Here’s a real-time look at the ribbing to my Autumn Rose.

It’s 2/3 done–I just finished the five rows of the second color, and then have five more rows, and then I’ll be done with the ribbing. I’ll admit, it’s not my favorite part,but I AM happy with the way it looks.

It’s one of those knitting ironies . . . it looks great but not that much fun doing it. Kind of like the bobbles on my Lotus Blossom shawl. I really hate making bobbles, and don’t even like them very much, but at the points of the Lotus Blossom, well, they’re perfect . . . so I suffered. This corrugated, two-color ribbing isn’t quite that bad, but . . . yeah . . . not actually loving it. At least it’s moving along.

And, really, that’s about it for now. I could probably find something to ramble on about (because you all know I’m good at that), but . . . I should go finish entering my monthly reading list in for tomorrow…. Can you believe it’s almost September already?

Oh, but there is one thing . . . Stitchy is running Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo again this year. Woot!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Corrugated // 5 Comments »

Something about the way the dappled light streaming through the leaves outside interacted with the lace curtain . . . I just really liked that!

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Window // 4 Comments »

Chris made it look like so much fun, so here’s a look inside my purse. You know, it’s really amazing how much the stuff spreads out when you release it.

Starting on the left and going mostly clockwise, we have: a silk scarf to tie over my hair when needed, my sock-in-progress in its bright blue bag, my credit card case, my car keys, Moo cards, inhaler (just in case.) Then my camera in its handknit little bag, my cell phone. The largest item, my eyeglasses–mostly because I need to carry both my regular glasses and my sunglasses with me, even though I rarely wear the regular ones any more. (Thank you, Ocuvite vitamins.) A tin of mints, my change purse, a Ticked Off spoon, a pair of wooden Hair Styx, lip gloss, and a doggie bag . . . because you never know.

It looks and sounds like SO much stuff, and yet it fits quite nicely . . . it’s really only the knitting that seems to take up an excessive amount of space and, well, I’ll just have to live with that, huh?

No new photos of my Autumn Rose to show you, but I’m all the way up to row 7. (Yes, let’s hear the awed “oohs” and “ahs.”)

I haven’t touched my Ribby sleeves in the last couple of nights, I’ve been so eager to get the Autumn Rose moving along, but I’ll work on those this weekend.

I do need to address my socks, though. I haven’t gotten more than  a row or three done since last week, but would like to get a third pair done for the Summer of Socks. Those sock tallys are quite impressive–Cookie has made 27 pairs. Wow!

And, my lace? My poor lace. I haven’t even touched it in a couple weeks. I don’t know that I can entirely blame the Zephyr. That’s part of it, but more, it’s that I’ve clearly been bitten by the Fair Isle bug. So between wanting to work on Autumn Rose and not entirely enjoying knitting with the (beautiful, silky, lovely) Zephyr, well . . . Poor shawl.

How much am I loving my (slow-moving) Autumn Rose?

Well, enough that I bought her her very own, coordinating Baggallini One-Tote bag. Which, I have to tell you, I’m very impressed with. Lots of pockets and loops and tethers and sections and pockets and zippers and snaps and pockets . . . It’s three main sections–a big, zippered one in the center, with two snap-closed ones at either end, but within each section, there are smaller pockets, places for cell phones, pens, accessories . . . And wow, it’s light! I mean, yarn isn’t that heavy, but it’s noticeably lighter than my other Baggallini bag–the Doctor’s Satchel, which I still love, mind you, but . . . this new bag is one, nice bag. And such a pretty shade of orange, too!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Brown-Bagging It // 9 Comments »

There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t
fall into that category, but . . . how many of our friends do? Do you
have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only
person you know who has a serious reading habit?

This question’s an easy one for me. No-one in my family reads nearly as much as I do. Not even close. (I mean, you’ve seen my reading lists, right? Seen my personal statistics?) But, that said, my father reads regularly. My mom and my sister both read. My niece likes to but doesn’t find that much time for it.

As to friends? Well, my best friend growing up . . . I’ve known her for, lord, just about exactly 32 years, since we met the first week I was in third grade . . . she and I read constantly in high school, exchanging books, reading the same books at the same time . . . discussing all the finer details. I can’t begin to tell you how much I absolutely loved that, and how much I really, really miss it. I hate not having someone around who loves to read the same things I do and who likes to talk about them. And my other friends? They read rarely, if at all, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a co-worker with anything other than a magazine or newspaper.

All I can say is, thank heaven for blogs and bloggers so that I at least know there are other “real” readers out there!

(And, you can come play, too, over at the Booking Through Thursday blog! The more the merrier.)

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:BTT: Statistics // 17 Comments »

Well, I’ve cast on for my Autumn Rose.

I know, I know, it doesn’t look like much, but that little bit took me about 75 minutes last night. Casting on upwards of 250 stitches took 40 minutes. (I know, I was surprised, too.) And then knitting the first row in two-color ribbing . . . well, that wasn’t fun. Knitting the first row after cast-on is one of my least favorite parts of knitting. No matter how carefully, how loosely I cast-on, even with bigger needles, it’s usually uncomfortably tight, the stitches don’t “feel” right. Throw in ribbing in two colors, where you’re switching colors AND bringing yarn forward to purl, without getting the colors tangled . . . well . . . Frankly, I was surprised that first row only took half an hour.

Then, this came today. In record time, too, since I only ordered it yesterday. Season One of Friday Night Lights. It only just came out yesterday and I was reading a review of the DVD in the paper when I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to check it out on Amazon. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was on sale for $20. I mean, that’s under a dollar an episode for one of the very best shows on television.

And, the best part?

The fine print.

Yep. The picture there on the right.

NBC is so convinced that you’ll like the show, they’re offering an actual guarantee.

Now, if only they’ll transfer that confidence to its second season this fall. And, really folks, if you’re not watching, you MUST give this show a try. There wasn’t a single episode last season that I disliked and there were many that I absolutely loved. The fact that Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were snubbed by the Emmys just fills me with a profound sense of disgust, because their performances . . . along with everybody else’s . . . were fabulous. Honestly, even the characters I didn’t think I liked at the beginning grew on me with their humanity and three-dimensionalness. (And yes, I know that’s not a real word.) And yet the ones I liked never truly disappointed me. This is Grade A television, folks. You must  check it out .

Caroline was nice enough to offer to pick up that Proclaimers CD for me next week. Let’s hear it for Caroline!
And, thanks also, to Kim for declaring me Rockin’. I’ve seen this so many places, I’m honestly not sure who hasn’t been, so . . . I’m just going to nominate all of you folks who read, okay?

The timing was good, though. My little blog had a nice little milestone last night. It’s been creeping up on an average of 200 views per day for a couple weeks now and finally just passed it. That’s pretty nifty, huh? And, over 191,000 views since I started the blog in January 2005. It might not compare to some of the “A-list” knit-bloggers, but hey, I’m pretty proud of it.

Of course, Chappy definitely deserves some of the credit. What with being so cute and all. I’m sure most of you come by really just to see him, right?

Really, who could blame you?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Beginnings // 10 Comments »

For some reason, my Dad thought of me when he saw this Close to Home comic in the paper this morning.

Funnily enough, for some reason, I saw why right away.

(And, please tell me I’m not the first one to think of Stephanie, our own, personal rock star? Not that she knits away in a rocking chair or anything . . . and, really, is that stereotype ever going to go away?)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Hitting Too Close // 9 Comments »

Well, it’s amazing, the difference in email quantities in a day when you skip a day of posting. I didn’t post yesterday and barely got any emails today . . . It sure didn’t make getting through a day at the office any easier!

See, the problem is that I really didn’t have much to say yesterday. I mean, it was really just such a Monday-ish Monday, if you know what I mean. There really wasn’t any visible knitting progress since my post on Sunday, so . . . I skipped a day. Obviously, most of you held that against me (grin).

Anyway, here I am, and that’s what matters, right?

Here’s a look at my spinning. I span (spun? spinned?) last night for the first time in a week and I was surprised at how much I was missing it. This, you’ll remember, is the “Carbon” merino from Blue Moon Fiber that I got at Rhinebeck last year. I started spinning it three weeks ago and am still on the first bobbin, it spins up so nicely. Really nicely, in fact. (Which it had better, considering the cost.)

(And no, I’m not using my woollee winder for this, but am almost-obsessively trying to get the singles to wind-on as perfectly as I can. It gives me something to do between treadles.)

Anyway, otherwise? Not too much else to really say. Mom took my boots back to DSW for me to get the anti-theft dye-device that they forgot to take off removed. And she returned the shoes that I bought her. She had to stop at the office to get my credit card to do that, and we were joking about the role-reversal thing–how I bought her a pair of shoes, and now she’s borrowing my credit card … I remember when that was the other way around, you know? I wore my new sneakers today and enjoyed every minute. Dad and I are trying hard to come up with something that will bring in some money (thanks for sending mojo our way, any more you can spare would be appreciated). Chappy is being cute and adorable, as always. I’m on a David Eddings kick for reading and a Paul McCartney kick for driving music . . . You know. Same old, same old.

Oh, but, this just isn’t fair. I’m on the mailing list of Amazon-UK, even though I’m in the US, and yesterday I got an email alerting me to a new Proclaimer’s album. I’ve told you before how much I like these guys. But of course, it’s silly to pay for shipping from the UK, right? Especially with the dollar being what it is these days. So, I checked out the Amazon-US site. And did a double-take. Could that really be the price? $43.99?? When it’s about $18 on the British site? I’m guessing the postage wouldn’t be quite as high as $16, either. That’s an awful lot for a cd, don’t you think? But, what a tease! I can’t justify that kind of money for just an album. No matter how much I liked the single “Life With You.” (It’s there, on the Amazon UK page and quite catchy.) Sigh. Mean marketing! Tormenting me . . .

Added: I don’t suppose anybody in the UK would like to pick up a copy for me when it comes out next week, huh? I’ll trade some yarn for it . . . like, maybe, a nice skein of Cashwool? Sock yarn??

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Post-Monday // 14 Comments »

Here’s a look at my knitting day in a nutshell.

I sewed the side seams of my Ribby and then sewed the fronts closed and basted the zipper in. I won’t actually pull out the sewing machine to permanently sew it in until I’ve got the rest of the knitting done, and have the sleeves in and the neckband knitted. But getting it pinned and basted in is the hard part, so it’s good to have that done.

The sleeves are 9.5″ long at the moment and need to be 17″ before shaping for the raglan sleeve cap, so we’re past the halfway point, but it’s still got a few days worth of knitting to go.

And then there’s my Autumn Rose swatch. It’s done, it’s washed, dried, and measured. I’m getting about 28.7 stitches over 4 inches/10 cm. Naturally, that’s looser than the recommended gauge . . . because when do I ever actually get gauge, right? . . . but it’s also a lot closer than usual, too, which I’m crediting to the two-color fair isle. This means I can pretty much use the stitch counts for the smallest size and the sweater will (hopefully) end up fitting as it should. I’ve been playing around with my colorized Excel cheat sheet, adjusting the location and shaping of the neckline, taking a few of the waist decreases out, that kind of thing. I haven’t decided if I’m going to tweak the colors yet. Because, well, they’re just so gorgeous as they are, and yet I do so love the tweaking thing . . . so, I haven’t yet decided.

Chappy wants to thank everyone for the anniversary wishes and all the “cute puppy” compliments. Seriously, he was one of the cutest puppies I’ve ever seen.

Hey, on a non-knitting note, if anybody has some money-making mojo they can share or send our way, it would be appreciated . . . Towards my Dad, specifically. Without getting into details, we’re approaching a crisis point and really need some generally good prayers and karma to help get things in line, so . . . if you could, it would be appreciated!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Nutshell // 14 Comments »

First things first . . . Happy anniversary, Chappy! I told you two weeks ago about the imposter who almost snuck into our lives. But anyway . . . I’m never sure if this will work, or not, but here’s a couple-minute video snippet of the highlights of Chappy’s first day with us. Our arrival at the breeder’s to see the puppy pile just waking up. (“Red Ear” is the sulky-looking one at the bottom of the pile.) A bit of me trying to choose my puppy. And then a minute or so of Chappy romping around our slippery-floored kitchen. I, at least, think it’s absolutely worth watching, but I’m a little biased. As I say, I hope it works. Let’s try that YouTube thing)….

Now, with that obligatory, “I adore my dog” moment over with . . .

I started the swatch for my Autum Rose.

In fact, I started it last night, on Suzanne Ebony US #2 needles, but I was having trouble with the chart. I was having trouble with the print-out of my colorized version, so I was working off the main chart from the book, but I’d lose my place, or I’d get confused . . . the “pattern” is the lighter yarn color, with the background being darker, and yet the black-and-white version of the chart has the pattern showing in black squares . . . so I kept getting mixed up as to which was which and where I was, and it was a mess! So, I stopped after about 6 rows, until I could revamp the color version so I could work off of that.

But then, I pulled out a measuring tape, just to get a very rough idea of the size . . . and it looked like I was getting about 24 stitches to 4″ rather than the 30 the pattern called for. So, just before bed, I switched the swatch to US #1 Addi Lace needles, and those are the needles I’ve been using for the rest of the swatch. I’m happy with the way the fabric looks, so, that’s all that matters, right? I’ll crunch numbers as needed later on, when the swatch is complete, washed, dried, and measured (from where I switched needles, of course).

I do keep wondering, though. Someone (Alice Starmore, maybe?) is supposed to have said that you should never change both colors on the same row, that you get a better and/or more subtle effect if you change only one at a time . . . so I’m wondering . . . what if I adjusted the pattern just a little, so that I change one color at a time? I’m thinking about finishing the swatch with that in mind, just to see what it looks like. Because, well, I’m curious. Not to mention that it’s completely unlike me to simply use the colors called for in any pattern, ever, and since I am doing that . . . I’m kind of feeling like I should play around a little more . . . Or is that just silly? (Although, of course, we’re just talking about the swatch right now, and it’s MY sweater, after all, so why not….)

I’ve got to say, though, the fringe of loose, broken ends on the swatch is kind of driving me nuts. Since the sweater is knitted circularly from the right side, I’m only knitting my swatch from the front–as I finish each row, I’m breaking off the yarn, sliding back to the other end of my circular needle, and then knitting the next row . . . but that trail of broken ends is kind of bugging me . . . But then, you know how I like things to be tidy.

Knitting isn’t all I did today, though. I had a coupon to DSW that was about to expire, so Mom and I went shoe shopping. Because, what better way to spend the hottest, most humid day of the summer so far than to look at autumn footwear, right? You, in particular, should like the sneakers–they’re brown corduroy, but with an argyle motif on the side. Playful, comfortable, and knit-like, what could be better?

The only hitch? The boots. The salesperson forgot to remove the anti-theft dye device from the zipper, so either I have to take them back to have it removed, or take Mom up on her offer to do it for me. How silly! But I love them, anyway. they remind me of the flat, scrunchy boots I wore most of the way through high school. For whatever reason, I’ve always loved wearing boots…. Isn’t it autumn yet??

Also, this arrived today, too. Four ounces of Lincoln wool in “Harvest Haze.” Pretty, no? I’ve never spun with Lincoln before and have absolutely no idea what to expect.

Oh, and my niece is moved into her dorm room and is now officially a college student. Now my sister just needs to get my nephew ready for high school on Monday and then, hopefully, she can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s been kind of crazy over at their house lately.

Last, just before I forget–here’s my very hot and hazy Saturday Sky picture for Sandy the Birthday Girl. I’m just sorry it’s not a “better” sky. Hot. And hazy. And did I mention that it’s hot? Not triple digits, like huge chunks of the US has been suffering with lately, but still . . . hot.

• Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:One and Only // 19 Comments »

Yes, I’m blocking my Ribby sweater pieces before I seam them together. I didn’t necessarily HAVE to, but it seemed the right thing to do. (Yes, I know, that gets me into trouble with myself, doesn’t it?)

That’s okay, though, I do want the sweater to look good, after all, and it’s not really that much trouble to wait another day before sewing these three pieces together.

The sleeves, of course, aren’t done yet, but why wait? I’ve got the zipper, and I bought ribbon for the inside. I’ve come to really like putting ribbon inside my cardigan edges. It makes it look so nicely finished, even if it does stiffen the knitted fabric . . . but, well, the zipper tape does that anyway.

The ribbon I picked is perfect, too–brown with shades-of-blue dots, which will coordinate perfectly with the blue-and-brown sweater. (Although this one would have been equally perfect, especially with the vertical ribbing . . . why didn’t I see it? But, still, it’s refreshing to get it right on the first try for a change. Because you remember last time, right?) You can see it here (being pointed to by my assistant) along with the fabric I bought from J. Caroline Creative, and which came today. I thought I might try making a skirt one of these days. I’ve seen so many nice ones around the blog world, and the fabric was on sale, so . . . why not, right?

I’ve added an additional refinement to my Autumn Rose Yarn Organization campaign. I put a sticker on the top (well, technically the bottom) of each little ziploc bag, identifying which two yarns are in there. This will make it easier to tell which pair I need to use each time I change colors.

(And, well, I’m sorry, but I LIKE being organized. I’m one of those strange people who actually enjoys doing this kind of thing.)

It’s bugging me that I might not have enough yarn if I change the neckline and modify the waist shaping. Karen has been very helpful, but it’s still one big question mark. I’ll know better after I swatch . . . which I plan to do tonight . . . but I’m thinking maybe it wouldn’t hurt to buy an extra skein of the questionable colors ANYWAY. They’re returnable (within 60 days) if I don’t use them, and peace of mind is definitely worth a few extra dollars . . .

I’m optimistically swatching on size 2 needles because they’re the only ones I have in Ebony. If that turns out to be too big a gauge, I can always drop to the Addi Lace needles in size 1, right? (Remember, I’m the person who had to knit her Celtic Dreams–in Aran Weight yarn–on size 3 needles, and whose socks are routinely only 44 stitches around . . . for who knows what reason, I knit loosely. Really, I’m just kidding myself, starting with a 2 . . . but then, I’m getting good at all that number-crunching from adapting all these patterns all the time (grin).

Oh, speaking of the Autumn Rose. I found a knit-along. So, naturally I want to join. I mean, I’m making the sweater anyway, right? And I’ll try not to feel intimidated that there’s already a finished one. I also found a site with lots of helpful tips about Fair Isle. And, of course, there’s Eunny’s masterful explanation/tutorial on steeks. Isn’t it amazing the stuff you can find on the internet?

Now, you’re probably wondering about the title of my post. Do you see anything missing in this picture?

Yes, one of my Merrells.

And, why?

Well, at lunch, while Mom, Chappy and I were out for a walk, we stopped to chat with a neighbor, and as we stood there, admiring his new front door . . . I felt something  . . . warm. And wet. On my foot.

Yes, Chappy decided to mark ME. Or he completely forgot that I was standing there, because there he was, um, getting my shoe all wet. And, of course, since these are the Primo Breeze, whose upper is made of nice, cool mesh . . . it went straight through the top of the shoe and . . . pooled around my foot. Lovely, huh?

Naturally, I exclaimed, “Chappy! What are you DOING?” and he immediately stopped what he was doing and looked rather ashamed, but . . . well, first, the rest of the walk was particularly fun, what with the squishing with every other step, but then, of course, I had to completely bathe my foot and change my shoes before I could go back to work. In fact, the poor, wet-upon shoe is now even wetter because I literally ran it under water in the bathtub to try to get it clean . . . I figured, it couldn’t be MORE ruined, right? And it’s not like I was going to be able to wear it again the way it was (ick!).

I do keep telling you that Chappy, while wonderful in many, many ways, still isn’t actually perfect.

Funnily, though, after that, I didn’t really have any guilty feelings about making him get in the tub for his bath tonight . . . At least he’ll dry off faster than my shoe!

• Tags: Chappy, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Bathing // 13 Comments »

Note the busy bee that appears in almost every picture.
And, no, I don’t know why I seem to like taking pictures from the sides of things so much . . . there’s just something about the oblique angle when looking at things that I find really appealing. (I like diagonals in designing things, too.)
And, no, I did NOT grow these myself. I just thought they looked beautiful at the farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago and took their picture.

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Sunflower // 5 Comments »

I’ve already told you I like planning ahead, right?

It’s hard to see the detail in the photo, but here’s my yarn, ready to go. I’ve got the yarns grouped in pairs according to the colors being used together on each row. Each pair is in its own ziploc sandwich bag, with the ends threaded through a hole cut into each corner. That last part I owe to Eva. Usually I just have the ends coming out of the bag at the top, which is marginally problematic as the yarn occasionally gets caught in the “zip.”

So, I’ve pretty much done everything I need to do to be able to swatch. I won’t of course, be able to do anything ELSE until I’ve done that and know exactly what size I need to make, what modifications I’m making to the neckline (because, yes, at least two more inches there, that scoop is kind of low for me). You know, all that fun stuff. Which means, I need to SWATCH!

My Ribby is moving along. The sleeves are about 5-6″ long, so they’re making progress. I was going to seam the side seams tonight but then thought that I should probably block them first. Although, I could get away with not doing that, though the front edge for sewing the zipper has quite a tendency to curl under, so blocking would probably be a good idea. Usually, I’d just check my blog to see what I did for my niece’s Ribby, but of course, since that whole thing was a secret right up until I gave it to her, my blog is just no help whatsoever for this question. The side seams look like they’ll be quite cooperative, so that actually leaves a third option–sew the side seams and then block the entire body in one piece.

Hmm. Too many decisions. But I think it’s pretty obvious that nothing else is going to happen to my Ribby tonight (grin). All those little skeins of Shetland sure look cute . . . I’m so glad tomorrow’s Friday. I’m going to have to make a point of finding some extra time for knitting this weekend. . . .

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Planning // 4 Comments »

No, I haven’t started my Autumn Rose yet. No, I haven’t even swatched for it yet.

Instead, I’m diligently plugging away at my Ribby sweater. I’ve got the front and both sides done, and have a few inches of the sleeves done.

See?

I love the way these colors look together. But, of course, you already knew that.  It’s pretty accurate in the photo, although they’re lightened just a little by the camera flash. I’ve still got a way to go for the sleeves, but they’re moving along.

Not that I haven’t been THINKING about my Autumn Rose. I’ve copied the stitch pattern into my computer, for two reasons. One, because the chart’s kind of small and I thought it would be nice to, well, see it, but also, two, because I wanted to add some color to help keep the whole thing straight.

Next, I’ll figure out what I need to do to keep that pile of yarn behaving itself in my knitting bag. I’ve said that this is my first real Fair Isle sweater–I’ve never done a sweater with quite so many different colors, and so have never faced an organizing problem like this. I like my bag to be neat and orderly (I can’t help it), and this lot is likely to get rowdy. Not to mention that they’re likely to overwhelm my poor, neglected lace project. Clearly, I need to take steps, and it’s better to do so now than to wait until after I’ve started the sweater. Once I’ve started, I want to KNIT. But for now? I don’t mind taking the necessary time to prepare.

Besides. As I said. I need to get the Ribby’s knitting done before I seriously start knitting on this sweater anyway.

Because, yes, I DO have at least some will-power. I might be quick with my credit card, but there’s at least some discipline, here . . .

Although . . . speaking of credit card discipline . . . I’ve got a copy of Season One of Due South on DVD–the Canadian version, bought off Ebay years ago, and which, for some reason, doesn’t include the Pilot episode. Is it crazy that I’m considering buying the American version just so that I can see that Pilot again? (Um, maybe you shouldn’t answer that.)

And, as a book-lover and a person you KNOW reads more or less constantly, this is one of the saddest statistics I’ve seen in a long time. (Well, saddest not including death and disaster, that is.)

Lastly, because I’m not above a little “cheating” on my own meme once in a while, here are my answers for Booking Through Thursday for tomorrow.

Using a suggestion from Erin today:

When growing up did your family share your love of books? If so, did one person get you into reading? And, do you have any family-oriented memories with books and reading? (Family trips to bookstore, reading the same book as a sibling or parent, etc.)

Everyone in my family reads, although when I was little, Dad rarely had time from work and Mom was busy being Mom, but still, they read and encourage my sister and I to read . . . which we both did more or less voraciously. In fact, I was always trying to “catch up.” If she said, “This is a good book, but a little old for you,” well, naturally I’d have to force myself to read it, right?

I also have a very clear memory of a spur of the moment weekend’s trip to Bermuda when I was in about second grade, when we got rained in. My Dad picked up a copy of Dr. Seuss’s “Fox in Socks“–a marvelous tongue-twister of a book–and the four of us sat in our hotel room, taking turns reading it out loud, having a contest on who could get through with the fewest mistakes. I can still recite practically that entire book from memory. (The Tweedle Beetle section has always been my favorite.)

And then, of course, Mom and I always read together when we go on vacations–we take turns reading aloud in the car or in the hotel room. It’s always nice to share a book, turning the reading experience into a social activity. I love doing that. The only problem? I can’t read aloud and knit at the same time!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Ribbing // 26 Comments »

So, yes. Up at 5:15 this morning. Pouring rain, and only 55 degrees (13C). Put on a wool sweater and handknit socks. Out of the house at 6:15, but, oops! Left my coffee at home. (Too early.) Too late to turn back. Buy more at the hospital coffee shop. (Better-tasting than I expected.)

Dad checked in, we went upstairs to wait in the Day-Surgery waiting room. He got called in, I sat and knitted with the Today Show while other people came and went.

(In fact, I finally gave up waiting for the room to empty out and just got up to TAKE this picture, darn it, with a muttered, “It’s a blogging thing,” to the person sitting next to the coffee.)

Dad was finished a little late . . . it took longer than the doctor had expected . . . but we were out of the hospital by 9:00. Ran through the rain to get the car while he waited by the drop off/pick up doorway. Drove to the pharmacy to get his prescriptions filled. Back home to a confused Chappy by 9:30.

Back in the car to go to work. Thought about stopping at Starbucks for a snack. “I deserve a treat,” I tell myself. Then I glanced at the clock and realized it had been four hours since breakfast. Definitely deserved a treat. Stopped, another cup of coffee and a doughnut, then on to the office. Answer a couple of questions about Dad and then settled in to work. Four hours later . . . having skipped lunch (other than the doughnut) . . . fading and tired . . . left to come home.

3:30, Mom was home from taking my niece to see her dorm room. (Niece is thrilled–her room is in a newly-renovated brownstone, all fresh and “new,” and is one of the biggest rooms in the building.)

Boiled spaghetti for supper, which we ate early even by our standards–we were all hungry after our early breakfasts. And now, 6:20, I’m tired. I definitely feel like I’ve been up for that extra hour and a half (grin).

My socks, meanwhile, are coming along nicely. Getting close to time to do the heel. I got quite a lot done during those two-plus hours at the hospital. I’m loving how different they look–very much fraternal twins, these two. Usually that would bug me a bit, but I suppose that since I spun the yarn, I’m not feeling overly critical. Or maybe I’m just too tired to get worked up over it?

The plying head for my Little Gem came today. Look at the size of that bobbin! I balanced my Canon Elph on top to give you an idea of the scale. I also put a Lendrum plying bobbin next to it to give you another comparison–that’s a little taller, but the Majacraft is definitely wider. (I mean, come on, I balanced my CAMERA on top and had plenty of room.) Huge. Really huge. It had really better have enough space for all 9 ounces of that “Carbon” yarn. Although, still, I wish that Woollee Winders came in Majacraft-plying size . . .

Now. Dad’s feeling fine, if tender. (The Tylenol-with-codeine is no doubt helping.) Mom’s safely home, but tired from five hours driving in the rain. Chappy’s still confused but glad to have everyone home where they belong. I’m definitely tired but feel that I’m up to knitting tonight. I finished my Ribby sweater’s fronts last night and started the sleeves. (As in, I cast on and knit all of two rows, but hey, they’re started!) No, I haven’t swatched yet for my Autumn Rose. I’m going to need to enlarge the chart for that, and even if I’d had the mental energy to remember this morning, I wouldn’t have wanted to bring the book out in the rain today to get it to the office copy machine. Because, did I mention it was raining? A lot.

Five more hours to bedtime . . . well, to my normal bedtime. Somehow, I think my light’s going to be out a little early tonight! No doubt Chappy will be glad to see things get back to normal tomorrow.

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Early-Birding // 12 Comments »

Soon, there will be swatching.

Because, see? My Autumn Rose kit from Two Swans yarn came today.

Next, of course, comes the swatching. Because swatching is a must for me, what with my wonky, loose gauge. I’m thinking that maybe I should get some ebony needles, too, since I don’t have any in size 2 (3mm) or size 1 (2.5mm). …Actually, no, I just checked. I do have a pair of Suzanne’s ebony in 3 mm with a 24″ cable. I also have an Addi Lace in size 1 with a 32″ cable, so they might work.

If not, I’ll just adjust my stitches according to my gauge like I do all the time for other things. I DO plan on adjusting the neckline so it’s not quite so low, though. I like the scoop neck, just . . . I don’t want mine quite that . . . scoopy. But now, of course, I’m worrying that maybe I didn’t buy enough yarn. I usually make my sweaters to fit 36″ and there’s a “jump” in the yarn requirements between the 37″ and the 39″ sizes . . . If I adjust the neckline, and don’t do quite as much waist shaping (since my waist isn’t quite this shapely) . . . what happens if I should have bought those extra skeins of those 8 colors who make that “jump?” Although, if my gauge is as loose as it usually is, that would counter-act the additional knitted fabric, because I’d be starting with fewer stitches for my size anyway….

Really, you can see why a gauge swatch is an absolute must. As well as keeping my fingers crossed for yarn . . . while I’m wondering if I should just order those 8 skeins, just in case . . . Though, that’s another $35 for yarn I might end up not needing at all . . . Thoughts anyone?

It’s going to be fun, regardless. I haven’t done any color-stranded work since the Olympics. And all the other stranded sweaters I’ve done have been Scandinavian in design, so this is actually my first “real” Fair Isle design, modernized or not. I’ve never done a sweater that had this many colors in it. Certainly not this many that I needed to carry with me at all times!

Organizing my knitting bag to hold all of this is going to be … interesting.

Now, let’s see. Tomorrow’s going to be an interesting day. My father needs a minor medical procedure done, and had schedule it for last Friday at 2:00 . . . except that the hospital (or doctor, I’m not sure) rescheduled it for something like 9:45 in the morning and never called to tell us. So Dad got at call at 9:45 wondering where he was, which you can imagine made him just so happy. Anyway, they rescheduled it for tomorrow . . . except, tomorrow’s kind of . . . crazy.

In steps: (1) It’s my nephew’s high school orientation and my sister absolutely has to–and wants to–go. However, (2) it’s also ny niece’s chance to get a look at her actual dorm room before moving in on Friday. Something which has been planned for weeks–for both her and her chauffeur, my Mother, who was the one person Tiffany wanted to have come along, since her Mom couldn’t come. Which means that (3) I’m the lucky person who gets to drive Dad to the hospital in the morning. Something which I, as a loving daughter, am happy to do, except . . . we have to leave the house at 6:15 to get to the hospital by 6:30 for his procedure at 7:30.

That’s right. 6:15. Half an hour earlier than I usually wake up in the first place. Which means I need to be up at 5:15 to be ready. Which means there’s no way I’m going to get enough sleep tonight, because I’m just not going to be able to convince my body to fall asleep by 10:30. (Remember, I’m the late-riser in my family. I’ve been known to sleep until 8:30 (gasp) on weekends. So far as my body is concerned, there’s only one 5:15 in the day, and it’s close to supper time.) I’ve already cleared it with my boss that I’m coming in late, working for a few hours, and then leaving early, because I fully expect to be dragging by afternoon. I’ll also be the one cooking tomorrow, since Mom’s going to be spending about 5 hours in the car . . .

As I said. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting! And boy oh boy, is Chappy ever going to be confused when I get up in the morning. And with him getting his breakfast so early, he’s going to be looking for his supper about 3:00 in the afternoon….

Oh, if you’re a spinner, go check out Abby’s comparison between spinning on spindles and wheels–thought-provoking!

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Upcoming Swatch // 14 Comments »

Chappy made a new friend today.

You might recognize her. She’s my sister’s brother-in-law’s daughter, first cousin to my niece and nephew . . . which means there’s no blood shared between us, but she’s still family, and I’m calling her my niece-in-law (grin).

This picture, actually, was the closest the two of them came to each other. Kaitlyn was very much intrigued with Chappy, but, um, kind of cried just about every time she came within petting range. Well, really, when they were both sitting, Chappy did kind of tower over her, and that’s got to be a little intimidating, right? Which was why it was nice when he politely laid down here. (He really IS a sweet boy.)

It was such a nice visit. Almost the entire family together for a kind of going-away party for my niece, who heads off for college on Friday. Then, on Monday, my nephew starts high school. There are big, important, educational, life milestones happening over there at my sister’s house next weekend!

And, look at that row of tall men in the back of the picture, too–That’s my sister’s brother-in-law, my nephew, my brother-in-law, and my Dad . . . all so tall! My niece isn’t exactly short, either. Clearly, I need to start wearing heels more often.

Oh, and you can see my haircut in this picture. I think it’s an okay cut, but I don’t think it’s the Best Cut Ever, either. You can see Kaitlyn was admiring it, though . . . it was the oddest thing, all day long, I kept getting the feeling that someone wanted to pull my hair . . .

As you can see, we were all having a good time. (And don’t her parents look appropriately adoring?)

I met my nephew’s new bunny rabbit, Snowshoe, although I didn’t get a chance to take his picture. Very cute little white and grey rabbit. Chappy did NOT get to meet him, though he did stand in my nephew’s doorway with his nose twitching for a moment or two. We all felt that that was a face-to-face meeting that shouldn’t take place, you know? Didn’t want to traumatize the poor bunny.

When we came home, I found my order from Webs sitting on the doorstep. I couldn’t resist that Summer Sale of theirs, and bought 18 skeins of Silky Wool in color 43 (Hazel). This photo is a little blurry, but the color’s just about right. I also bought two skeins of that creamy color (#41), just in case I decided . . . whenever I turn the Hazel into a sweater . . . that it needed an accent. And, really, for only $3.49 a skein, how could I resist? Especially considering how well my Celtic Icon came out. This yarn is a pleasure.

And, again, with apologies to the rest of the country, sweltering under heatwaves, droughts, flash-floods, and other catastrophes, our weather was absolutely perfect. No humidity to speak of. Seventy degrees (that’s 21C). Sunny sky with wisps of clouds to add interest…. I’m really sorry, but it was gorgeous.

Chappy is exhausted–not only was there the 2+ hours in the car, but he was so busy visiting with everyone, he didn’t get a nap pretty much all day, and you know how it is–he’s got a schedule to keep, and is now so far behind on his napping quota.

So, yes. Next week my niece heads off to college where she’ll be studying Environmental Engineering. That’s about 95 miles from us, and about  1:50 according to Google Map directions, so she’s not going to be exactly around the corner. Other than Thanksgiving, I’m not sure when I’ll get to see her again–I don’t expect to for my birthday in November. (Although, there’s a chance for fly-by visit on Wednesday when they stop at the orthodontist here in town. Of course, I DO have that vacation week in October–I wonder if she’d like a visitor?)

But, anyway, we’re going to miss you, T!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Hello, Goodbye // 8 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Heirloom // 11 Comments »

So, the other day when I offered a sweater’s worth of Felted Tweed to a good home, Valerie was the first to claim it, and offered some sock yarn in its place–awfully nice of her, since I did offer it without strings.

This is what arrived today. A skein of Socks That Rock Silkie in “Walking on the Wild Side,” and a handful of pretty yarn greeting cards. Thanks, Valerie!

Incidentally, to sidetrack a little, I just have to mention… One of my favorite things about sitting where I do with my computer? The view. Look at that cute little sleeping face . . .

You know, I meant to take a picture of my hair today, but I forgot. The 24-hour verdict is that it’s a perfectly nice haircut. My hair looked good today, it’s not too short, which means this is fine. The big question will be whether it grows out well. I’ve said many times that I stretch my cuts for as long as I reasonably can. Usually 3-4 months . . . and, what with a $13 jump in what I was paying for haircuts and what this cut cost . . . I really want this to last four months, you know? There’s a big difference between $180 in a year and $240 . . . like, a sweater’s worth of yarn. So . . . we’ll have to see how this cut is doing in October/November.

One book at a time? Or more than one? If more, are they different types/genres? Or similar?

(We’re talking recreational reading, here—books for work or school don’t really count since they’re not optional.)

I absolutely, positively read more than one book at a time. Usually, though, they’re each different genres–a novel, a history book, a book on writing, or dogs, a biography . . . whatever. There’s almost never fewer than two books going at a time, and not usually more than five. (I think 9 was the most ever.)

For the record? Right now, there are four….

• Tags: General, Hair • Permalink:Wild Side // 8 Comments »

Well, that was ironic. I made such a point of making sure that I had a pair of socks on my needles for when I went to today’s hair-cut appointment, and then, when I got there (15 minutes before my appt.), the stylist was ready anyway and took me right away. No waiting at ALL.

As I say. Ironic.

It seems like a perfectly nice haircut, but I won’t know at least until tomorrow, after I’ve slept on it. Or possibly the next day. My hair’s usually in shock for a day or so after a big shock like coloring or cutting, and takes a little time to settle in. I can say that it doesn’t appear to be a bad haircut, which is very important, but whether it’s worth $60? Um, well, we’ll have to see.

One thing that did surprise me, though–I told you I’d gotten her name off the NaturallyCurly.com Salon page. She asked me where I was from, and sounded surprised when I told her. “That’s close!” Because, apparently, she’s had people come from miles around to get their hair cut by her. As in, for example, Long Island, which isn’t exactly around the corner. (And, of course, means that that person went past all the fabulous New York City salons to get here to Morris County, New Jersey.) What some people will do for a haircut!

Afterwards, I called my parents and arranged to meet at the local diner for supper. The timing was perfect–we pulled into side-by-side parking spots at just about exactly the same moment.

I’m waiting for my Autumn Rose kit to come. I got an email today–I need three skeins of Old Gold yarn, and they only have two left in the dyelot, so I need to wait until they get their next order. Well, that, or risk the different dyelots acting differently, but since they should get their next order in Friday or Monday . . . I’ll wait. Even though I’m kind of excited–and it’s not helping that Pixie has hers already.

Here’s a person after my own heart . . . he’s decided for the sake of space that he’s not going to buy any more books . . . with just a few exceptions….

• Tags: General, Hair • Permalink:Ironic // 8 Comments »

Well, that’s a relief. I’m back down to the “correct” number of socks now.

And yes, really, I don’t think I’ve ever had more than one pair “going” at a time, not ever, unless this same kind of scenario had happened one other time and I just don’t remember it. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but I certainly don’t remember it.

These socks, again, are from

So, right now, just to recap, these socks are from Koigu KPPPM, which is always such a pleasure to knit. It’s soft, it’s springy, the colors are fabulous  . . . what’s not to love?

This particular color has been in my stash since January 2006. (Yes, I looked it up for you.) It’s color “132-110″ if my notes were correct, an which no longer appears to be being dyed, which is a shame. The colors are these lovely, orangey, golden browns, with the occasional merest hints of green. Very nice.

Now, to recap, this is what my knitting bag currently looks like. Please note that I’m back to my perfect balance of projects–a pair of socks (in my purse and therefore not in the photo), a sweater, and a lace project.

I admit that I haven’t worked on the lace lately. Not because I’m not enjoying the pattern. Part of it is that I’ve been enjoying the unusual feeling of a sweater pattern just zipping along. (Which reminds me, must remember to order a zipper–don’t let me forget!) Part of it, though, and I’m almost sorry to say this is . . . I think that I don’t really like Zephyr very much.

Now, when I say that, it’s not that I’m saying I don’t think it’s beautiful, because it is. They have fabulous colors, it turns into lace really well, and it’s got that soft, silky sheen that you just have to adore. But, this is my third time knitting with it and, I just don’t love it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s too slippery? Even on the ebony needles I’m using right now–which have less of a point than the Addi Lace needles, but more “grip” for traction–there’s just something about the actual knitting with Zephyr that I don’t love. I mean, I made my rectangular Peacock Stole in Zephyr and it’s gorgeous. And there’s no question that my Japanese shawl is looking great, either. It’s just . . . I keep finding excuses to leave the poor thing crumpled at the bottom of the knitting bag. Sad, huh?

Did you see that Cara is Spinning Out again this year? Head on over, make a donation to Heifer International, and get yourself entered to win one of many fabulous prizes. She raised $19K last year and is trying to beat it this year, so . . . go, be Good Knitters! (Frankly, I don’t expect I’m going to win anything, because I never DO win anything from Cara for some reason, but really, that’s all the more loot for the rest of you.)

On a non-fibery note, I’ve been driving past this new storefront on my way to work lately, and been wondering what it is. The Pink Cake Box sure sounded intriguing–I mean, good cake is perhaps my favorite treat. But, it turns out, they’re not the kind of bakery you stop at to buy a danish or a last-minute birthday cake for your 10-year old. No, they’re the kind of bakery that does special, unique, one-of-a-kind cakes that make your eyes fall out. Like this wedding-dress cake. Or the Corpse Bride Topsy Turvy cake. Van Gogh, anyone? Billiard cupcakes? Just . . . yum. Check out their others, too. So many beautiful, delicious, (expensive) works of art being made right between me and the office…. They even plan on having cake-decorating classes. Mmmmm….

Now, what was I supposed to be doing, again?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Relief // 15 Comments »

As shocking as it is, I actually have TWO pairs of socks going right now. This has never happened before.

There’s a very particular reason for this, though.

See? Here’s the pair I’ve been working on for the last month or so. They are awfully close to being done. About four more rows of stockinette stitch, then the ribbing and then, well, done.

But, the thing is that I’ve got that haircut appointment on Wednesday. It should take me about 10 minutes to get there after work, and my appointment is 30 minutes after . . . which means that I’ll likely be sitting there for about 20 minutes, and I don’t want to run out of sock.

So. I made an executive decision. I started my next pair–both socks at the same time, knitted from both ends of the same skein of yarn. (You might recognize the skein, despite the funky way the color photographed. It’s really nowhere near that . . . pink.) Anyway, I wanted to be absolutely sure that I wouln’t run out of yarn, so–both socks at once.

I figured I wouldn’t be able to concentrate properly to start the toes of the socks while sitting in the waiting area at a new salon, but straight stockinette . . . no problem. Soothing, even.

And, besides, I really DID want to get started with this yarn. Now, I was GOING to do my next pair of socks in the Jitterbug yarn I got last February, but it was so tempting to use my Shetland handspun, you know?

(Edited–this has been claimed.) Here’s a possibly silly question for you–I’ve got a bag of odd-and-end yarns, leftovers from other projects, single skeins I have no need for or interest in. It’s been taking up space and I want to get rid of it . . . though I have a hard time throwing yarn away, as I’m sure you can understand. Does anybody have any need or interest in this bag of miscellaneous stuff? Leave a comment if you are. (The bag, incidentally, is a normal, plastic shopping bag from a yarn shop.)

(Edited–this one, too!)For that matter, I’ve got a partially completed gray Elfin in Rowan Felted Tweed that I long since lost interest in. The back is done and the two fronts are partly done, but I slid them off the needle to reclaim the needle years ago. I forget how many skeins are in the bag untouched, but there’s enough for that sweater if you reclaim the yarn from the knitted pieces. . . . anybody want it?

Hey, here’s an interesting article encouraging a certain amount of self-restraint and human decency in the press–if the vast majority of media personnel were able to restrain themselves over the Harry Potter ending, why can’t they do that for other things? In the name of human decency?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Unprecedented // 12 Comments »

Yum!

• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Dinner // 14 Comments »

What a beautiful, blue sky today. (Yes, I know–an actual Saturday Sky, I’m surprised, too.)

Again, with apologies for those of you suffering under a heatwave, but today’s weather, here in NJ, could not have been nicer. No humidity to speak of. Temperatures in the upper 70s/low 80s. Perfect blue sky.

I’m really sorry.

Mom, Chappy and I went for a drive this morning and stopped at the farmer’s market in Bernardsville.

We brought home a pie (peach/berry), some farm-fresh eggs in a beautiful array of browns, and this container of mixed, heirloom tomatoes. They looked so beautiful, I couldn’t resist.

Now I just wish we had some fresh mozzarella in the house….

We took the, um, long route coming back because we got detoured the long way around a rt 202 closing for roadwork, and ended up hopping back on 287 in Far Hills. We stopped in the center of town for some coffee and snacks before heading back to the house. (Chappy desperately wanted to get out of the car by that point.) We bumped into a co-worker out walking his dog, Dixie, who was rehomed after a hurricane a couple years ago. (He said that she’s travelled farther than he had.)

After we got home, the three of us–me, Mom, Chappy–sat outside on the deck. I brought my Journey Wheel out and did some spinning, once I got it going. (I swear that wheel wakes up cranky.) Just, a beautiful day.

Incidentally, I thought I’d share this photo with you. This was taken exactly six years ago today, on the day Mom and I drove out to western Pennsylvania to pick out my new puppy. This was the one we picked. I’ve mentioned him before. We made a point of driving 6.5 hours each way just to select a puppy when the litter was 5 weeks old. We selected this adorable little fellow, the breeder gave him a red mark inside his ear to distinguish him from his brothers, and off we went.

Two weeks later, we went back to pick him up, and, well . . . Chappy . . . the real Chappy . . . had other plans. Little Red Ear would have absolutely nothing to do with us, while Chappy exhausted himself being as cute and charming and winning as he possibly could be. We tease him that he spent those two weeks terrorizing Red Ear with horror stories about us, but all he’ll admit to is planning his OTWC* campaign. Because, he sure was ready for us when we walked in that door. Red Ear never stood a chance. But, really. Look at that face. He sure was cute.

Oh, and the Fairy Godknitter is hosting a comment party in honor of her friend Norma. Go on over, leave a comment, and have a drink in her name, huh?

* Overwhelm Them With Cuteness

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Imposter Chappy // 4 Comments »

You’ve just got to love a sweater that moves along this quickly. (Especially after my last two marathon-sweaters.) Here’s the back. I just started shaping the armholes, which means the back is almost done. So quickly! I just love that….

I also finished one of my socks, which is also exciting. Well, you know what I mean. Satisfying, anyway.

With apologies to the many people stuck in the middle of a massive heat wave, but it was actually cold here today. Relatively cold, that is. It never even reached 70 degrees F, and it rained. All day. Blah. Really, a good day for knitting. Pity I had to spend it at work.

I wore my hair in a ponytail today to get the hair-dye reek away from my face, using one of my favorite new hair gizmos–a hair bungee. (As seen in this video.) My ponytail stayed perfectly in place all day. No slipping. Ideal. (There’s another video here, which has some pretty harsh-looking pulling-of-hair, but which shows how to make one yourself out of two bobby pins and a hair elastic.)

Tomorrow, Mom and I are planning on going to a farmer’s market, maybe taking Chappy to the park, or out somewhere. He really just deserves an outing, you know? The weather’s been so . . . unwalkable lately.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Backing Up // 7 Comments »

The real question, of course is . . . do you think Chappy has enough toys?

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Squeak // 15 Comments »

First, an update of my spinning.

These singles are coming along just beautifully, if slowly. At this rate, and at this grist, it’s going to take quite a while to get through all 9.25 ounces, but . . . well, it’s a pleasure to spin, so who really cares?

Is it ridiculous that I’m so proud of how evenly I’m getting the singles to wind onto the bobbin, without the aid of my Woollee Winder? Don’t get me wrong, I love my WW, but there’s something satisfying about seeing each color as it comes along, and it’s not really such a hardship while spinning singles to stop to adjust the yarn guide every now and again. (Though, when plying, I’d really rather not.)

Really, it’s just a little thing to feel quietly pleased about while I watch the yarn winding onto the bobbin.

Now, about that plying. I said the other day that all this yarn isn’t going to fit on a normal-sized bobbin. I sent an email to the nice people at Woolee Winder to ask why they don’t have a plying size available for the Majacraft, but I haven’t heard back.

In the meantime, I decided I’d order a plying head–I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have one, anyway, right? Except, I goofed. I looked at the Woolery’s page and saw that they had both the “Wild Fiber” flyer as well as the Plying Set, but that the Wild Fiber version came with a special brake knob for the Little Gem, because the standard one that comes with the wheel sometimes gets in the way of the larger flyer. However, I didn’t read the fine print–I just assume that the Wild Fiber and the Plying Set both came with a large-size bobbin. They don’t. The Wild Fiber flyer is just that–the flyer. No bobbin. So it’s not going to do me any good–not unless I spring another $39 out of my wallet to buy the bobbin. Which is pretty ridiculous. I sent them an email earlier asking to exchange the Wild Fiber flyer for the Plying Set (which comes with a bobbin), but also asked if I could keep the special brake knob, just in case. Because, I told them, I opted to buy from them in the first place because of that knob, and I could get the Plying Set cheaper from Crown Mountain Farms. It seems a reasonable thing to ask, don’t you think?

Okay, about my hair-dresser woes of yesterday? I took the risk of calling that salon I found on their Salon list–the one nearby that had nine favorable reviews for this one particular stylist. And now, I have an appointment for next Wednesday. Wish me luck! I couldn’t wait any longer for the hair color, though, so I did that tonight. Pah. Now my hair reeks of chemicals, and likely will for at least another day or two. Mom actually colored hers today also, and was complaining about the smell, but–she’s got short hair, I’ve got long hair. I get a fresh whiff every time I move my head. And my lungs don’t appreciate the fumes, either. (One of the two worst asthma attacks I’ve had since I developed asthma 18 months ago was triggered by hair-dye. Sigh.)

Incidentally, the line of hair products Wendy was talking about today? Wen? They sell that over at NaturallyCurly.com’s shop, CurlMart, which I mention because they carry a great line of hair-care even for people without curls–all very moisturizing, hair-friendly stuff–and their customer service is great. It’s run by two friends down in Texas, and, well, we knitters usually try to support the little guy when we can, so . . . Gretchen and Michelle are nice and helpful and good people. I thought I’d just mention that!

Have you voted for Ryan yet?? I have!

Incidentally, I just have to say, this is one of the cutest commercials I’ve ever seen. It makes me smile every, single time.

• Tags: General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Carbon // 11 Comments »

I don’t have anything fun and fibery to show you tonight. I figured I should tell you that up-front.

In fact, I don’t really have that much to say at all. The biggest news today? I called my hair salon to get an appointment for a haircut and found out that my stylist is no longer there. No idea where she went, so now I’m stuck trying to find another hair-dresser. Preferably one who knows how to handle curly hair. Too many of them don’t, you know, which is why I was so pleased to find Jen a few years ago. Sigh.

The only “lead” I have for a good, local, curly-friendly stylist? The NaturallyCurly.com salon board. There’s one salon in Randolph–just a few miles from here–that has a stylist with nine separate recommendations. I’m thinking I’ll give them a call in the morning.

The worst part is that my hair badly needs coloring–the roots are about an inch long and looking rather . . . silvery. I had figured I’d wait until after I got my haircut because working the dye through long hair is challenging enough–an inch or two can really make a difference–but now? Well, I guess it will depend on how long it takes to get an appointment.

It’s a shame we can’t all look as naturally gorgeous as this fellow, huh?

Although, hair-wise, I guess I can’t really complain, huh?

Hey–any Ravelry users out there who are Scorpios? I was thinking it would be fun to have a Scorpio Group (since there are groups for just about every thing else), but I need three people who are interested before I can set one up.

• Tags: Hair • Permalink:Hair-Raising // 16 Comments »

I’m tired tonight. It’s been so hot and steamy lately (though not, thankfully, as hot as elsewhere in the country), Chappy hasn’t been getting his regular walks, and I’m missing them, too. I think it’s one of the reasons I’m tired–not enough exercise.

Or, it could be that, on top of a fairly busy afternoon at the office, I played with Chappy in the yard, twice, gave him a bath, cooked a pot of food for him for dinner . . . I basically didn’t get to sit down to relax for more than about 3 minutes until about 7:30–which for me, is late. Usually there’s at least a chance to relax for a little while before supper, but not tonight. (Mom’s making dinner earlier all the time, I think, and anyway, with all those other things to get done before supper, it didn’t leave a whole lot of extra time. Like, those three minutes I mentioned.)

But, here’s the way my book-loving brain works. When I finally DID get a chance to sit down to actually relax, did I sit mindlessly in front of the television? Flip through a magazine? Knit? No. I read. A book. And not some light, fluffy fiction. Oh, no. I, being apparently the bibliophile I am, opted for a history of wine and a California/France taste-testing in 1976 . . . a subject I know nothing about. So, tired though I was, there I sat, reading about the different wine-making regions in France in 1855 . . . For whatever reason, I can read almost anything, even when tired, just so long as I don’t have to DO anything more strenuous than turning pages.

I did read through that new knitting book, too, Annie Modestitt’s “Romantic Hand Knits.” I ordered it ages ago. I admit to not being as impressed as I’d like to be. While some of the patterns are nice, I don’t think there’s a single thing I feel compelled to knit, and there are too many things with novelty yarn like ribbons, which I don’t like the look or feel of. And there are definitely a few color choices that I think were . . . misguided, although I think the patterns “under” the colors were decent enough. But still, that’s the chance you take when you pre-order, right? And I don’t regret it, either–what with the author being at the Mayo Clinic with her very-sick husband . . . I don’t begrudge the purchase and her royalty payment in the least.

You may have noticed some knitting in that photo? While trying to find the right pattern for my Sublime yarn . . . and, um, waiting for this to arrive . . . I’m making a Ribby for myself. I liked the one I made for my niece so much, I wanted one. You’ve seen the yarn before, in the Felted Doctor’s bag I made last fall.The blue–which I absolutely love–is color 4009 “Aporto.” It’s such a bright, clear color, while being a deep, medium shade of blue (a little darker than in that flash-photo above). Love that. I figure Tiffany’s sweater went fairly quickly, so this is a relatively painless project that will give me something simple (i.e., not lace) to work on without being as huge a time committment, as, say, the last two sweaters I’ve made!

Okay . . . tired now!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Relax? // 7 Comments »

Well, it’s time.

Remember the really expensive roving I bought from the Fold at Rhinebeck? Well, I figured it was time I finally spun it up.

So, the first thing I did was break it into 9 roughly even pieces and spread them out on the floor to decide how to subdivide. . . .

Which is when my helper came over to make sure that the wool was sufficiently soft and of the quality his Mom deserves. His verdict? “Comfy.”

(Gee, thanks, honey, now would you please get off Mommy’s most expensive roving?)

Once it passed the Chappy test, I divided the roving into thirds.

I put two of them aside for now, and then rolled one of them into little fiber “roses.” I split each length of roving into smaller strips–absolutely necessary because the roving had been so compacted–and then rolled each one around my fingers and piled them into my hat.

And, yeah, I don’t know why, exactly, I use an old straw hat for this, but then, why not? It looks nice enough sitting on my stool by my wheel, waiting . . . Sure, a basket with a handle might be more practical . . . or something with a lid, so it would be easier to travel with it, but . . . the hat works!

The colors of this roving . . . which is the Carbon color . . . are just lovely. Subtle. Greys, yellows, purples, taupes, hints of blue . . . And how is it spinning up?

Beautifully. Considering how extremely compacted the roving was (not to mention how difficult it was to tear it into strips), this drafts beautifully. And it is spinning up super fine. I still think it was ridiculously expensive ($46.25 for 9.25 ounces) . . . 19 microns or not, for hand-dyed, superfine merino, I still don’t see any similar roving online for anything like that much money per ounce.

However, I am nothing if not fair, and I will say that the quality of the roving is excellent. I mean–look how evenly that’s spinning! It’s just lovely to work with.

The plan is that this will be spun into a 3-ply yarn, presumably for socks, unless something else more wonderful comes to mind once the yarn is done and I have some idea what the yardage is. There’s no way I’m going to get all of this onto a regular bobbin, though, when it comes time to ply. Which is a shame, because I’d rather ply with a Woolee Winder than not. I actually kind of like spinning multi-color rovings without because I like to see the color progression in “stripes” on the bobbin, but for plying? Oh, it makes life soooooo much easier. I wonder why they don’t make plying-size woolee winders? (Good question–I just sent them an email asking.) I wonder if it would be worth ordering a plying head for my Little Gem?

One last picture of that Celebrations Shetland. It was sitting on my dresser this morning as I was getting dressed, and I just happened to glance in the mirror . . . yep. I took this picture IN the mirror. It was reflecting back the lit-side of the skein, and the rest of the room looked dark . . . I just thought that lighting was fabulous. And the neatest part? I was able (in another picture, but I won’t bore you) (too much) to zoom in to get more of a closeup but without needing to use the Macro feature, because the mirror added extra “distance” for the camera lens. Cool, huh?

Hope everyone’s having as good a Monday as is reasonably possible. I’m still looking for the right pattern for that Sublime yarn of mine (though there are possibilities).

And, Harry Potter fans? Take a look at this fan-art picture from last Christmas. I don’t, as a rule, follow fan-art or fan-fiction, but Marta’s work is just wonderful, and this picture is just delightful. (This other Christmas picture is funny–love the slippers–and Awwww. I’m really looking forward to what she does for Book 7.

• Tags: Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Time // 19 Comments »

I knew in my heart that I was fooling myself yesterday. That yarn was too under-plied. And since it was otherwise so satisfactory . . . I mean, it’s not like I hated spinning it, or was truly disappointed in the colors . . .

. . . So, really, there was no choice.

I owed it to myself and to the wool to run it through the wheel again.

It was just so obviously the right thing to do.

This was my first time spinning with Shetland wool. It’s hanging in the bathroom now, having had it’s hot bath and thwacking. I’m surprised at how fluffy it feels. I wasn’t expecting that! I guess it’s happy now, too.

Edited to add: I just had to add this–I mentioned at supper that I’d run that yarn through the wheel again, and Mom asked what “under-plied” meant. I explained that when I twisted the two plies together, I didn’t add enough twist. Then Dad said, “So then, it’s only implied?”

Which, actually, is a perfect description, don’t you think?

• Tags: Finished Spinning, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Right Thing to Do // 18 Comments »

As you know, it was Risa’s birthday a couple weeks ago, so what else is a friend to do? That’s right. Bake a birthday cake. Because what’s a birthday without cake? I mean, sure, her mother provided her with cake for the actual birthday, but since I wasn’t there, it doesn’t count. (For me.) Besides, who doesn’t like an excuse to eat cake? Even if the twins mostly just ate enough frosting to fuel a sugar rush. (Yeah, sorry about that, Risa.)

Although, eating cake wasn’t all we did. We also spun. And played. And watched a movie (Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” one of my favorites that Risa and the twins hadn’t seen before).

I did mention the spinning, right? Because I finished spinning my Spunky Eclectic “Celebrations” Shetland and then plied it while we were watching the movie . . . and it took just about the entire movie to get it done, too.

I have no idea what the yardage is because I completely lost count while wrapping the niddy noddy. (Not least of which because I had to stop midway to go rescue Alex’s blankie which Chappy ran off with in his favorite, “Look what I’ve got!” game.) It’s pretty consistent as to width, though–somewhere around 30-28 wpi. It’s a trifle under-plied, but I can live with that.

We did have fun, though. And really, those twins are getting big. Their arms and legs are getting quite lengthy, and they don’t at all have that baby/toddler roundness to them any more. They’re still small enough to fit on Chappy’s pillow, though.

Meanwhile, Chappy’s kind of wondering when his playmates are coming back. He says he’s all ready for some more running around. Especially since he’s had the (medicated) bath that was delayed from last night, so really, he could use some more blow-drying . . . doggie style. (You know, the kind where you run fast enough that the breeze dries your fur . . . no wonder he’s usually so tired after a bath.)

• Tags: Friends, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Cake // 6 Comments »

I’ve been neglectful showing you my sock progress. So, here you go.

The two socks are tag-teaming each other. I’ve been working them alternately in stages. This way, I know for sure that they’re the same length and all that–always a good thing–but each sock moves along fairly quickly. In other words, I feel like I’m making more progress more quickly than I do when I do both socks at the same time, as I usually do.

I can’t remember the color of the yarn any more, but it’s Koigu KPPPM yarn. It’s been in my stash for well over a year. I had wound it into a ball last year when I wanted to use just a little of it for contrasting toes and heels on another pair of socks, and it was that time that the label sort of disappeared. So, yeah, no idea what the color is. But it IS very pretty–all shades of golden-y brown.

Well, I mean, of course it’s pretty. It’s Koigu. There might be a couple of shades that I like less than others, but are any of theirs actually ugly? Yeah. I didn’t think so.

Tomorrow, Chappy and I are having guests tomorrow–Risa and the twins. For the last couple of years, we’ve bought each other coffee as a little celebration for each others’ birthdays, but this time, she thought it would be nice to see Chappy . . . which, you know, I’m never going to disagree with! . . . So the three of them are coming for lunch and for some birthday cake, which I baked when I got home from work today. Oh yeah, and there should be some spinning and knitting, too. If the weather cooperates (i.e., isn’t too hot and sticky), we might let the kids (which includes Chappy, you understand) play in the yard. Or we might stay inside where it’s cool and where the Disney movies are. Or we might go back and forth . . . the important thing is that there are options and we’ll have fun no matter what, huh?

So, right now, there are some severe thunderstorms booming in the distance, so I’m going to keep this short tonight. Have a great weekend, everyone!

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Tag Team // 5 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Kisses // 8 Comments »

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a tower of reading material. This particular pile has a book on word usage, a book on wine, a couple of children’s books, some memoirs, a thriller, some mysteries . . . a pretty nice combination of genres, I think.

And . . . what? Doesn’t everybody buy books like this? In bulk?

I tend to keep assorted titles in my Amazon shopping cart and then buy in dribs and drabs as the mood strikes, but every now and again, I just get tired of it being so full, and splurge to get the list down to manageable proportions. You know, hence the tower.

Right now, they’re waiting to be logged into my computerized database (aka Excel spreadsheet), and then will be shelved according to genre. There’s nothing quite like personal library acquisition.

Oh yeah, and there’s some knitting reading material, too….

I wouldn’t want you to think I’m not knitting. I’m plugging away at my shawl . . . which is going more and more slowly as the rows get longer, but that’s the way it goes, right? And my socks? I’m past the heel on both of them, and the leg is about halfway done on one of them. I got about three inches done in the car on the way to and from the wake last night.

Otherwise? It’s hot. Hot and sticky. (Ick.) And speaking of sticky, now it’s the “D” key on my laptop that’s causing trouble. The letter that’s sticking has varied over the months, but there’s almost always a letter of some sort sticking. So frustrating. I’ve never had one of these computers before, and while the actual computer works just fine (no complaints, knock wood), the keyboard . . . well, the keyboard stinks.

Did you hear Liz’s good news? They’re getting a new puppy and the pictures look just too cute for words. Chappy and I can’t wait to meet him.

Stay cool, everyone.

And spare a prayer for the people in Minneapolis whose bridge collapsed under them yesterday. Between that and the steam pipe explosion in NY a couple weeks ago, it’s just a little worrying, huh? What happened to our infrastructure? Or is it that all our money is going into the military these days?

• Tags: Reading, Uncategorized • Permalink:Reading Material // 6 Comments »

*
–Come play over at the BTT site!

Have you ever written an author a fan letter?

Did you get an answer?

Did it spark a conversation? A meeting?

(And, sure, I suppose that e-mails DO count . . . but I’d say no to
something like a message board on which the author happens to
participate.)

Technically, yes. During high school . . . you know, back in the early 1980s . . . my best friend and I wrote letters to just about every author we loved. David Eddings. Piers Anthony. Anne McCaffrey. Nancy Springer. Katherine Kurtz. Susan Dexter. Terry Brooks. I think we got responses from every one of them. Although a couple were just postcards, we actually carried on correspondences with a couple. I distinctly remember David Eddings reassuring me that he’d finished at least the rough draft of “Enchanter’s End Game, the fifth Belgariad book, so that, even if he got run over by a steam-roller, we would at least know what happened to Garion and his crew. Then there was the wacky, three-way exchange with Piers Anthony, you know, back when there were only about four Xanth books and they were still funny.

We did outgrow the gushing-fan stage, though, and then I went about 20 years before writing another one.  I’ve toyed with the idea of sending Sharon Shinn a letter, just because I think her books are so wonderful. I’ve left a few comments over at Sharon Lee’s blog, too–although that wasn’t “gushing” so much as, you know, commenting.

Did I ever meet any of the authors I corresponded with? Yes, Katherine Kurtz, when she attended a convention in northern NJ (apparently, it’s still going on, but in the southeast US now). But since I basically just got to meet her for a handshake, it wasn’t exactly all warm and fuzzy.

Of course, there’s also Wendy and Stephanie and Stitchy . . . do fellow bloggers count?

But, anyway, the answer is yes!

* And, okay, I’m cheating just a little, using the BTT question that won’t actually be posted until tomorrow, just so I can be sure to get a post up on Wednesday. (You know, other than the reading list that posted this morning.) I figure, I made up the question, so it’s not like I don’t know it’s coming . . . And it’ll give you all something to read tonight while I’m at Linda’s Mom’s wake.

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Letters // 14 Comments »

Here’s my list of books from July:

1. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling (734 p.) Book Four, where Harry’s name gets entered in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament . . . it appears that someone is trying to kill him!

2. GATSBY’S GIRL by Caroline Preston (312 p.) The first novel in a long time by an author I like. This one tells the story–very, very loosely based on a real person, but with the deviations clearly explained at the end–of a woman who had briefly had a flirtation with F. Scott Fitzgerald before he became famous. Good. A nice look at life in the flapper era.

3. TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE by Gail Carson Levine (239 p.) YA fantasy book about two princesses–one brave, one cowardly–but when the brave sister becomes ill, it’s the cowardly one who heads out into the world to save her.

4. PRINCE OF ILL LUCK by Susan Dexter (249 p.) First in the Warhorse trilogy by a long-time favorite author. Sired by the wind, Valadan is an incredible horse, and when he finds Leith, shipwrecked, things start getting interesting. Because Leith was born with a curse of ill-luck, and when a chance encounter with Kess, daughter of the Duke of Esdragon gives him an opportunity to find a witch who can break his curse . . . the fact that Kess despises him isn’t going to stop him. Leith is a delightful character–patient, kind, remarkably capable for a man with bad luck . . .

5. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX by J.K. Rowling (870 p.) Book Five, where the Ministry of Magic starts interfering at Hogwarts, nobody believes Harry when he says that Voldemort is back, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is, well, evil…. though in a very, sweet, girlish, pink, kitten-loving kind of way….

6. WIND WITCH by Susan Dexter (335 p.) Second in the Warhorse trilogy–Druyan, youngest daughter of a large family, finds herself newly widowed by sea raiders, and is determined to save her farm, with the aid of Kellis, a man who can sometimes see into the future.

7. TRUE KNIGHT by Susan Dexter (323 p.) Third in the Warhorse trilogy–years later, Titch is the orphaned son of a knight, who longs to own Valadan–the horse supposedly owned by Knight Gerein . . . except Gerein has stolen the horse, and can’t be trusted, and ends up getting Titch sworn to the service of the Red Queen . . . the last person he would have chosen to serve.

8. RING OF ALLAIRE by Susan Dexter (231 p.) First book in the Winter King trilogy–a classic kind of fantasy, with all the usual trappings–a quest, a wizard, a knight, a sleeping princess . . . all very cliche when said straight out, but in reality? A lovely book, beautifully written, an Tristan? Oh, Tristan, the sometimes-inept wizard’s apprentice, is a great character. Unfailingly kind and always trying to help those in need, and determined to make this quest work. He’s a delight. As is Thomas, his cat.

9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE by J.K. Rowling (652 p.) Book Six. Now everyone knows that Voldemort is back, and Harry is getting private lessons from Dumbledore about Voldemort’s past, all while doing wonders in his Potions classes, thanks to a used textbook that had belonged to someone who called himself the half-blood prince….

10. CHARMED KNITS by Alison Hansel (162 p.) A book of knitting patterns based on the Harry Potter books–either loosely, or directly based on wardrobe items from the movies.

11. 200 BRAIDS by Jacqui Carey (251 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a how-to book on making braids.

12. SWORD OF CALANDRA by Susan Dexter (341 p.) Second in the “Winter King” trilogy–here, Tristan goes searching for the sword carried by the king lost in a battle long, long ago, but the quest is more about personal growth than about the sword and, as always, the writing is fabulous.

13. NATURAL KNITTER by Barbara Albright (181 p.) The last book from a talented woman–this is more than just knitting patterns, it talks about pretty much every fiber that’s out there, where it comes from, how it’s processed, what it can be used for . . . great resource.

14. SPELLBOUND by James Essinger (293 p.) Ever wonder how English spelling got so confusing? Well, this is the book for you! The history of English spelling in a nutshell…

15. SELBUVOTTER by Terri Shea (125 p.) The history of Selbuvotter knitting . . . basically what you think of when you think of “Norwegian” knitting. Interestingly, it can all be traced back to a single woman.

17. MOUNTAINS OF CHANNADRAN by Susan Dexter (367 p.) Third in the Winter King trilogy–with the rings and the sword, Tristan, Elisena and Polassar pledge to take their fight to Nimir himself . . . up in the mountains of Channadran . . . but first, they have to get there . . .

18. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by JK Rowling (759 p.) Book 7, which I thoroughly enjoyed (even if the epilogue was a little overly-sentimental), but which I won’t discuss because I don’t want to give anything away. Great end to the series.

19. HOW ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING SAVED MY LIFE by Mameve Medwed (324 p.) A chick-lit book. Abby brings an old chamber pot to Antiques Roadshow and finds out that it once belonged to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and thus sets off a flurry of change in her life. I thought this was a decent enough book–didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It was “fine.”

20. PRIDE AND PRESCIENCE by Carrie Bebris (287 p.) Okay, good news/bad news. The good news is that this was a reasonably entertaining mystery set in Regency England, with a pretty reasonable plot (if a little on the super-natural side) and decent writing. The bad news is that the people solving the mystery are the newly-wed Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Um, no. That’s not going to happen. After the first chapter, I just told myself that this author’s characters had nothing to do with Austen’s characters except for a funny coincidence about the names, and the rest, then, was okay. An okay mystery, and I enjoyed it well enough, just . . . leave Austen’s characters out of it.

21. KING AND JOKER by Peter Dickinson (238 p.) A slightly alternate-history kind of book that takes place in present-day England, except that the monarchy is rather . . . different. Much more “middle-class” than they really are, the book opens as they try to figure out how they can cut their family budget without sending Princess Louise out for babysitting … The difficult part is that someone is playing practical jokes on the royal family, and little by little, the jokes get nastier… Good book.

22. REST YOU MERRY by Charlotte MacLeod (222 p.) The first of the rather-too-cute Peter Shandy mysteries. He is a professor at Balaclava University, an agricultural college, who decides to get out of town for the annual Christmas Illumination, but when he comes home early, he finds a dead neighbor in his living room . . . was it an accident or foul play?

23. THE LUCK RUNS OUT by Charlotte MacLeod (192 p.) Second Peter Shandy–this time dealing with someone having kidnapped a prize pig and murdering the college’s farrier. And, oh yes, there’s that robbery at the silversmiths….

24. WRACK AND RUNE by Charlotte MacLeod (207 p.) Third Peter Shandy. A Viking-era runestone has been discovered on a local farm, run by 105-year old Hilda and her 85-year old whipper-snapper nephew, and then all hell breaks loose…

25. ARAN SWEATER DESIGN by Janet Szabo (171 p.) An absolutely wonderful, thorough book on all the pieces you need to have to put together your own Aran sweater–how to judge which cables do together, which proportions work best, the different shapes for putting the whole thing together . . . This book has absolutely everything except a cable-stitch dictionary. Those are a dime a dozen, though. This book is chock full of really useful information. It took days to read through all of it, and I still haven’t quite grasped it all (grin).

26. VANE PURSUIT by Charlotte MacLeod (208 p.) Fourth Peter Shandy mystery, involving antique weather vanes which seem to be disappearing from buildings just before they burn down, a group of militants, and an heiress hiding in the woods . . . yes, it sounds insane, but nobody wrote silly, fun, “cozy” mysteries like Charlotte MacLeod. This was in fact the very first of hers I read (however many years ago), and then I went on to buy copies of just about every one of her books, so you know I enjoyed them–light and fluffy though they are.

27. EINSTEIN by Walter Isaacson (551 p.) Biography of Albert Einstein. Well-written, although some of the physics went over my head. Thorough, interesting. Lots of things I didn’t know about a fascinating man.

28. LION IN THE VALLEY by Elizabeth Peters (310 p.) An Amelia Peabody mystery, and one of my favorites–where Amelia, Emerson and their precocious son Ramses cross paths with the Master Criminal Sethos . . . who seems to be acting strangely towar Amelia….

29. FIRST AMONG SEQUELS by Jasper Fforde (362 p.) A brand-new Thursday Next book, ah. And in the same month as the new Harry Potter . . . though not so eagerly-awaited, I was definitely looking forward to this. It takes place 14 years after the end of “Something Rotten.” Her son Friday is now a difficult 16-year old who’s decided he’s not interested in the Chronoguard, her 12 year old daughter Tuesday is a math genius, and her youngest, Jenny, doesn’t seem to be around much. Spec-Ops has mostly been disbande, and so Thursday fills her days working for Acme Carpeting . . . or so her husband thinks. But really, she’s still doing spec-ops on the side, along with Jurisfiction, and lamenting the drop in readership numbers, the country’s Stupidity deficit, and trying to figure out who killed Sherlock Holmes . . . Make no sense to you? Well, you’ll have to read the first four books. But trust me–they’re wacky and crazy and bizarre and totally unique. And having three Thursday Nexts in a scene? Priceless.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from July // 6 Comments »