Okay . . . here we go!

I took the oath with Stephanie, our leader, this afternoon, and borrowed this button from Carole. And so, I’m ready.

I didn’t cast on until I sat down in front of the television to watch the Opening Ceremonies at 8:00. Although, for some reason, while the Olympics coverage on NBC began at 8:00, they didn’t start showing the actual ceremony until 9:00. I think the program directors of the Olympics are sadists, actually. No matter what the time delay, they manage to air all the interesting stuff so late at night that I end up awake at midnight, and bleary-eyed the next morning. You’d think, what with Italy being six hours ahead of the Eastern coast of the U.S., they’d think, “Oh good. We’ll start a little earlier, so people who have to go to work the next day can get some sleep.” But no.

Anyway. (Shaking head to clear it.) That’s not why you’re here. You want to know how much knitting I got done tonight, right?

Well, here it is. The top of my sweater.

Gold ribbing around the neck. I was going to stitch that up for a solid crewneck, but I kind of like the split-neck. And it was comfortable when I tried it on, too.

And then, green and blue vertical stripes, which will blossom into some design a little later on. The blue actually looks really subtle against the green, but the flash pulls the color up quite dramatically, as (I’m sure) will direct sunlight. There won’t be any more gold until the cuffs of the sleeves–it’s just an accent, don’t you know.

I love the feel of this yarn and the way it knits up. (Yes, Risa, very “sproingy.”) And the feel of the knitted fabric is plush and lush and lovely. I can tell already that I’m going to love Karabella’s Aurora.
(Which reminds me–there’s a sale on full-bags of selected colors of Aurora 8 here. You know, jus tin case you’re interested!)

The one thing I’m not 100% thrilled with? That little jog in the green where the center-front collar joined. There are two rows of green on one side of the join, and three on the other, and while that’s not a terrible thing . . . I kind of wish there’d been some way to position that at the shoulder, but . . . I did a couple of short rows along the back, for some neck shaping, and there just wasn’t any other way to do that–or that I thought to do ahead of time. Still, I like this, and am happy so far. So much so, that I’ve already woven in the ends (or, rather, the beginnings). So, you know, I’m committed!

And, I mentioned trying it on? How cool is that, huh? My first top-down sweater, and I love that already. The only problem? I’m now on the 24″ cable, which is what the rest of the sweater (not the sleeves) will be knit on, and it doesn’t fit over my head, without risking the stitches popping the point protectors off. To try it on, I had to move some of the stitches to the 16″ needle . . . kind of a pain. Of course, if I had a 29″ needle, I wouldn’t have that problem, but . . . this is a needle size I use so seldom, it doesn’t seem worth it to spend $19 or so on another needle, just for this sweater. The yarn cost enough!

Oh, speaking of that. At the point I’m at, I haven’t yet finished any one skein of yarn yet. I didn’t ask at the yarn shop, but I’m hoping that, if I have extra, i can return some–get some of that $$ back for, you know, OTHER yarn!

Okay–tired now! Full day of work. Walk with Chappy. Out to dinner with Mom. Two hours of knitting. Blogging . . . time for bed, so I’ll be rested for more knitting tomorrow!

Game On, People!

Almost forgot–look at this beautiful Olympic sky! Taken from the parking lot of the restaurant tonight, just before sunset. Mom pointed out how pretty it looked, and, well . . . she was right! Gorgeous, huh?

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky by Deb
8 Comments »

Some links to amuse you whilst we wait for the Olympics to begin (all culled from the MSNBC "Clicked" page):

This very cool (but hard to hear) video about a group of drivers who got together and drove the speed limit, blocking lanes of the highway in Atlanta by . . . obeying the law.

Or, how about this completely computer-generated beaker of water (which makes me thirsty just watching it).

For your reference needs, this reverse dictionary is very handy.

The 100 best first lines from novels.

If you’ve got a big vinyl collection, here’s a handy way of getting that music onto your computer.

Diagonal gift-wrapping, anyone?

And, for sheer visual impact, this explosion at a fireworks warehouse is astounding. And just amazing to look at . . . until you find out how devastating it actually was and that, apparently, the cameraman was actually killed.

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
4 Comments »

Well, here we are. The last day before the start of the Olympics, and excitement is high here in Olympics stadium.

Doing their warm-ups on the rink, we have:

The yarn. Karabella Aurora Bulky, in green, blue, and gold. An exciting combination recalling evergreens, blue sky, and of course, what the Olympics are all about, gold! (Well, that and sportsmanship, good will, peace, blah blah blah.)

The pattern. A hand-drafted Icelandic-style pullover, with numbers crunched by the athleknit herself. It was a surprise to all of us when she went for a vertical design rather than the traditional, horizontal yoke, but we think she’s got just the styling to pull it off!

The needles. Addi Turbos. Really, is there any surprise? Speed is what this competition is all about, and Deb is taking whatever advantage she can. We heard there was a brief crisis earlier when she saw this photo and realized the needles are actually slightly
different sizes–they both say US 10.5, but one is a 6.5mm and the
other is 7mm. But she decided that they would have to do, since it’s too late to worry about that now. We’ll just hope that equipment problems won’t cause her to lose her focus during the competition.

The support team. Seldom bally-hooed, let’s not forget the support team–the tape measure, the stitch markers, the scissors, the blunt-pointed yarn needles. Deb couldn’t manage without them!

And, of course, let’s never forget Deb’s personal trainer–who always encourages to do more, knit more, read more–anything that will keep her in one place so he can keep an eye on her.

Of course, with the start of the Olympics, our current players will be going on hiatus for the next 16 days for a much-needed rest. They look relaxed and happy about it, and told this reporter earlier that they’re looking forward to watching the show.

So, Let the Games Begin!

---

And last but not least

Booking Through Thursday

1. How many books do you usually take with you on vacation? Too many? Too few? Do you still have room to pack clothes? It depends, of course, on the length of the vacation, but I usually bring too many. There have been times when I’ve brought too few and have been desperately haunting the bookstores, looking for more to read.
2. What kind of books do you read on vacation? Um, preferably paperback? I do, though, usually try to bring at least one new, unread book–this goes back to when I was a kid and Mom would buy my sister and me a “Vacation Book.” Something special (or at least new) that we were not allowed to start until we were officially on vacation. (I remember one year, I was so anxious to start my book, I had it open as the car backed out of the garage!) Obviously, I buy my own books now, but in the last month or two before a vacation, I’ll keep an eye out for some good, new book to save for the trip.
3. Do you read the same kind of books when you’re on vacation as when you’re at home? Pretty much. Maybe a little less history, and I’ll try to bring stand-alone kind of books rather than series, but yeah. In fact, I’ll usually bring a couple different kind of books so that I can decide what I’m in the mood for once I’m there. Packing the right books (and yarn) is a more important decision than the right clothes!

But–oh yes–the other important facet to Vacation Reading? Mom’s and my “Trip Book.” Most of my vacations these days are taken with Mom and Chappy, and for the last 10 or so years, we’ve brought along a book to read aloud between us. (Chappy prefers to just listen.) We’ll take turns reading in the car, or in the hotel at night. Or we’ll just park the car somewhere nice during the day and sit in the sun and read. It’s so much nicer than watching the same old tv shows that we watch at home, and more companionable than sitting reading separately (although we do that, too). There have been a few times we haven’t gotten our book done while on the trip, but that just gave us something else to do in the evenings after we got home . . . (This year, incidentally, will be one of those. We’ll be reading Harry Potter #6, which Mom hasn’t read yet. At least this way I get her to read the books!)

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading by Deb
5 Comments »

First, thank you all for your kind words on my neck-warmer yesterday. I’ve been meaning to post that pattern for a while, but wanted to get it “neater,” or something, and kept stalling . . . but, really, it’s February. If I wanted any of you to have a chance to wear it this season, obviously time was running out!

In current knitting, here’s a look at my Lotus Blossom Shawl, as of last night. Well, half of it. Once a shawl gets to a certain length, it’s hard getting a decent photo–it clumps up on the needle and can’t be stretched out to show the detail easily. But, I tried!

I’m on row 100 right now, and am happy with the way it’s coming out. It’s beautiful, really. The colors in the yarn are just fabulous! I’ve only got a few more rows (well, 6?) on the chart I’m on, and then get to start the scalloped, lotus blossom part at the bottom. I’m hoping to get it done to that point by Thursday night–it seems like an excellent resting place for the shawl for, oh, say 16 days??

My socks, I don’t think I’ll actually have done by the time the Olympics start. I’ve got about 2-2.5″ of the ribbing done, but–if I want to get this part of the shawl done–don’t think I’ll have the time to add the other 4″ or so that they need to be properly finished. Oh well! I can live with that. They’re still darn close to being done, so I know I’ll be able to finish them up pretty quickly after the 26th.

Now, Ina, another New Jersey knitter, posted that Modern Yarns in Montclair (a really lovely store, and with a bead shop right across the street) is offering a 15% discount to any (registered) knitter who finishes Stephanie’s Olympics challenge. Well! How could I pass up that offer?? I just sent them an e-mail to see what I have to do to sign up to be eligible (assuming that The List over at Stephanie’s isn’t enough). Isn’t that great, though? I’ve heard about other yarn shops getting together, having their own teams, and it’s great to hear about one nearby! And really, I’ve been to the shop, and it’s lovely. I’d love to have an excuse to go again . . . as if I needed an excuse to buy yarn!

Hey, speaking of the Olympics, I was just checking The List–there are almost 3,000 names on there! And, by my count 27 of them are Deb, Debbie, Debra, Debi, Deborahs . . . I think what we need is a Team Deb!

(What? There are teams for just about everything else!)

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by Deb
11 Comments »

So, I was asked to give the pattern for the little lacy scarf that I made in December. I’ve been stalling because I had planned on charting the lace for the edging for you, but I’ve come to accept that I’m not going to get around to that, so . . . here you go. (Again, apologies for not having a lace chart for the edging–if anyone wants to create one, I’ll be glad to add it!)

Lace Neck-Warmer

Uses 1 skein of Rowan’s Kid Silk Haze. (Any lace-weight yarn could be substituted)

U.S. Size 6 needles

Gauge? To be honest, I didn’t even check–it’s a lace scarf, just go with the flow (or something).

Cast on 54 stitches.

Use either your preferred cast-on, or a provisional cast-on–your choice. You will be coming back at the end and picking up these
stitches, but the method is up to you.

Row 1: K3. *K2, yo, K2togb, repeat from * until you reach the last three stitches, K3.

Row 2. K3. *P2, yo, p2tog, repeat from * until you reach the
last three stitches. K3.

Repeat these two rows until the scarf is 23” long (or a little shorter, if you prefer–it depends on how snug you want it around your neck when you wear it).

Next 2 rows, knit every stitch.

Decrease

Then, K2tog across entire row (27 st).

K2tog across the entire row again, ending on a knit stitch
(14 st).

Knit across row.

Increase

Next row: *K1, yo, repeat from * until you reach the last
stitch (27 st).

Next row, Knit into the front and back of every stitch (54
st).

Knit across row.

Edging

Cast on 15 stitches, and knit across them once.

Row 1: Sl1, k1, yo, p2tog, k1, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k3, yo,
p2tog, k1, yo, k2 (16 st)

Row 2: K2, p1, k1, yo,
p2tog, k4, p1, k1, yo, p2tog, k1, then knit the next stitch together with the
first of the original 54 stitches.

Row 3: Sl1, k1, yo, p2tog, k2, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k2, yo,
p2tog, k2, yo, k2 (17 st)

Row 4: K2, p1, k2, yo,
p2tog, k3, p1, k2, yo, p2tog, k1, then knit the next stitch together with the
next of the original stitches.

Row 5: Sl1, k1, yo, po2tog, k3, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1, yo,
p2tog, k3, yo, k2 (18 st)

Row 6: K2, p1, k3, yo,
p2tog, k2, p1, k3, yo, p2tog, k1, then knit the next stitch together with the
next of the original stitches.

Row 7: Sl1, k1, yo, p2tog, k4, yo, sl1, k1, psso, yo, p2tog,
k6 (18 st)

Row 8: Cast off 3 stitches, k2, yo, p2tog, k1, p1, k4, yo,
p2tog, k2 (15 st).

Repeat rows 1-8 until you get to the end of the original
stitches. On the last even-numbered row, bind off each stitch as you come to
it.

Loop

Now, go back to the cast-on edge, and pick up 54 stitches.
Knit one row.

Next row, K2tog, all the way across (27 st).

Repeat, again, K2tog, all the way across, ending with a K1
(14 st).

Next row: K5, bind off 4, K5.

Cast on 3 stitches, for the loop row.

K2, knit next stitch
together with the first of the original stitches still on the needle. Turn. K3.
Repeat 4 times, until you get to the beginning of the bound-off stitches.

Knit back and forth in rows over these 3 stitches, until you
have a band about 3” long. This will be the loop you secure the scarf with.

On the next RS row, K2,
knit next stitch together with the first of the original stitches still on the
needle. Turn. K3. Repeat 4 times, until you get to the end. Cast off your 3
stitches.

Weave in ends. Block if desired.

Wear by wrapping around your neck, and pulling the lace end
through the loop, where it should rest at that gathered band of stitches, just
before the edging began.

If desired, you can make the whole thing a little narrower,
by casting on 4 fewer stitches for each repeat of the main lace pattern.

Also, thanks to Martha Waterman’s “Traditional Knitted &
Lace Shawls” ©1993, for the lace patterns

This pattern is copyrighted to Debra Boyken, 2006.

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
10 Comments »

Well, Chappy got his hair cut today, and his wasn’t nearly as drastic as mine!

(He’s here, saying, “Hurry up and take the picture, Mom, so I can go to bed!)

We trimmed around and under his ears. We trimmed the fur on his toes. We trimmed the “feathers” on his legs. We trimmed that wacky topknot of his on top of his head. I didn’t touch the length on his sides or his back–it is winter, after all, and he needs some extra length, right? Though that’s no need to look scruffy!

Oh, and I got one or two comments yesterday that my hair didn’t look that short? Well, here’s what mine looks like today–after its usual wash, dry, sleep, etc. You’ll note how much shorter it looks than it did yesterday after the haircut. (Because yesterday, the curls had been combed out and didn’t get a chance to clump and curl. This is with its usual curl. Dramatically shorter.) I’m going to try to stop looking at that “before” picture anymore, though–it’s just making me depressed!

Now–Olympics Training. I have my swatch, done and washed two weeks ago. I’ve got my pattern written out, with numbers crunched, so that’s ready to go. It’s been the color patterning that’s been causing me grief and procrastination. But I think I’ve finally got that nailed down. The interesting part, though? I bought three colors of yarn, and the geometrics I lined out only use two. Bizarre, huh? Can’t help but wonder what on earth I was thinking! But . . . this layout–doing vertical design along the yoke rather than horizontal–makes me happier than the patterns I’d been playing with so . . . Maybe I’ll jut use the gold at the neck and wrist ribbing.

I’ve gotten a lot done on my shawl, too, though I haven’t bothered to photograph it in days . . . I’m at row 95, but except for being bigger, it looks remarkably similar to the last time you saw it, so . . . you’ll just have to take my word on it.

I’m really astounded at the people doing lace shawls for the Olympics. As much as I love lace, it takes me a while–it just doesn’t fly like stockinette, or even cables. The thought of doing a sweater in 16 days is a little intimidating, but seems doable, but almost any lace shawl? No. (Notice how I’m conveniently forgetting how I got my Flower Basket Shawl done in two weeks?) But isn’t that part of the fun of this Knitting Olympics thing? Reading the list of projects, and seeing what is a sufficient challenge for all the . . . um . . . knithletes? Athelknits? Olympiknits? . . . whatever you call them . . . I’m awed. What an adventurous lot we are!

Tags: Chappy, General, Hair by Deb
10 Comments »

So, why don’t hair stylists listen when you tell them you just want a trim?

I’m not saying that I got a bad haircut today, because I think she did a good job. But, I distinctly remember saying I wanted to keep it long.

So–before I left this morning, my hair looked like this, on the left.

After I got home, it looked like this, on the right.

Not exactly a “trim.” Rather more dramatic than that, don’t you think? My hair hasn’t been this short in over a year, since I decided I wanted to grow it out. I’d say she took off more than the 1-2 inches I asked for, huh? (Especially when you consider how much length is taken up by the curl.)

Still, it appears to be a decent haircut, and the length will grow. And my hair never looks good on the day of a haircut–after all the combing and snipping and sectioning and more combing, I have more frizz than curl. So really, I won’t be able to see how good (or bad) this haircut is until tomorrow morning. Right now, it’s dry from my evening shower, but still clumped with gel . . . it will look completely different once it’s been slept on (grin).

(And yes, I know, most people love the way their hair looks the day of a cut, after being professionally styled, and then complain they can’t get it to look that way themselves. Really, I’d much rather have this problem–put up with one bad hair day and then style it the way I want it the rest of the time.)

Of course, with this stylist, my hair was once this short (May 2004, on the left).
Which, thankfully, I had grown out this far (right) by Christmas that year. Really, early 2004 was the shortest my hair had been since the misguided Princess-Diana haircut I had my freshman year of high school, in, what was it? 1981? I suppose every 20 years I go a little crazy with the haircuts!

Still, I’m not actually complaining. After all, my hair did need a trim . . . right? And really, this is probably way more than you wanted to know about my hair . . . (grin) What you’re really here for is the knitting, right?

I did get a fair amount done on my socks today. about an inch and a half (that’s 4 inches to my hair stylist) of the ribbing.

I decided to do ribbing instead of something fancier, but I’m doing a cabled ribbing for just a little extra flair, or whatever. Not just plain 2×2 ribbing.

Here’s a close-up.

I’m hoping that I’ll get these socks done this week . . . a sentence at which I’m chuckling. I only started them last weekend, and I’m hoping to finish them this week? For heaven’s sake, my last pair took me five months, and these may be done in less than two weeks? Astounding.

But, really, I’m hoping to get them done by, say, Thursday. Because of course, the Olympics start on Friday at which time, no knitting is going to be done except my Olympic knitting. But the socks are really going to look so fabulous with my Olympics sweater, I want to have them done and ready to wear for the first time I wear that sweater . . . hopefully on February 27th!

Tags: General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
11 Comments »

So, Typepad seems to be having some minor issues again. They’ve got a nice list posted of times they’re planning maintenance, but . . . there have been problems with comments for the last 24 hours or so (either not being able to make them, or their e-mails not coming through to me, whatever), and since the first “scheduled” maintenance is for tonight, that’s a little worrying.

Now, I still like Typepad, and I like the convenience of everything being set up for me, but . . . I am thinking about how nice it would be to have my own domain name, and a system that doesn’t go down so much . . . even though I know only the bare minimum of HTML and when you get into other jargon, I get lost . . .

Anyone have any suggestions? Dreamhost? Expression Engine? How complicated are these? How much work to get my blog up and running? How much control do I have? How much would I have to do myself? How much support is there for getting things set up in the first place? (I figure, upkeep I can do, but doing a complete layout on my own? Hey, the Olympics are coming!)

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
5 Comments »

I now have both my socks done to the exact same point–four rows past the heel. They fit wonderfully (44 stitches seems to be just right for me), and oh, how I love the colors. Love them. I keep stopping to admire the colors, I love them that much.

This is wonderful, of course, but not exactly conducive to speedy sock knitting. Still, when you consider my last pair of socks–what with distractions and all–took me five months . . . these are going like gangbusters! I couldn’t be happier.

Next, is to decide if I want to do anything interesting for the leg portions, or just do ordinary ribbing. And obviously, now is the time!

Carole asked me about the Turkish Cast-On I used for the toe, so here’s a closer look. Note the completely seamless construction as it rounds the bend. Start with 12 wraps/24 stitches–increase four stitches every other row until the sock is 44 stitches, and boom. The toe is done. Faster than using a provisional cast-on and a short-row toe. Faster than any other method I’ve tried. Yep. I’m in love.

This method was highlighted in Meg Swansen’s column in the Fall Vogue Knitting, but Fluffy Knitter Deb has a wonderful tutorial on this method.

My order from Interweave Knits “Hurt Book” sale came today, and I must say, I am quite satisfied with the quality of these books. I believe the one should have had a paper cover, and there are some rippled pages, as if they were warehoused in too humid an environment, but for the price? Wonderful. And better than used books, too, since I really don’t like used books–I like to be the first person to read my books.

There’s “A History of Hand Knitting” which I’ve wanted to read for a long time, but didn’t want to pay full-price for. Meg Swansen’s Knitting, which I’ve resisted for a long time–mostly because I hadn’t seen the inside of it. But I flipped through a copy a couple weeks ago (conveniently just a couple days before the Hurt Book sale), and decided I really had to have it. And then, Learning to Weave and Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving. Because, um, no reason, really . . . it just never hurts to be prepared, right?

If you didn’t know, it’s Sandy‘s 3rd blog-iversary today. Go wish the sky-lady a happy day, huh? And for her–a picture of our neighborhood sky while we were out for our walk earlier.

I’m so glad it’s Friday. I mean, sure, I always am, but I am just so tired today. I yawned my way through my day at the office, yawned on our walk. Yawned while giving Chappy his bath. (It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon, but this morning, it poured. The ground was kind of muddy, and he does get bed-sleeping privileges on weekends, sooo….) I’m just tired!

And I’m glad I can sleep in tomorrow, and glad I don’t have anything more strenuous planned than a haircut, for which I thank Shelley. She talked about her haircut today, which reminded me that I’ve been meaning to call the salon to get an appointment for weeks. And I only ever schedule appointments on Saturdays, and the Olympics start next week, and there was no way I was giving up valuable knitting time for a haircut–it’s been four months, a few more weeks wouldn’t have mattered that much–and so it was basically either tomorrow, or sometime in March. Luckily, my stylist had an opening for tomorrow, so . . . that’s where I’m going. Really, my hair IS getting kind of long. And while I like it long, it needs a little shaping.

Did you know Stephanie has over 2500 people signed up for the Knitting Olympics?? Wow.

And lastly, we all love goats for their fiber–would any of us want a world without Cashmere? But, oh my! They do NOT make good houseguests!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky by Deb
5 Comments »

First, I just think I’ll mention that it’s the 25th anniversary today of the company my Dad founded in our basement and from which he is now (mostly) retired, and where I currently work (15 years this month). I’m really quite proud of this! Hard to believe we used to be small enough to fit into the basement, known then as the “Dungeon”. The first non-family employee used to have to come in and play with Muppy, our mini-dachshund, first thing before he could get to work, and the second non-family employee still works here, and is married to the now-president, who’s been hired for every job he’s had since high school by my father, and has actually known him longer than I have. (One month longer, in fact.) In high school, Dad would pay me $.02 a name for data entry, but since I couldn’t type particularly well and had no attention span, I never exactly earned much (grin). A quarter of a century. Wow.

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Now, from Laura’s Booking Through Thursday:

1. Do you lend your books to other people? Rarely outside the family, but on occasion
2. If so, do you get them back? Sadly, only about half the time (not counting family)–which is one of the reasons it’s a rare thing.
3. What do you do if they’re not returned? Send the police? Stop speaking to the borrower? Storm the house and take them back? Try asking nicely, politely, etcetera, but usually give up after a certain, undefined period of time. The friendship, though, is never quite the same–if it survives at all.

---

And then, for the Blogger’s (Silent) Poetry Reading, I’m giving you not one, but two poems by Billy Collins, the recent-but-no-longer poet laureate of the United States. (I thought of giving you one of my own, but really, you wanted something with quality, right?)SONNET
by Billy Collins
All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now,
and after this one just a dozen
to launch a little ship on love’s storm-tossed seas,
then only ten more left like rows of beans.
How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan
and insist the iambic bongos must be played
and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,
one for every station of the cross.
But hang on here while we make the turn
into the final six where all will be resolved,
where longing and heartache will find an end,
where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen,
take off those crazy medieval tights,
blow out the lights, and come at last to bed.THESAURUS
by Billy Collins

It could be the name of a prehistoric beast
that roamed the Paleozoic earth, rising up
on its hind legs to show off its large vocabulary,
or some lover in a myth who is metamorphosed into a book.

It means treasury, but it is just a place
where words congregate with their relatives,
a big park where hundreds of family reunions
are always being held,
house, home, abode, dwelling, lodgings, and digs,
all sharing the same picnic basket and thermos;
hairy, hirsute, woolly, furry, fleecy, and shaggy
all running a sack race or throwing horseshoes,
inert, static, motionless, fixed and immobile
standing and kneeling in rows for a group photograph.

Here father is next to sire and brother close
to sibling, separated only by fine shades of meaning.
And every group has its odd cousin, the one
who traveled the farthest to be here:
astereognosis, polydipsia, or some eleven
syllable, unpronounceable substitute for the word tool.
Even their own relatives have to squint at their name tags.

I can see my own copy up on a high shelf.
I rarely open it, because I know there is no
such thing as a synonym and because I get nervous
around people who always assemble with their own kind,
forming clubs and nailing signs to closed front doors
while others huddle alone in the dark streets.

I would rather see words out on their own, away
from their families and the warehouse of Roget,
wandering the world where they sometimes fall
in love with a completely different word.
Surely, you have seen pairs of them standing forever
next to each other on the same line inside a poem,
a small chapel where weddings like these,
between perfect strangers, can take place.

Tags: General, Reading by Deb
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My reading list for January is unusually short (19 books), though I really can’t imagine why. It totals 7,777 pages, though, so really, it’s not like I was completely slacking off, or anything. There’s a lot of fantasy/sci-fi in the list, and I went on an alternate-history jag, because, well, the whole “What if” concept is fun. Anyway, here’s the list:

1. DEEP SECRET by Diana Wynne Jones (375 p). A fantasy set in modern day England, as a fantasy convention kind of goes . . . awry. Entertaining, and one of the few books by this author not directed specifically at a young adult audience. It’s highly enjoyable.
2. VANISHING ACTS by Jodi Picoult (418 p). What happens when you find out your father kidnapped you as a toddler, but you don’t find out until you’re an adult, with a child of your own, and engaged to be married? Welcome to this world. Now, I enjoy Picoult’s books–they’re light and fluffy, but address some serious issues. “Plain Truth” was excellent, as was “The Pact.” This one, though, left me cold. It spent far too much time following Dad/Grandpa’s all-too-graphic stay in prison, and didn’t spend enough time addressing the actual characters, which has always been her strong suit. It was too fragmented. She’s done this all along–following each character for a chapter–but this book just felt like it was going too many directions at once. And, did I mention the excessive prison scenes?
3. MERLIN CONSPIRACY by Diana Wynne Jones (468 p). Sort of a sequel to “Deep Secret” above, but not really. One character gets a main role here, but it takes place in one of “many” alternate universes . . . he sort of gets lost . . . but it’s also back to the YA category. I’ve been a fan of Jones’ for 25 years and always enjoy her books, though this one isn’t a favorite. Enjoyable enough, but slow-starting.
4. MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? by Mary Stewart (189 p). Ah, light and fluffy, one of the early “mysteries” by Mary Stewart. Charity is on vacation in France with a friend, when she meets a young boy named David, apparently terrified of his murderer-but-got-off father, who stalks her through the countryside of post-WWII France, trying to find out where his son is. By modern standards, this book has little substance and the plot is long on exposition and short on action . . . but “modern” isn’t always good, and what this light little book has is plenty of old-fashioned charm . . . if a murder mystery can be considered charming. And, oh my word, Ms. Stewart could describe food and countryside so that you almost feel like you’re there yourself.
5. THE GRAND IDEA by Joel Achenbach (300 p). I wrote all about this book on January 5th. To quote myself: “It tells the true story of George Washington’s plan to make the Potomac
   (aka Patowmack) River a main, commercial artery to the Western part of
   the new United States. It’s interesting in and of itself, but I’m
   enjoying the author’s subtle sense of humor, which sneaks in from time
   to time. How many historians can work the word “squishy” into a serious
   work? (“Even so, they might have gotten away with it, for frontier law tended to be squishy.”) I’m enjoying the main story, but I’m loving the little tongue-in-cheek asides.”
6. FIRE ROSE by Mercedes Lackey (433 p). Another fantasy, this time taking place around turn-of-the-century San Francisco. Our San Francisco, except . . . there are magicians. It’s not well known, but . . . in this book . . . true. Rose has no idea when she takes a job for a mysterious recluse . . . this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, through Lackey’s unique viewpoint. She’s been retelling a lot of fairy tales lately, and doing a fine job, but this, I think, is my favorite.
7. LORD DARCY by Randall Garrett (673 p). By rights, this should count as 4 books. See, I have all of these stories in other volumes (three, to be exact), but one of the stories in this omnibus is a novel-length story that I had back in high school, lent to a friend, and never saw again. It’s been out of print for years–until this collection was published. So, I could, quite honestly, have counted this as four separate books, because I have them as four separate books, but I felt that would somehow be cheating. Anyway, the story? Another alternate world (I love the idea of alternate universes)–not only is the Plantagenet family still ruling over in Europe, but, yep, magic works, too. Lord Darcy is, well, picture Sherlock Holmes as a British peer, and Watson as a small, plump Irish magician. I know, it sounds corny, and yet they’re very entertaining. Murder mysteries with logic and evidence and clues . . . and yet, magic, too. What’s not to love?
8. THE TWO GEORGES by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove (596 p). Continuing the alternate universe theme, here, the USA never broke from England and is still part of the Commonwealth. The best-known, best-loved symbol of the country is a painting of George Washington and George III meeting, symbolizing the joining of the two countries. Skip ahead 200+ years to present day California. The Two Georges is stolen, just before the current King of England is about to visit the North American Union . . . this is a delicious alternate reality, with hints of reality thrown in for fun. (Two scottish brothers who make excellent fish and chips, the leader of the NUA is Sir Martin Luther King. John F. Kennedy runs the radical newspaper supporting the radical group Sons of Liberty (who drink John Adams Ale).) It’s another mystery, but in a slightly different world–though, no, no magic here. Normal rules of physics apply!
9. THE CLIENT by John Grisham (421 p). It’s been a while since I read anything of Grisham’s, and I needed something to kick myself out of alternate-mode, so . . . Do I really need to tell you the story? Young Mark witnesses the suicide of Romy, a mob-lawyer who knows a secret too big and breaks under the strain . . . Mark’s little brother goes into shock, Mark hires a lawyer, the mob makes threats . . . nonsense, really, and not earth-shattering, but again, enjoyable enough.
10. MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT by Ann Patchett (357 p). (swoon) I just love the way this woman writes! At the sudden death of her (gay) magician husband, Sabine finds that he’s kept an enormous secret from her all these years–his mother, his family, are not dead as he’d told her, but alive and well in cold Minnesota. This is a wonderful book. She’s an incredible author. Delicate. Descriptive. Light-touched rather than heavy-handed with the emotional details. Wonderful.
11. THE TIME-TRAVELLER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger (518 p). I had a couple of people mention this to me within a week, and so I just had to pull it off the shelf and reread it. Henry and Clare. Henry has a genetic disorder that leaps him unexpectedly through time, and he’s been visiting Clare for most of her life, before they ever “meet” in real time. I love the twists and turns of the different meetings–the ages of the two vary every chapter, as they date and get engaged, try to get pregnant . . . it’s a completely unique take on time-travel, and darn good, although my feeling is that it kind of peters out at the end, and goes for pathos rather than a really satisfying ending. And yes, there are paradoxes that aren’t explained away by the book’s internal logic, but . . . hugely enjoyable.
12. THE ALPHABET OF THORN by Patrica McKillip (291 p). Haunting. Delicate. Nepenthe is an orphan, raised to be a librarian/scholar, when she’s given a book no-one can read, written in an alphabet made of thorns. It’s a fantasy of the first order. McKillip has such a deft touch for misty kinds of stories–wafting by in their mysterious way, leaving hints of scent and spice and intrigue in their wake. This is one of my favorites.
13. ROSE DAUGHTER by Robin McKinley (306 p). Another re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, not only my second of the month, but the author’s second as well. Her very first book was “Beauty,” and here, she revisits the same fairy tale but in a completely new way. I admit I like the first one best, but this one, too, is a delicate, mysterious little story, with roses and magic, and three sisters . . . Another author I wish would write faster!
14. THE WIND WITCH by Susan Dexter (335 p). Yes. Another fantasy. The middle of her “Valadan” trilogy, but one of my favorites by an author who is sadly mostly out of print these days. A real shame because I just adore her style of writing. And, oh, there’s spinning and weaving. Druyan is struggling to save her farm, now that her husband has been killed in a raid by Viking-like raiders from overseas. They have a captive, though, a man who can sometimes see hints of the future, so that Druyan tries to bring warnings to towns in danger of being invaded, all on her sired-by-the-wind horse, Valadan. Really enjoyable book. I have all of this authors’ books and so wish she would write more!
15. THE LIADEN UNIVERSE COMPANION by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (292 p). I think we’ve established over the months that I really enjoy the Liaden sci-fi stories by these two. They’re wonderful. Well, here are a bunch of short stories that help round-out, support, back-up some of the stories told in the full-length novels. As much as I don’t love short stories, these I enjoyed, because the world was familiar, the characters were loved, and yet, the adventures were new.
16. EXILE’S SONG by Marion Zimmer Bradley (493 p).
17. SHADOW MATRIX by Marion Zimmer Bradley (556 p).
18. TRAITOR’S SUN by Marion Zimmer Bradley (534 p). A Darkover trilogy, the last written . . . well, co-written, really . . . by MZB before she died. They follow the story of Marguerida Alton as she returns to Darkover as a music scholar and learns that she is an heir to a Domain and has laran to boot–not that she believes in laran. Deborah Ross, who completes these stories, has an excellent match in voice to MZB, and this trilogy is wholly enjoyable, especially since it puts at least some closure on the Darkover saga . . . a relief since its creator is now gone.
19. KNITTING YARN AND SPINNING TALES edited by Kari Cornell (222 p). A series of essays, mostly about knitting, by some highly accomplished people–both as writers and crafters. Good.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by Deb
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