t hurt, huh? But also, I had some chores planned for myself. Like, putting together a sausage-and-peppers baked ziti dish for tomorrow night’s dinner (using turkey sausage because Mom is deathly allergic to all pork products). And, mopping all the downstairs floors–something we’re more neglectful of than we should be. I figure, Dad got pancakes, Mom gets clean floors. (Although, really, I wish someone would explain to me how swishing all-too-quickly-dirty water around on the floor is going to get it clean. I have yet to find a method or a tool that really gets the floor clean, not just kind of cleaner. We have laminate floors, too, and they show every possible streak–not to mention moist paw prints!)

Anyway, Mom and Dad left around 10:00 to go into the city, and I made a quick trip to Barnes & Noble. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been having the hardest time finding fiction that I’m in the mood to read. I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s a “sign” that I should focus on my own fiction for a while. In fact, one of the tricks I use on myself when having trouble writing . . . like, you know, the last four or so years . . . is to not allow myself to read any fiction. Eventually, the craving for a good story drives me to working on my own. At least, in theory. So, maybe this disinterest is a sign from my subconscious that it wants to write again. But . . . for added incentive . . . look at the cool site Julie left me in comments yesterday. November is National Novel Writing Month. Who knew?

Oh! And, speaking of books.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Silverlock by John Myers Myers. (The author, as I understand it, was named for his grandfather but they wanted to avoid the dynastic “II” and just gave him the last name twice. It suits him.) It has been a favorite for years. And it’s been out of print for about a decade now. (It’s one of those that comes and goes.) I got it for the first time during my Sophomore year in high school. Read it in one night and then lent it to my English teacher. (No, really.) Because part of the fun of this book is that A. Clarence Shandon, aka Silverlock, meets up with a whole slew of people out of literature in this book, and part of the fun (and it is fun) is trying to identify them. Some, like Robin Hood or the Mad Hatter are easy. And when he finds himself in the middle of a Midsummer Night’s dream, it’s pretty easy to spot, or when he bumps into Zeus in the woods, or joins Chaucer’s pilgrims, or descends quite literally into Dante’s inferno. But some of the references are really obscure, but every now and again, you’ll meet up with them in other reading. (Like, in my Junior year English class, I scrawled “Silverlock!” next to my notes about the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.)

Anyway, I lent it to my English teacher, who ended up keeping it over the summer. She brought it back the first day of school, with apologies, said she’d loved it, and I immediately read it all over again. In fact, I had it in the car as we drove to my Grandfather’s funeral a day or so after school had started. In further fact, the minister–who rode with us–looked at it and asked if he could borrow it when I was done. So that Sunday, I lent it to him. It’s just that kind of book. In my first three months of ownership of my copy, I had it in my possession for less than a week. (I’ve since bought a second copy.) But the exciting thing is that it’s back in print again. It’s a completely unique book–Shandon apparently never cracked a book open in his life that he not once recognizes a single soul he meets, and he’s wholly selfish and unlikeable as the book begins, but it’s a growth experience. It’s good. I think I’m going to need to pull my copy out soon . . .

But for now–the floors are dry (if streaky) and I’m going to go get some lunch!

• Tags: Family, General, Reading • Permalink:Two Score Two // 6 Comments »

  First, Jane wanted to see pictures of socks.

I’ve knitted more than these, really I have, but the other three pairs have been gifted to Mom, my sister, and my niece and are therefore unavailable for photographs.

The yarn for that Christmas gift came today. I’d show you pictures, but can’t. If the person for whom the gift is meant saw it, that person would immediately the gift was meant for him/her. So, I’ll just say that it’s here, and leave it at that!

Sprang, anyone? Check out what Cassie discovered this weekend . . . yet another fiber craft to explore. (Just what we all needed, right?)

Oh, and I heard back from Knitty. (1) They hadn’t gotten my pattern submission, so I’m glad I asked, but more importantly (2) my pattern isn’t usable because they don’t do “religious” patterns. I hadn’t really thought that a hat shaped like an evergreen tree was really all that religious, but there you go! (Apparently I’m not the only one who’s missed that in the submission guidelines, so I at least feel a little better.)

Now what? I’ve gotten a lot of encouraging comments from a lot of you saying how much you liked it. (Although, part of me is saying, “They were probably just being nice!”) I could try submitting it to someplace like Magknits or some other magazine. Or, I could just put it in a nice pdf and offer it here. Either for free or for a few bucks.

What do you think??

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Now What?? // 16 Comments »

I went out to buy new jeans this weekend. A simple thing, really. You go to a store which sells them, you try on a pair or two, and you buy some. Easy. In. Pay. Out. Done.

Well, not so much. First, there’s the genetics thing. Dad is about 6’2″ and Mom is about 5’2″. Guess which of them “won” when it came to determining height for my sister and me? Yep. Mom. Like it would have killed Dad to have given me an extra inch or so of leg, a little more height? But no. I’m just about 5’3″ and shop in the petites section. Which, okay, fine. Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft–two of my favorite stores–both have perfectly good petite sections and usually, buying things like trousers in the correct length is no trouble.

But jeans. See, here’s the problem with jeans. They shrink. Not necessarily the first time you wash them, or the second time, or even the third. But eventually. And then the perfect-length jeans you came home with are an inch above the top of your shoes and simply unwearable in anything other than a flood or–if you’re desperate and stretching matters–possibly over a pair of boots. (Not, I might add, a practical solution during the summer.) And so, I try to shop the regular section, not the petite section, for jeans. Except, of course, different styles have different inseam lengths. So sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Not only that, for whatever reason, as I browsed through the Ann Taylor Loft store on Saturday, different pairs of jeans in the exact same style (and theoretically cut from the same pattern and sewn to the same specifications) were fitting, well, differently. I normally wear a size 6 in pants (don’t ask me how–I wore 10s and 12s for years and then one day, 6s were fitting. I really have no idea). But of this one, specific style I tried on three separate pairs–one pair in a 6 was too big, one fit fine, and one in a 4 actually fit perfectly. A four. There’s no way I wear a size 4! (In fact, I bought this beautiful green jacket in an 8P and it fit perfectly. First try. That’s much more like it.)

Anyway. I ended up finding two pair of jeans to buy. Also that jacket. And, did I mention they were having a “Buy 2 Get 1 Half-Price” special”? Or that I happened to have a coupon in my purse good for a 20% savings off of a sale over $200? Well, it’s possible that I may have bought another item or two or three as well . . . Really, I got a great deal. I love shopping trips like that! Six items for about the price of three of them. I was surprised while putting things away, though–everything was in shades of blue or green. Not a speck of red or orange, gold or brown, or any of the autumn colors I usually gravitate toward. I’m thinking that’s a good thing. (Variety being the spice of life, or something like that.)

There was actually a sweater (or two) that I was tempted by, but I held strong. I try very hard not to buy sweaters I could just as easily (in theory) make. I have no objections to buying myself those really fine gauge, twin-set kind of sweaters, for example. They’re great to wear–lightweight, can be dressed up or down, go with anything–but boring to knit. I’m really not that interested in getting 10+ stitches to an inch. So–buy those. No problem. The occasional other sweater, if it’s on sale for a really good price. Yeah, I’m not above buying one. Sometimes you just want to be warm and looking fabulous right then, not three months from now, after buying the yarn, the pattern, and spending hours in your favorite knitting chair.

But then there’s the joy of making a sweater that just comes out perfectly. Like the one Kersten blogged about this weekend. That sweater is so gorgeous, I think I’m in love. Interesting? Check. Unique? Check. Can be worn for casual warmth? Check. Can be dressed up (say, with pearls)? Check. Cables for interest, but not so bulky they’re going to make you look like you just gained 10 pounds? Check. In fact, the whole design is body-skimming and looks like it would hide any, oh, waistline bulge you were hoping to camoflauge. And the best part? I could buy the pattern (you know, if I were really that interested) for under $4 and from the looks of the Karabella yarn it calls for, could actually use some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in that fabulous, rusty orange, that I actually have in my stash right this very minute.

You know what this means, don’t you?

I’ve really got to get a move on with that Union Square Market Pullover of mine. I pulled it out of the knitting bag to breathe tonight and actually read the next section of the pattern. I’m in luck! I don’t have to deal with scary, short-row calculations until the back is completely done! I’m just at the spot where I need to split for the armholes, and then basically, it’s a straight knit up the back, with just a couple rows worth of short-row shaping at the very top. Four rows, I think, not really enough for my completely-different row gauge to throw things too far off in terms of shaping. Which means I can actually knit this for a while longer before being confronted by the scary math. What joy! Calloo, callay!

And, lest you think less of me for being intimidated by the math, let me just say this in my defense. It’s not just the stitch gauge that’s completely different. (You remember my ranting about this when I started the sweater, right?) It’s also the row gauge, and the shoulders and general shaping on this sweater is being done by short rows. I don’t have the numbers handy at the moment, but since I am getting far, far fewer rows per inch than the pattern calls for, if I were to knit the number of short rows specified, well . . . let’s just say the sweater would be somewhat . . . mishapen. I need to figure out a way to do approximately 2/3 the number of short-rows in the front, all while shaping the neck-flap of the sweater, making sure I get the same number of rows as are in the armholes in the back, and while making sure I end up with the correct number of stitches for the shoulder seams. Do-able? Absolutely. But definitely intimidating. And I’ve been avoiding sitting down with my calculator to figure this out for weeks.

Is it any wonder I’d rather struggle with the unpronouncable but lovely H.H. shawl? But, really, it’s time I stood up to confront this fear. Faced it head-on, just me and my calculator!

. . . Or at least . . . um . . . it will be . . . you know . . . er . . . when I’ve got the back done. There’s really no reason to rush these things . . .

Hey, and, not to toot my own horn or anything, I was actually the first one to comment on Wendy’s post today. Pretty impressive, huh??

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Jeans and Genes (with, I promise you, some knitting content) // 2 Comments »

Here’s my book list for September. Twenty-six books, including a really nice mix of genres. Fiction. Non-fiction. Mysteries. Sci-fi. History. Knitting. A really good month for books!

1. WRAPT IN CRYSTALby Sharon Shinn (324 p). You already know she’s one of my favorite authors. Sci-fi book with a murder mystery. Someone is killing women of a religious sect, and Drake is sent in to solve the murders. Excellent book, though it’s not my favorite of hers. But still, really good.
2. JUST LIKE HEAVEN by Marc Levy (229 p). The book the new movie with Reese Witherspoon is based on. She’s a young doctor who’s involved in a car crash and left in a coma. And yet . . . her spirit is able to walk around, and so she goes back to her old apartment, which just happens to have a new tenant who can see her.
3. ISAAC’S STORM by Eric Larson (273 p). I wanted to read this after Katrina—the story of the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston Texas. Good story, though reading about its destruction and death while watching the news reports this month on CNN . . . they complimented each other, and yet also dulled the pain of each other. Well done book. I liked it so much better than his “Devil in the White City.”
4. MURDERING MCKINLEY by Eric Rauchway (213 p). A look at the social implications of the assassination of Pres. McKinley back in 1901, which moved Theodore Roosevelt (who did not like to be called Teddy, thank you very much) up to the Presidency. A look at the man who pulled the trigger (an anarchist who the other anarchists didn’t believe was sincere), and the consequences.
5. CLEVER MAIDS by Valerie Paradiz (191 p). You know the story about how the Brothers Grimm went around collecting fairy tales from old women, saving the stories for future generations. Well . . . they DID collect stories, of course, but most of their sources were actually their sister and her friends. Apparently, telling fairy tales was a popular past-time among the bourgeois class, and sister Grimm had some very imaginative friends. Interesting little biography.
6. DIVIDED HIGHWAYS by Tom Lewis (294 p). The story of the US interstate highway system. Some parts were more interesting than others, but it was a decent book. Learned some stuff I hadn’t known before, what more can you really ask for from a history book?
7. ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card (324 p)
8. ENDER’S SHADOW by Orson Scott Card (467 p). The same story told from two different perspectives. Excellent sci-fi, set in the not-too-distant future when Earth is at war for its survival against an invading alien species—one which has been fought back twice, and in preparation for the third wave, they are raising and training the best military minds on the planet—training them via “The Game” as children. Ender is the hope of the planet and the focus of the first book; Bean (his “shadow”) is the focus of the other.
9. THIS IS ALL I ASK by Lynn Kurland (422 p). Pure, fluffy, romance-kind of book. Okay and enjoyable enough, but pretty much no substance whatsoever (grin).
10. ALTERKNITS by Leigh Radford (115 p). A creative knitting book, with some really amazing patterns.
11. DRAGONFLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey
12. DRAGONQUEST by Anne McCaffrey
13. WHITE DRAGON by Anne McCaffrey (734 p for the first three, in one volume)
14. RENEGADES OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (384 p).
15. ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (404 p). One of my favorite sci-fi series, and these are the nuclei. A great world, a great planet, a great premise, and great dragons. What’s not to love. The first book isn’t the best, writing-wise (it was an early in her career), but the series as a whole is wonderful.
16. THE YARN HARLOT by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (219 p). Funny, wonderful, delightful. You know I love Stephanie’s blog, and this book is like reading a month’s worth of her best and funniest stories. I liked her first book (At Knit’s End) quite a bit, but I absolutely loved this one.
17. JEEVES IN THE MORNING by PG Wodehouse (254 p). Jeeves and Bertie Wooster. Silliness. Laughter. Great fun. Does it matter what the plot was? Bertie gets himself in a jam, and Jeeves helps him out.
18. HOLIDAY HANDKNITS by Melanie Falick (178 p)  Another book of knitting patterns, including some really lovely ones! Very nice indeed.

19. THE WITHDRAWING ROOM by Charlotte MacLeod (188 p)
20. PALACE GUARD by Charlotte MacLeod (176 p)
21. THE BILBAO LOOKING GLASS by Charlotte MacLeod (204 p)
22. CONVIVIAL CODFISH by Charlotte MacLeod (220 p). Four of one of those light, humorous mystery series. Enjoyable.
23. GIRL SLEUTH by Melanie Rehak (317 p). The story of Nancy Drew and the women who created her—the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the ghost-writer, the world in which the stories were created, and why. Good.
24. ALEXANDER HAMILTON by Ron Chernow (731 p). The biography of the founding father. I’ve been working on this for almost three months and was starting to think I’d never finish, and yet I was enjoying it quite a bit. Learned a lot of things about Hamilton I hadn’t known—like why he was so instrumental in getting our country’s finances off the ground. (At last, why the man was important enough to be on our $10 bill!) He was also born in the Caribbean, which I didn’t know. He was G. Washington’s right-hand man through most of the Revolution—which I did know—but also helped start the Bank of New York, which still exists today, and was instrumental in getting the Constitution ratified. He was also the first Treasury Secretary. And wow, the man could write. Excellent book about an intriguing man. (My favorite tidbit? During the war, Martha Washington named one of the prowling tomcats after him—apparently he had quite the reputation with the ladies.) The author was clearly biased in Hamilton’s favor, but I don’t think that really harmed the book at all.
25. THE KEEPING DAYS by Norma Johnston (238 p)
26. GLORY IN THE FLOWER by Norma Johnston (198 p). Two of my favorite books back when I was around 14, and still enjoyable to read. Tish Sterling is the narrator, telling her family’s story in 1900, the year she was 14, the “sensitive” one of a large family. They’re excellent.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:September Reading List // 3 Comments »