This is exactly how Chappy feels about Halloween.
The rest of us? Not so much throat lozenges, but earplugs…. (Remember? I’ve told you this before. And the year before, too.)
In our house, this least-favorite holiday will always be known as “Barking Day.”
But for all of you who love the holiday? Enjoy yourselves!
Okay, I’ve got two bobbins of singles done. One more to go. For whatever reason, this second bobbin took forever.
Well, I finished the first bobbin at the beginning of September, and it took me about a month.
This, the second bobbin, I finished at the end of October.
Lordy, I hope the third bobbin doesn’t take me THREE months!
(And, no, Jessica, I did not use my Woolee Winder to get the bobbins so neat and tidy. I did it all my very self.)
The Autumn Rose report? 16 more rows of the body to go. I’m getting through three rows a night (though they’ll be shorter as I get closer to the top). Then, of course, there’s the steek to cut and the neckband to knit. I just hope it fits when it’s done. It’s looking like it might be big, but I won’t really know until it’s done–including the neck. It sure looks pretty, though.
Hey, my Punctuality Rules blog? It got StumbledUpon today and actually got more hits than THIS blog did. I’m just so proud of my little, month-old blog! If you haven’t come over, please come by.
In bad news, though? Another decline on one of my book queries . . . poor thing. Nobody wants to read it!
Don’t forget to go wish Kim a happy birthday, huh?
Oh, and for the record? Today would have been Katy’s anniversary. Eight years ago today, I picked her up at the airport . . . (sniffle). Just, you know . . . sayin’.
You know, I think I’m bored with my Ribby sweater, too . . . I don’t think I’ll bother to finish it…..
I mean, after all, I started it in July and it’s been just dragging along, not exactly rushing to get done with Autumn Rose hogging the knitting time, and, well, you know how boredom is . . .
Um.
Okay.
I’m just teasing. You know . . . I’m ribbing you for my own pleasure. Because, of COURSE I wouldn’t stop five stitches from the end. Do I look crazy to you??
(Wait, don’t answer that.)
But, seriously, except for weaving in the end from the neck band (a mere bagatelle), my Ribby is DONE. Even to the ribbon lining the zipper band.
This is the only picture you’re going to get, though. Every single one I tried to take for you made me look absolutely hideous–ghostly and transparent and shiny and just really awful. (I mean, look at the color of my hand in this picture. My skin doesn’t really look like that. But now picture my face looking as awful as that . . . yeah. You can see why I cropped this picture off at the neck, huh?
Otherwise, it’s been a beautiful Sunday here. Crisp air, blue sky, just really lovely and a far cry from yesterday. I spent most of the morning cleaning and doing laundry. This after cleaning up from Chappy’s having gotten sick at 7:00 this morning . . . on the 3″ strip of rug between two of my spinning wheels, which means that some of the bile ended up my my Little Gem’s treadle. He didn’t mean it, though, and naturally I forgave him. I moved very quickly getting out of bed, though! I grabbed the towel from his crate to get under his chin and then knelt next to him doing the human-dog equivalent of holding somebody’s hair while they lean over the toilet. After about 10 minutes, though, he was feeling better and started trying to jump up and give me kisses . . . Um, I normally enjoy Chappy kisses, but let’s just say his breath wasn’t particularly appealing just then. I was glad he was feeling better, though, and around 7:15, I climbed back into bed to get some more sleep. (I mean, it was Sunday after all.)
I am glad to have my Ribby done though. It fits well, even if the sleeves could perhaps have been a hair longer, but considering how close I came to running out of yarn for them, no complaints. And, honestly, I don’t even miss the front bands I forgot to add on before I basted in the zipper (grin).
Autumn Rose is moving along, too. I’ve got something like 27 more rows to go and it will be done . . . all except the steek and the neckband. Not bad for a fair isle sweater I just started in August, huh?
Oh, and one more thing. I’ve started a Cafe Press shop, for two reasons, really. One because I thought–since I like calendars so much and have gotten compliments when I’ve posted pictures of the personalized calendar I got for myself last year, so I thought I’d make one available to you folks. (And, gosh, if I were to have another November Calendar contest this year, you never know, it might be a prize!) But also, any proceeds are going to the “Help Mom and Dad” fund. I don’t have many products set up yet, and if there are any products that you’d like to see that aren’t there, let me know. (Like a mug or whatever.) If it seems reasonable, I’ll upgrade to a premium shop so that I can offer more things–like, say, different notecards, but I guess we’ll have to see how that goes! I figure I’ve got some decent photographs that seem like they’d lend themselves to cards and calendards very nicely, and it seems a reasonable way to try to make some money. (I actually already have an assortment of my own notecards from Shutterfly.) As I say, proceeds are going directly to help my folks, not to, you know, buy more yarn or whatever, so if you feel like buying, please come on over!
Well, I STARTED sewing my Ribby’s zipper in today.
Now, understand that I like to start by hand-sewing them in. I find that, because the zipper tape is so stiff and the knitted fabric is so flexible, that just pinning it in place and then sewing it by machine doesn’t work particularly well. Under the presser-foot, the knitted material moves around too much and then it ends up not stitching in evenly. So, I start with hand-sewing.
This, of course, COULD be enough. I mean, the zipper is now fully attached to the sweater, but since I like them to be really secure (since zippers do endure a certain amount of tugging) and I also want to put in a ribbon to hide the zipper tape, additional stitching by machine is optimal. (No, I don’t want to try stitching through that many layers by hand, thank you.)
The problem today? I don’t have enough thread left on the spool to do the machine stitching. This means I either need to machine-stitch with a thread that doesn’t match so well or go to a store tomorrow to pick up more. (Grumble.)
On the plus side, with the zipper hand-sewn and the basting thread removed, I was able to try it on, and it seems to fit just fine. Woot!
I got a couple goodies in the mail today. First, Volume Two of Liaden-Universe short stories which I ordered, lord, something like a year ago. I’d almost forgotten about it, until I saw the authors mention it on their blogs not too long ago. Considering how much I enjoy the Liaden stories, this is a real treat. I might even save it for my birthday next week. It’s even an autographed copy. I mean, true, it’s short stories and I really do prefer full-length novels, but still–they’re Liaden stories, and that makes all the difference.
And, of course, that nice roving. Romney wool in the very October-ish color, “Goblin Eyes.” I’m not sure about the Romney, though. It seems kind of harsh and you all know that it’s the soft stuff that makes me drool.
Otherwise? A fairly quiet day. Time on the couch with Chappy and a good book. A trip to a local coffee shop this morning with Mom. I even brought my new spindle and did a little spinning while sitting at the tall tables by the window. I think that’s the first time I’ve spindle-spun in public, though I didn’t do as well as I’d like–the copp is getting a little heavy for the spindle now and it doesn’t want to spin as long as it was a few days ago, but no matter.
We didn’t get to do a walk, though, because this is the kind of weather we’ve had all day. You can’t really see in the picture, but trust me, it was raining pretty steadily. The sun, it’s true, did come out around 4:00, but it’s pretty soggy out there. Ick. The sidewalk outside the coffee shop has a still-incomplete new brick sidewalk and Mom and I kept trying to decide if that square in the middle was supposed to be a reflecting pool? A place for dogs to get a drink? Something else entirely? Or, gosh, maybe just a chunk of sidewalk they hadn’t gotten done yet before the rain started yesterday? (Nah, that couldn’t be it!)
Frankly, though, I’m just so glad that this wasn’t the weather from LAST Saturday, so, really, I’m not complaining.
Oh, and this link about ordering pizza online is kind of amusing.
This video presentation about Students Today is wonderful. (Really, click on this!)
And, if you’re worried about zombie attacks, you might want to watch this one. (Actually, all the videos on that site are good–love the presentation style.)
Well, this was ironic.
Today was the first day it was finally cool enough to wear my Celtic Icon sweater . . . one year from the time I swatched and started knitting it. There’s something about that just tickles me.
So, I started it a year ago, finished it in June, and finally got to wear it for the first time four months later, on the anniversary of having begun it. I think this is some kind of record.
I will say, though, now that I’ve worn it? It doesn’t like to sit on my shoulders unless it’s zipped. Something about the size or the raglan shaping or the weight of the hood keeps encouraging it to slide down my arms. I think I’m going to have to stitch that button on at the neck after all.
Ooh–look at this very nifty site of transforming, space-saving furniture. The Trey chair alone is so, so cool.
Just a few autumn gourds for some late October Eye Candy….
Brought to you by:
Here’s the sad thing . . . I’ve lost interest in knitting these socks. This is particularly sad because I spun the yarn myself and even moved these socks up ahead of some other sock yarn because I was so anxious to make them.
It’s not, I should add, because I’m tired of the yarn, or not enjoying working with it. In fact, I’m delighted with it.
I’m just . . . and don’t take this the wrong way . . . but, I’m bored with socks.
I know, there are legions of you out there who adore making socks. Who make almost nothing except socks. And, hey, I enjoy them, too. Except . . . the thing is, I don’t really like patterned ones. I like they way they LOOK, but I don’t like making them. And, really, I prefer plain, stockinette socks. So part of the boredom might be because I’ve been basically making the same sock for years now.
I don’t have any urge to make more elaborate socks, though. As gorgeous as some of the patterns out there are, I can’t get excited about the stitchwork on a sock like I can for a sweater. I don’t know why. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that socks are hiding in my shoes and under my pant, and while I want them to look nice and be warm and comfy, there’s a part of me that just doesn’t think they’re worth all that extra effort.
Regardless, I haven’t touched these socks in weeks. I’ve been lugging them around in my purse, and . . . nada. They’re ready for the heels, but . . . eh.
I wonder if I can repurose these into mittens?
Today’s suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader
I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned
books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you
as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books
themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from
finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?
I rarely abandon books, to be honest. Even if I get bored midway, I usually want to know how it turns out and at least skim through to the end. One book, though, that I absolutely could not finish? “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke. I fully expected to love that book and had even set it aside to wait for a weekend so I could just immerse myself in it. Well, it didn’t exactly turn out that way. I started off, all happy and expectant, reading all the footnotes, waiting for the real story to begin. And waiting, and waiting . . . I started skipping the footnotes, but it still didn’t go anywhere. Mr. Norrell finally showed up and I thought it would pick up, but no. Meanwhile, she kept describing the one character as the “thistle-haired gentleman,” and that started to drive me nuts–was there no other possible way to describe that character? I found myself doing things like cleaning the bathroom rather than picking up the book, trying to come up with any chore that would delay having to read it, and then, when I found myself literally wanting to throw it across the room . . . me, the person who prides herself on immaculate care of her books and has paperbacks that have been read upward of 10 times that still don’t have cracks in the spine . . . that’s when I knew it was time to stop. I had read two-thirds of the thing and was so bored out of my mind that I didn’t even WANT to know how the story ended. Usually, even the worst books, I have a modicum of curiosity as to the way the story ends. Not that one. I didn’t want to know. AND, even more? I gave the book away. I’ve excised 137 books–exactly–out of my library since 1985. It’s a rare, rare thing for me to ever give up a book. This one? I was happy to reclaim that book space! And, yes, I know, lots of people adored that book. I read over 700 pages of it and just couldn’t take any more.
Come on over to the Booking Through Thursday blog to play along!!
You’ll be happy to know that I’ve been playing with my new toy–the Bosworth spindle I bought the other day.
Now, of course, I don’t spin on a spindle all that often. Usually I prefer to use one of my wheels, but it’s new. Naturally, that means it deserves to be played with.
The verdict, on this short acquaintance, is that it spins very nicely indeed. Compared to my other spindles?
I’m not sure if it outranks the Kundert, which has been my favorite since I bought it back in 2004, but it’s close. Very close. I like that Jenkins Turkish spindle quite a bit, too except for the fact that it doesn’t have a hook, which drives me bonkers for winding on. (It seems like such a small thing and yet having to do that thumb-loop-half-hitch thing every 30 seconds or so? That really irks me.) And then, it’s almost sacrilege, of course, but I still don’t like my Golding very much. The littler one is okay, I guess, but the bigger one? I really don’t think it spins all that well. But this Bosworth is really very nice.
Did you see that Mom and I got our pictures on Norma and Sandy’s blogs? Sandy, in particular, was sneaky–I didn’t even see her taking that picture! How often does Chappy’s Grandma make it onto blogs other than mine, huh? Chappy says that he is just so proud of his people!
Hey, have you seen these cute little wool acorns? I’m suddenly feeling the urge to go rummage in the yard….
Okay, I think I’m going to go spin some more . . . or maybe, I’ll be responsible and try to do some work for Dad instead…. Although, bed is sounding pretty tempting at this point, too!
I didn’t get quite as far on my Ribby this week as I wanted to, but see? I did make distinct progress.
The sleeves that I finished the other day have their seams and are sewn into the sweater.
I’ve got the zipper basted in, but still need to sew it in. That’s the hard part–although having it basted in is a huge step.
And then there’s still the neckband to knit, but that’s a fairly quick one, so I’m not worried that will take too long.
And then, there’s my Autumn Rose, which is coming along nicely, too. As you can see, everything is on one needle now. Such a relief, seeing all this nice progress, huh?
It’s particularly nice that both of these sweaters is moving along so much faster than those last two sweaters!
Hey, did you know that Rhinebeck scored an article in the NY Times?
So, are you curious about what’s in that bottom picture from yesterday’s Rhinebeck post?
The very first stop inside the fairgrounds was The Fold. I seriously questioned the wisdom of stopping there and standing on line for the yarn, but decided that I’d probably regret it if I didn’t. I know I can buy this stuff online, but I wanted to see the colors in person before buying anything and, well, I guess sometimes I do act like a sheep and just follow the crowd, huh?
Um, in this case, literally.
I bought two colors. Oregon Red Clover Honey which is beautifully sweet and golden, and Mustang Sally, which is a beautiful, purplish burgundy. So far, I’ve only made one pair of socks in Socks That Rock and enjoyed working with it, and since I haven’t joined their sock club, I feel reasonably justified . . . besides, I LIKED these colors!
Then, second, there was a visit to the Sheep Shed. I’ve stopped there each time I’ve been to Rhinebeck and have never been disappointed in the fiber I’ve gotten from them. That endless 3-lb batch of Merino/Silk which I still love came from them, as did the handspun that I made my Tatami sweater from. So, here’s this year’s contribution: One 8-oz skein of merino in a black/blue/brown blend, and one 8-oz skein of Corriedale in a beautiful pure blue. I plan to do the same thing with them that I did with the Tatami yarn–spin them separately and then ply them together. They already seem to like the idea, don’t you think?
There was one other skein from the Sheep Shed–I’m not even sure why I bought it except that I couldn’t stop petting it. It’s like a rose garden with pink, green and tan shades . . . very subtle and sweet.
Oh, and there might be 4-oz of pure white cormo there, too. I blame the wool fumes.
I dragged Mom over to the Bosworth’s Journey Wheel booth, too. Not because I needed another Journey wheel. Oh no, I’m quite happy with the one I’ve got.
I did, though, want to buy a new bobbin because, well, what can you buy the Wheel that has everything? And even though there’s only room IN the wheel for three, I kind of wanted four anyway. And, well, I’ve heard wonderful things about the Bosworth spindles . . . (my assistant, you can see here, was very impressed). The best part, though, was when I mentioned that I had one of the wheels that I’d gotten from a friend, but that all three of the drivebands had broken within a month of each other (I still don’t know how that happened) and I was still trying to get the lengths adjusted. Well, it turns out that they have pre-measured drivebands right there, and all I needed to do was ask. Who knew? I could have saved myself all this aggravation just by sending them an e-mail months ago. Huh!
Naturally, with all this stuff, something to carry it all in was a good idea . . . I bought this at Robin’s Wheels. Mom helped me pick it out, and now I’m just hoping that there wasn’t anything on this basket that was making me sneeze like that last night…. It’s sitting in the guest room right now because–just in case–I didn’t want to have it in my bedroom last night. I can’t imagine that I could be allergic to it, but it was sitting right next to me and I was getting sneezier and stuffier, so I suppose it’s possible . . .
My little boy wasn’t forgotten, either. I bought him this toy at the Border Collie Rescue booth. Because, isn’t that what a guilt-feeling Mom is supposed to do? Bring home toys for the kids so they’ll forgive her for leaving them? (grin) Besides, the money was for a good cause, right?
Now, do I feel like I splurged? Well, yes, a little. Especially since I’ve been trying to be so good about money lately (because things are dire). But Rhinebeck IS only once a year, and it IS (so far) the only fiber festival I go to. (The NJ one last year didn’t count since there wasn’t anything I wanted to buy anyway.) Besides, my birthday is in two weeks and a girl’s got to treat herself, right?
Speaking of which, Mom carried this bag around almost all day. She CLAIMS there was something in it, but . . . I don’t know. It seemed pretty “empty” to me every time I looked at it. I think she was imagining things. If she’d been carrying Rhinebeck Loot, I would have noticed . . . right??
And now, it’s Sunday night and my vacation is over (sniffle). It’s been a nice one, overall. The weather was very cooperative, Chappy got lots of walks, I got some reading done, as well as knitting and spinning. I’ve been teasing Mom all week, though, because except for last night when we met Dad at the local diner for supper when we got home from Rhinebeck, I’ve cooked every meal since Monday–either entirely, or just the “hard” parts . . . so she’s gotten a vacation, too.
I’ve got to say, though . . . Chappy’s none too happy about this Mommy-Going-Back-to-Work thing tomorrow morning.
(Incidentally, I just talked about Rhinebeck and the crazy, enthusiastic blogger phenomena over at Punctuality Rules. Because that’s where I like to address more serious issues concerning writing, manners, and civilization in general, and you’ve got to admit, Blogger Bingo is an interesting topic as regards modern civilization!)
Okay, this is going to be a fairly short post because my eyes are burningly tired. Not so much tired, really, as feeling dry and, well, burning from all the wind, fresh air, smoke and such floating around today. Which means they don’t really want to be looking at a computer screen, but how could I not??
And, of course, apologies to anybody who’s name I’ve forgotten. If I saw you and talked with you but didn’t mention you, just chalk it up to fatigue, please, and–while you’re here–leave me a comment to boost my tired memory, would you?
Despite the pouring rain last night–it was still coming down hard here in NJ at midnight–the day dawned clear and lovely. The weather today turned out to be great. About 70 degrees, sunny, with a breeze . . . a little on the warm side for those who made handknit sweaters for the event, perhaps, but a beautiful day.
The blogger meet-up may actually have been a little smaller than last year, but top-notch in quality. Here’s me with Carole (blinking, sorry about that) and Rachel, who seems to be having a great time here on the east coast. I don’t know how I missed getting a photo of Jessalu. Or Susan. I thought I did, but apparently not!
Here’s Jessica and Kim, whose sweater looks just fabulous in person. I also bumped into Monica and her husband about six times, but neglected to get a single photo. (Sorry, Monica!) And, every time, she’d tell me, “I just saw about three people who were looking for you for their bingo cards.” Obviously I was very popular in absentia. I met Kristy, another Jersey Girl, too, but didn’t get a picture of her . . . or the person who was handing out “Jersey Represent” buttons from the NJ Ravelry group, either. (I didn’t even catch her name, which makes me feel terrible–but thank you for the button!)
Here are Cheryl and Beth. (And, oh, Cheryl’s “Imogen” was just gorgeous in person–absolutely perfect for her.)
Here’s Sandy, someone I know but whose name is totally escaping me at the moment (Duh! Stitchy herself! I so knew that! Thanks, Anne), Norma, and then somebody else about whom I’m experiencing brain freeze. (I’m so, so sorry. That’s Ruth.)
Claudia and her sister Silvia.
I totally went chasing after Claudia when I saw her so we could commiserate about our Autumn Roses.
Mom and I also met Debby. And Kim, who was helping out Robin by watching his booth. And Judy. And Julie. And Wendy (and baby). I missed Laurie, though, though I looked for her. And still don’t know if Cate finished her Autumn Rose yet since I didn’t see her either. Nor Stephanie (though she might be nursing her cold, maybe?)
There sure were a lot of knitters there, though.
But, you know, a still photo just doesn’t do the scene justice. So, here:
That should give you a better idea!
Okay, my eyes are killing me and I’m sniffling and sneezing and I think I really need to go take a shower and get whatever allergens are on my clothes OFF my clothes. (So much for a SHORT post!)
Oh–and to whomever it was who asked about my Moo Card holder? I got it right here.
This pretty Rhinebeck sky was worth it, though! Mom and I had a fabulous time.
Although, that means you’ll need to wait until tomorrow for a break-down on what’s in here.
Because even baby telephone poles need to learn to stand up straight.
(And, I’m giving Mom credit for the title of this post. I was going to call it, “Waiting for the Operator,” which would have been good, but her “Baby Bell” was even better!)
And–seriously. It’s a telephone pole farm, now repurposed as a park. There’s another nifty photo here, along with this explanation: “AT&T (and then subsequently Lucent) once did some research at this location on telephone poles in order to determine what worked best to preserve them from rot, insect damage, etc. Killing two birds with one stone, they utilized these poles as a “climbing school” for technician and repair trainees in the days before bucket trucks. Some number of years ago (after the breakup of the phone company),
research at this location was stopped. So they chopped the formerly “full-sized” poles in half, probably mostly to keep stupid kids from climbing them. The 100+ acre site is now parkland, and since the pole farm was seen as somewhat of a novel local roadside attraction, they decided to keep it, albeit in this resized form.”
Brought to you by:
They’re still forecasting rain, but you wouldn’t know it to look outside.
Mom, Chappy, and I went to our usual, favorite park this morning for a walk, but we also stopped at our favorite farm. We looked at the pumpkins, and then bought some apples, a couple doughnuts, and a blueberry pie.
Mmmmm… Although, unfortunately, the Macouns were past their prime. They’re at their best early in the season, and now, the middle of October, they’re not quite at their crunchy best. And so, I didn’t buy any of them.
Although, of course, I DID buy an assortment of other kinds of apples.
Still, while today looks awfully pretty, it sure doesn’t feel like the 18th of October. It’s far too warm to feel autumnal. I’m just hoping for decent weather for Rhinebeck. According to NOAA, the forecast for Saturday is: “Saturday: Scattered showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. West wind between 5 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.” That sounds kind of . . . humid . . . for October, but decent enough, I suppose. (Better than a forecast of torrential rain, that’s for sure.)
Now, speaking of Rhinebeck, I’m a Bingo Square for Saturday, so here’s a recent picture of me. From Tuesday, in fact, at the Cooper Mill park with Mom and Chappy. It’s a pretty decent picture considering what a lousy hair day I was having. (Somehow, don’t ask me how, I’d forgotten to use any styling product in my hair–can’t remember the last time THAT happened!) Chappy, of course, won’t be coming along since Rhinebeck frowns on bringing pets (boo!), but Mom will be. She’s not in the picture (as you can see), but she’s about my height (5′3″) and has short, dark curly hair and glasses and will most likely be with me. I don’t know what I’ll be wearing, but judging by the forecast, jeans and a t-shirt with, perhaps, a lace shawl, seems to be the best bet. I still my have my “I’m a Square” button from last year, and am going to try to get stickers printed out today or tomorrow that read “Chappy’s Mom” and “Chappy’s Grandma” for more specific identification . . . but that’s assuming I get to it. Because, I DO plan on sewing some sleeve seams today….
And, isn’t that mill wheel beautiful? The building dates back to 1826, and was really lovely. They apparently have “live” tours on the weekends when the mill actually functions, which has to be pretty cool.
Although, of course, they don’t let you bring your pets there, either….
It’s a big day here. I finished not one, but THREE sleeves.
I finished my second Autumn Rose sleeve. This is exciting, don’t you think? Now, all I have to do is weave in all the ends and I’m ready to move on to stage two of construction. That of putting the sleeves, the body, and the neckline all onto one needle.
(The fact that the row gauge from sleeve one to sleeve two is marginally different, we’ll just ignore, huh?)
But, that’s not all.
I also finished the sleeves on my Ribby. Finally. You see that length of yarn next to them? That’s all the yarn I had left. In that skein, that is. Talk about cutting it close, huh? The best part is that, not only did I have enough to finish the sleeves, but I think that’s just about enough to sew the seam up the sleeves. Phew!
Otherwise, it’s been a pretty quiet day here. Mom and I met my sister for lunch at Panera’s, but otherwise didn’t do much. I made stew and homemade biscuits for supper. Sat on the couch with Chappy and read. That’s about it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got about a gazillion ends to weave in . . .
Dear Bloomsbury USA,
I’m just writing to tell you how disappointed I am in your copyediting
and cover-design departments. I picked up a copy of your "How I Learned
to Cook" by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan at the bookstore the
other day. The book itself looks interesting, though I haven’t had a
chance to read it yet.
However, the title on the spine? The word "learned" is misspelled as L-E-A-N-R-E-D.
Now, the occasional typographical error can slip past the best editors
on occasion. This is understood. But in the actual title of the book on
the COVER?
So, so sad.
Yours,
Deb Boyken
Edited to add, I just received the following response:
Deb, you are right, it was a grievous error that we all regret. We have replaced every copy that any bookseller decided to return, and have corrected the mistake on future reprints.
To err is human….
Annik La Farge
Publishing Director, Bloomsbury USA
Mom, Chappy, and I went for a walk . . . well, really, more of a hike . . . at the Cooper Mill County Park today, and while I took bunches of photos, the ones I wanted to show you were these.
Perfect reflections in the still water of this man-made pond. So serene.
This tree was pretty interesting, too, doing it’s own “Bark Art.”
Chappy really enjoyed himself, too. Unlike our favorite park, the paths were just blazed trails through the woods, not paved, not smooth bridle-paths, but trails with leaves and roots and rocks and, well, wilderness. (Well, wilderness by his standards, since he normally only ever does get to walk on streets and sidewalks.) Lots of good sniffs to explore. And, oh, he brought home one tick, too. At least, I hope it was just one! A tiny black one that I only saw because it was sitting on top of his head. I wonder how many he might have picked up if I hadn’t sprayed him with flea/tick repellant before leaving the house?
We only walked about a mile or so before Mom decided to turn around, but we enjoyed it. It’s a lovely day, after all, and what could be nicer than a walk in the woods?
Well, okay, Chappy enjoyed stopping at the gourmet pet shop in Chester to buy some fancy biscuits, too. Really, I don’t see how his day could have been more perfect!
Did you know that today is Blog Action Day? The idea is: “On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single
important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment. Every blogger
will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their
own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.”
So, let’s talk about organic yarn, shall we?
Just in general terms, there are traditionally-processed yarns that can fill our environment with leftover chemicals from the processes used to create and dye the yarn to begin with. Not to mention the chemicals used to treat the sheep, goats, cotton crops and other, fundamental sources before the yarn even gets to the factory in the first place. There have been articles in knitting magazines (Interweave Knits devoted most of a recent issue to it), and books, such as Barbara Albright’s, The Natural Knitter. Being “green” is very trendy in the knitting/spinning world these days. And, of course, there are books and articles about natural dyeing as well. Then, of course, there are bamboo knitting needles, eco-friendly buttons and knitting bags.
It’s easy to forget that industrial fabric-producing processes caused massive amounts of pollution when the Industrial Age kicked in back in the 18th-19th centuries. So many of us focus on the fact that we’re using time-honored methods to make warm, cozy garments for our loved ones, and feel so warm and fuzzy about the fact that we’re connecting with our sock-knitting ancestors, that we forget that our craft can harm the environment just as much as any other. Obviously, there is a trend afoot to shift this–buying “green” yarn as well as local, organic vegetables, turning the heat down, saving electricity and so on. All good things.
I just wanted to do my part to remind everyone that this is the only environment we’ve got. Which is ironic, I know, because some of you are so much more environmentally-conscious than I am, but at least I’m trying!
Here are some articles for you to read:
Houston Chronicle
Superficially, this would appear to be the only thing I accomplished today: a bowl of homemade French Onion Soup.
Except–and this is the important part–that there wasn’t just one bowl. There were two. One for me, and one for my niece. Which, really, makes it pretty exciting.
My niece, of course, came down yesterday to spend the weekend with us, and we all had a lovely day, ending it watching Foul Play. (Does anybody else remember that 1978 movie? Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, “Kojak, bang bang?”)
Anyway, today, though, after homemade waffles for breakfast, Mom and Dad went to Pennsylvania for a little mini family reunion between Mom and two of her cousins that she hasn’t seen in years, which left my niece, Chappy, and me alone together. I can’t actually remember the last time I got to spend this much time with my niece, but she stayed all day, and it was lovely.
We looked at old pictures, chatted, took Chappy for a walk, and, oh yes, ran to the grocery store to buy red onions, broth, french bread and cheese to make soup for lunch.
For the record, we used the Cook’s Illustrated recipe, with an added dash of Worcestershire sauce, and it tasted great. Though we both agreed that the bread should have been toasted first, before broiling it with the cheese. Some recipes say toast, others don’t, but we think toasting would have been the way to go. I’d forgotten, too, just how very punguent slicing five, big, red onions would be. I got all teary, and tried to cover it by sniffling, “I love you, niece” so she’d think I was just being emotional . . . that’s cooler than being beset by onion fumes, right? (Gosh, I hope so, or what must she think of me?)
Anyway, it doesn’t sound like a lot to fill up a day, told that way, but really?
Extremely satisfying.
(And, I DO love you, niece!)
Here’s an honest-to-goodness Saturday Sky picture for you. I took it this afternoon at the park. It was sunnier this morning, but all in all, a lovely day. The best part is that it was crisp–Autumn finally feels like it’s here.
It’s been a nice day in other-than-weather ways, too. The best part is that my niece is here for an overnight visit. She got here around 11:45 this morning, and that was unique all by itself–the first time she’s come for an overnight that she didn’t need a ride to get here. You know, now that she’s got her own wheels.
She, Mom, Chappy, and I all went to the park for a walk this afternoon–which is where I took this picture. We did about a two mile walk and met a very sweet, very shy Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy–15 weeks old and only just current on her puppy shots and on her way out to see the world. Chappy so wanted to be able to say hello and play with her, but she was completely unsure about the whole, meeting-other-dogs thing, and wasn’t sure she wanted anything to do with him. In the nicest possible way. Such a sweet, face she had, with the prettiest blue eyes.
Oh, and Mom and I started the day by going out for coffee. But we decided, instead of just going to a coffee shop, we’d head over to Barnes & Noble instead. I haven’t been able to settle on a book I’ve really been in the mood to read. And, of course, I AM on vacation this week . . . so I may have bought myself a few . . . (Hey, it’s still cheaper than a hotel room or airfare, right?)
Okay . . . time to go take my shower, then the three of us need to pick out a movie to watch. (That’s we three females–Dad’s going to be watching sports, and Chappy doesn’t really care.)
…Because I’m on vacation!
Not that I have any special vacation plans for the week, but at the very least, I’m not going to the office and I AM going to spend as much of my time with Chappy as possible. Which is pretty much exactly what I did last year (not to mention the year before). The only day that I didn’t spend with him was Rhinebeck.
Which, yes, in a deja vu kind of way is going to be the way this week goes, too . . . Trying to think of fun things to do that won’t cost a lot of money . . . I mean, you can only go to the park so many times, right? My niece is coming for the night tomorrow though, so that will be really great–we’re looking forward to that. We did think about going down to the beach for a day, if we could find a beach that allows dogs, and if the weather cooperates, but not sure about that.
Actually, the colloquialism for that activity, here in New Jersey, is to go “down the shore,” but for some reason that phrasing has always irked me, so I try to avoid it . . . hmm. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve been avoiding it for just about as long as I’ve avoided actually GOING to the shore. Even though I live here, only a relatively short drive (a couple hours) from the Atlantic Ocean, I have literally not seen the NJ shore since I was in 8th grade. That was, what, 1981 or so? But the beach on Martha’s Vineyard? At least once a year.
Wow. And they say language isn’t powerful.
Have you seen the commercials for Old Navy’s “Fair Isle” sweater collection? I liked the song so much, I bought the cd (Girls and Boys) of the singer, Ingrid Michaelson, which I’m listening to right now. Quite nice, actually. She has a lovely, smooth, mellow voice.
Okay, here’s a funny story. I was coloring my hair last night, and without realizing, got a drop of dye on the bathroom rug. But, see, I didn’t notice it. You know, I didn’t notice when I stepped in it and then tracked it all over the bathroom as I moved around . . . Um. Oops! At least the dye came out of the rug when I washed it. And the dye should wear off my feet in a day or so . . .
Is this not the best bedside clock ever? They sold them in two styles–right-side and left-side–so you can see the time with your head still on the pillow.
Besides, I love that soothing tick-tock, tick-tock sound of a mechanical clock.
I’ll admit . . . just between us . . . that I don’t actually keep it next to my bed, though. Its alarm, well, let’s just say that I don’t like having to peel myself off the ceiling in the morning….
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Very little to say tonight, but a picture says a thousand words, right?
One sleeve finished, one more to go.
Did anybody see Pushing Daisies tonight? Knitting to the rescue! Loved that, and loved the knitted money and gun cozies, too . . . I’m still making my mind up about this show, but loved seeing Kristin Chenowyth getting a chance to sing tonight. But is anybody other than me finding the narrator’s year/day/minute age break-down of every character really annoying?
And, last, has anybody else heard about the Comfort Doll Project? Where little, handknitted dolls are used as packing materials for HIV medicines being sent to Africa–keeping the medicine safe and then providing a different kind of comfort for the kids. What a great idea!
(So much better than that time I ordered dog supplies and they came packaged with actual popcorn instead of the styrofoam stuff . . . Well, it was biodegradable and smelled really good, anyway…)
So, La wants to see asses for Wednesday?
Well, these were three of the cutest I could find.
Now, about knitting . . . have any of you been reading the Tech Knitter’s analysis of left-slanting decreases? Brilliant. I love reading about nifty and new ways . . . or old ways . . . of doing things. Being a thinking knitter, I love knowing the whys and wherefores of why some things work and some things don’t, and her site is just wonderful for that.
Hey, let me ask you–on my other, new blog (Punctuality Rules), what do you think of the picture in the header? Good idea? Bad? Good picture? Or bad? I love the picture when it’s full-size (as seen in this post), but I don’t know . . . does it lose something at that size?
(And, why, no, of course this isn’t my lame attempt at getting you to come visit my other, brand-new blog? Why would I do such a thing??)
Sleeve number one is coming along . . . thankfully much faster once I got past the ribbing. In fact, just a couple more inches and it’ll be time to start sleeve number two.
You can also see all the many yarn ends. I spent a fair amount of Sunday afternoon weaving them in. Well, sort of. What with it being nice, sticky, Shetland wool and all, I figure it doesn’t really need THAT much help, right? So I kind of just did the quick and dirty version of weaving them in.
Now, of course, I know that there are other options for joining yarn ends that would avoid all this messiness, and I seriously considered them, but decided that it was going to be too complicated, trying to capture the ends while doing fair isle. I decided that it would just be easier to do them the tedious way.
Although, I have to tell you that there really were a lot of them.
Oh, and I have two new blogs to tell you about, though neither is about knitting.
One, Punctuality Rules, is another of mine, and it’s about writing rules and common courtesy . . . an unique combination, I’m aware, but, well . . . I tried to explain that in the first post.
The other blog is Mom’s, and is called MV Obsession. Yes, I finally convinced her to start a blog, and Martha’s Vineyard IS the obvious choice of a topic for her, wouldn’t you say?
Stop by and visit!
The “foolproof pie dough” looked so promising…. And, except for sticking to the rolling pin every chance it got, it even rolled out fairly easily . . .
… Until I tried to get it off the counter. It stuck so very badly I had to use my fingers to gather it back into a ball and STILL couldn’t get it all off. (Making this one of those times to be grateful for my bench-scraper.)
So, I resorted to my old “dump it in the middle of the pie plate and mold it into shape with my fingers, hoping for the best and that it won’t stick too badly to the actual pie plate when it bakes so that we can get the pieces out to eat them later” trick. So, here you see the finger-pressed pie crust, with the lower layer of cranberry filling and the upper layer of apples waiting. Just in time, I remembered my aversion to the texture of whole cranberries–something about chewing on cranberry skins makes my teeth itch–so I ran the pre-cooked cranberry mixture through my little mini-food processor first, making it smooth. Because, darn it, after all this work I want to be able to EAT this pie!
The upper crust did cooperate at least a little more than the bottom one did. It only really stuck right in the middle . . . and, well, you need steam vents, right?
Let’s fold our hands and pray… (I do so love when he sits with his paws folded like that.)
Later….
Well, it looks promising, except for the overflow from the completely-unsealed crusts. (I mean, really, I was just happy they reached the edge at all.)
Mouth-watering, even.
For a wonder, it came out of the pie plate relatively easily.
The apple and cranberry layers are mostly intact. The crumb, or texture, of the crust wasn’t perfect–almost cookie-ish, rather than light and flaky–but all things considered, I don’t know that I can really complain about that (grin).
Dad definitely liked it, but Mom made some pretty impressive faces . . . apparently there wasn’t quite enough sugar in there to counteract the tart cranberry for her taste. I thought it was pretty good, although for my taste the apples were a little over-cooked. I like my apples to have a little bite to them, not to be mushy, so I think the pre-cooked apple filling was unnecessary (though that’s just me).
My assistant was certainly eager for a taste.
All in all, mostly successful, even if the pie crust STILL didn’t choose to cooperate with me. One of the most labor-intensive pies I’ve ever made, though, and I don’t see how you could follow the instructions and get the whole thing done in one day, either. Make the crust, then chill at least 45 minutes. Make the cranberry and apple fillings, cool them to room temperature. Roll out the bottom crust then chill again for 30 minutes. Assemble the pie, bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 for another 20-25 minutes, turn the pie and bake another 20-25 minutes. Cool the entire pie for at least two hours before serving. You’re talking about five hours from beginning to end . . . and that’s assuming you don’t like your pies cold like we do. I got this pie out of the oven at about 11:45 this morning and it was still warm when I put it in the refrigerator around 3:00.
All of which, I might add, I spelled out at the table while we were eating this because I didn’t want Dad getting too attached to this recipe. It came out tasty, it did, but it’s not the kind of pie you just throw together, you know?
Especially if you’ve got pie-crust issues like I have . . . Once again, there are just so many reasons to be thankful to Pillsbury!
I’d hoped to do some spinning last night but, alas, got stuck at the computer yet again. This afternoon, though, I was sitting in my room (yes, on the computer again) and when I looked up, my wheel was basking in the sun, and . . . what’s that?
It’s really hard to see, so I added that red arrow . . . there glimmering in the sunlight . . . a single line of a spider web.
Now, that’s just sad.
Although, I suppose I should be glad that SOMEBODY is spinning with my spinning wheel, huh?
I haven’t been staring at the computer all day today, though. In fact, very little of it has been spent with the computer. I went up to the mall with Mom this morning so she could return a purse she’d bought, and we stopped in a grocery store on the way home. I’m giving pie crust another try.
Pie crust is one of those things (like, say, knitting) that everyone who can do it says, “Oh, it’s so easy!” but that, if you don’t have the knack, seems impossibly frustrating. I’ve read dozens of articles, recipes, tips, hints, instructions, rules on what you need to do to make light, flaky pie crust, and yet I’m lucky if I get one good batch out of every 10-20 tries. Even if everything else works right–the fat and water are cold enough, the dough is not overworked–even if it rolls out without cracks, breaks, and other problems . . . even if everything else goes well, the crust will fall apart when I try to transfer it to the pie dish. I can fold it into quarters, roll it out on parchment paper, drape it over the rolling pin . . . none of it matters, I still have problems. This is not a success ratio I’m particularly happy with, and so I usually just default back to using the Pillsbury stuff you buy in the grocery store.
This month’s issue of Cook’s Illustrated, though, has a recipe for “Foolproof Pie Dough” which sounded interesting. Although it’s already questionable because I don’t have a food processer. (And, really, I hate recipes that assume you have them–I would like to have one and I acknowledge their usefulness, but it’s not fair that recipes require you to have one . . . Not everyone has the counterspace, or can afford one, or thinks they’re necessary.) But, anyway, we’ll hope that my KitchenAid did an adequate job, though I’m already doubting the “flaky” aspect of this dough.
Not only did the issue have a good pie crust recipe, but there’s a recipe for a Cranberry-Apple pie which sounded fabulous. So, I’m giving it a try. It won’t be “pie” until tomorrow, though. This is one, labor-intensive recipe. The crust, of course, needs to “rest” in the refrigerator before rolling, fine. But this particular recipe also precooks the filling–separately. There’s a cranberry portion and an apple portion, both of which I assembled this afternoon and are now chilling in the fridge because, after all that, and by the time everything has cooled, who had the energy to tackle rolling pie crust??
Especially with my track record.
Now I’m just wondering, though . . . I wonder if my Little Gem likes her new spinning friend more than me?
My Vogue Knitting Holiday issue came today. I’m already more impressed with it than I was with that book the other day. The articles on British knitting were interesting. There were even a couple of fair isle designs by Alice Starmore and Debbie Bliss. I’m wondering why the “mystery stitch” they analyzed in the “Spotlight” section was a crochet stitch, though. I have nothing against crocheting at all, but this is a knitting magazine. It seems odd that it would spend two pages deconstructing a stitch that most of the allegedly-non-crocheting readers would never use.
Isn’t that sweater coat on the cover gorgeous? Which it really had better be . . . it’s made out of Classic Elite “Lavish” cashmere yarn . . . from 15 to 19 skeins of it. Out of curiosity, I looked up the cost of the yarn . . . It’s a good thing I’m usually sitting on the floor while I’m on the computer, because I would have fallen out of a chair. $57 a SKEIN. That’s only $855 for a size small. Practically a bargain.
Chappy and I gave Mom and Dad a thank you card this morning, because, really, we’re both very thankful that forty-four years ago today, my parents got married. His life would have been different if they hadn’t, and mine certainly would have been! So, thanks, Mom and Dad.
Other family news? My nephew had a bad fall in his mountain biking club the other day and is now sporting a cast on his right wrist and is pretty banged up, poor kid.
All in all, I’m really glad it’s Friday. I want to get at least some spinning done tonight–it’s been too long. I’ve been spending too much time in front of the computer lately. I’m so glad that I can sleep in tomorrow! And Chappy? Lucky Chappy gets to sleep on the bed tonight.
I told you on Sunday that I’d have some good Eye Candy today and so, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to . . .
Old Betsy, my town’s very first fire engine, dating back to 1926.
Lordy, lordy, but she’s a pretty machine! I love how the fire hose is laid out in rows in the back. Love the glass lantern, and the siren that says “sireno.” Love the scroll-work detail painted on the fenders. Love how she’s absolutely a thing of beauty and yet eminently practical.
She looks like she’s enjoying her retirement from active duty, don’t you think? Coming out to festivals, driving in parades . . . sounds like a good life for an elegant old Fire Engine to me.
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I thought you’d like to see a knitting update.
First, here are my Ribby sleeves–about 16 rows from being finished, assuming the yarn doesn’t run out. You can see how much I’ve got left . . . I THINK it might be enough, but it’s going to be close. At this point, if I run out of the brown, I’ll just finish the last few rows in the blue I used for the body. Since the neckband will be blue, if the color “spreads” into the very, tippy-top of the sleeve caps, well . . . I’ll just deal. I’d rather do that than have to wind another ball just for that little bit of knitting.
(And, no, don’t ask me what I’ll do about yarn for seaming the sleeves.)
Actually, speaking of the body, I realized something when I was reading through the sleeve pattern the other day. I’d forgotten that I needed to knit edgings onto the front of the cardigan . . . and I’ve already basted in the zipper. Oops! My inclination, though, is that I don’t think it will matter (much). The front edges have a little, stylish ribbing anyway, and then of course, they’re closed with a zipper, so it’s not like curling is going to be a problem. I think I can safely leave it this way and the finished sweater will look just fine. Only I (and, well, you) will ever know.
And then, the cuff of my first Autumn Rose sleeve. Obviously, it’s not very far along yet, but, well, you know how corrugated ribbing can be! And then, the tighter circles make the two-color yarn thing a little more unwieldy. It seems like I’m forever dropping at least one of the colors to slide the sleeve along the needle. (And, no, DPNs would NOT be easier.) It’s just been a while since I did small-circumference two-color knitting, is all.
I wouldn’t want any of you to go into Chappy-withdrawal, either, so here’s a picture of him, hoping somebody will come and play . . . There’s just something so sweet about him bringing his toy up on the chair with him, but you add in the politely folded paws and the chin resting on the arm . . . “Nobody’s EVER going to come play!” . . . Well! Just too cute.
And yes, I did, in fact, try to play with him, but as soon as I headed over, he picked up his frisbee and wouldn’t let go. I could have ordered him to, and he would have, but in this case? Why? It’s his toy, after all, and if he didn’t really want me to throw it for him, that’s his perogative, right? And, anyway, I did get one or two throws in when I got home from work. (For the record, this is a house-friendly flying disk–nice and soft–it’s one of the reasons Chappy loves it so much. My favorite way of throwing it for him? Rolling it on its side like a wheel–it bounces nicely and does fun, unexpected turns that way–AND stays low and away from breakable things on furniture. Just sayin’.)
Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit
(ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have
issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking
for more exactly like them? (grin)
Well, sort of. I don’t think I’m a prude, and yet there are things that I don’t think need to be in my reading material. I really never do swear (maybe one “damn” in a year, and that’s honestly as strong as it ever gets), and therefore don’t see the need for excessive swearing in the books I read. Some bad language is workable, but yes, there have been books I’ve put down due to too much. I don’t care how “real” it is, too much use of certain four-letter adjectives (or any, for that matter) is just lazy writing, in my opinion. And then, love scenes? Same thing. I can enjoy a nice love scene as much as the next person, but I have an imagination, I really don’t need or want everything spelled out for me, thank you. Because, really, I just want the STORY, not the gratuitous distractions…. (grin)
Well, you know the book has to be bad (to me, at least), if this happens.
Yes. I’m returning the book.
Sure. I know. To normal people, this isn’t necessarily a big deal. To me, however . . . huge. Return a book to a store?? Ha! I don’t even return duplicates. Or books that I hate. Or gift books I’m never going to read.
Generally speaking, if a book comes into my hands, it’s staying here. I mean, you don’t get a library of 2,945 books by giving them back, you know what I mean?
So, the fact that I’m willing to return this book when I’ve kept others that I had as little use for?
Yeah. I really didn’t think much of this book.
Oh, but the best part? When I went to Amazon and clicked that I’d like to return an item, the website crashed on me. I think it went into shock….
Okay . . . back I go to fighting with the computer, trying to figure things out that don’t want to be figured out. I was getting so frustrated, muttering, “What? What!” under my breath . . . because, no, I really don’t swear . . . that Chappy climbed out of his crate, not once, but three times to come over and give me a hug to try to make me happy. And he finally just laid down next to me and let me actually pet him until I calmed down.
I tell you, he’s just the sweetest little boy . . .
My copy of Inspired Fair Isle Knits by Fiona Ellis came today. I’ve looked forward to this book for months since I liked her Inspired Cable Knits so much, and now it’s here?
Um. Let’s see. You know how your Mom taught you that old saw, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all?”
Well . . . that scarf on the cover is really lovely. . . . There’s a pretty pillow in there, not that I knit pillows. . . . The writing is pleasant, and the little blurbs about different folk tales and legends, scattered through each section of the “elements” (Water, Air, Fire, Earth) are enjoyable . . .
But, um, the rest? Well, you’re not going to be hearing any paeans of joy like you did when the Cable book came out.
How do you politely say that there wasn’t a single thing in there I really liked? I mean, there’s a nice enough tank top, but I never wear tank tops, so that’s useless to me. The “Sway” cardigan is about the only thing I remotely liked, but still wouldn’t consider making it. There are a couple cute kid knits (but, really, put a cute kid in a handknit and you’ve got a good chance at a winner, and it doesn’t hurt that the one kids’ cardigan is the one most “classic” in design). But then there are a disproportionate number of patterns that I found downright ugly, though I will say the color combinations, as a rule, are nicely put together.
I’m all for creative uses of knitting techniques, and using a fair isle stripe in an unexpected place isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, as much as I love knitting tradition, it’s good to break out into something new, to stretch the boundaries. Eunny Jang’s Autumn Rose sweater certainly isn’t a traditional fair isle design, and yet it honors the tradition–it chooses the more fitted shape, the 3/4 sleeves, the scoop neckline as ways of updating the boxy gansey shape. The sweaters here, though, seem more slapdash, thrown together. Fair isle pockets on an otherwise stockinette sweater, but which only manage to look like afterthoughts. Wildly untraditional color motifs undulating up a sleeve or across a sweater that don’t do anybody any justice–the designer, the sweater, the knitter or the wearer. Sweaters that are half fair isle and half cabled, so that the two halves seem to be competing rather than working harmoniously together. Wide panels of fair isle weighing down an otherwise light, lacy shawl for no reason I can fathom. And then, the photography, while good enough and artistic enough in some ways, is aggravating in others–You get nice detail of, say, the stitch motifs but not of the whole sweater. Is the model standing sideways/hunched over/arms folded because it was the whim of the moment, or because the photos are trying to hide something?
Ultimately, for a book that uses the four, natural “elements” as inspiration, there are a lot of nasty weather systems going on in here, knocking the roofs off the fair isle tradition rather than freshening the air with a good, stiff breeze. In other words, this review comes down to one word: Disappointing. Such a let down. To me, anyway.
Ah, my favorite month of the year. (Well, if you discount the seasonal allergies.)
Hey, my Mom said the funniest thing the other day. We got a flyer for a craft show in Morristown the 20th of October.
“Darn,” I said, That’s the same weekend as Rhinebeck.”
“I guess that means we don’t need to keep the flyer then, huh?”
“Nope.”
“But . . . ” she said, “Maybe we should hang onto it, in case it rains?”
Um. You know, it was the strangest thing. She looked like my mother, but obviously in that moment, she was taken over by aliens or something. Because, really, skip Rhinebeck? I don’t think so!
Besides. I’m a square, after all.
So . . . who else is going to be there on that Saturday?
Here’s what I read in September:
1. GUARDIANS OF THE WEST by David Eddings (454 p.)
2. KING OF THE MURGOS by David Eddings (368 p.)
3. DEMON LORD OF KARANDA by David Eddings (422 p.)
4. SORCERESS OF DARSHIVA by David Eddings (406 p.)
5. SEERESS OF KELL by David Eddings (399 p.)–The second series with the cast of the Belgariad, sequel to the “original” story of Garion and his friends. This is fun, entertaining, good fantasy. Not dark or challenging, but not overly simplistic, either. Just . . . enjoyable, even if it’s not quite as good as the Belgariad that came before it. Still, none of his other series have ever resonated with me like these have, so it’s always good to revisit.
6. ENDER’S SHADOW by Orson Scott Card (467 p.) Pretty much the story of his classic “Ender’s Game,” but from a new perspective, that of Bean, the smallest, smartest soldier at Battle School. Now, this kicks off a series that follows Bean through his adventures after the war, but really, I don’t like any of them as much as this. This, and Ender’s Game, are the core, and it doesn’t get better for sci-fi than these two.
7. KNITTING CLASSIC STYLE by Veronik Avery (138 p.) Basically a book of knitting patterns, but oh, one of the best new books of patterns I’ve seen in a while. Great designs.
8. CONFLICT OF HONORS by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
9. AGENT OF CHANGE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
10. CARPE DIEM by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
11. PLAN B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (330 p.)
12. I DARE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (467 p.)–These five basically make up the core series of the Liaden series. Truly excellent sci-fi “space opera,” but so, so good that’s almost an insult. Great world, great writing, a completely distinctive “voice,” which is a rare thing for books writtren by a team, and just a series I keep going back to again and again. There’s a reason these authors are in my “top 10″ list. Oh, and their books are available as e-books, too, AND they’re publishing Fledgling, an online book, chapter by weekly chapter, too
13. A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L’Engle (211 p.) It just seemed entirely appropriate to re-read this childhood favorite this week, in memoriam, as it were. This is the best, the very best, of her books (although her memoirs are darn good, too). Or at least, I think so–Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace trying to tesseract with Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit, all while trying to rescue Meg’s father . . . and let’s not forget Aunt Beast. Such a great book, and if it doesn’t feel quite so original as it used to, that’s because it’s been “copied” so many times since it was written back in the 60s. But really, there’s a reason for that. It’s the best of its kind.
14. LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES by Shirley Jackson (241 p.) A memoir by the author of The Lottery that just makes me laugh outloud. Raising children in New England in the 50s, her tone of voice is priceless, and I just adore this book. I even remember an excerpt in one of my high school literature texts about sending her son off to kindergarten, when he’d come home and regale his parents with stories about how awful Charles had been today . . . but when they went to parent-teacher night, they found out there was no Charles in his class . . . I’m telling you, out-loud giggles. In fact, the “voice” a lot of times, reminded me of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, don’t ask me why, as there was nary a stitch of knitting in the entire book.
15. HAWK’S GRAY FEATHER by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (382 p.)
16. OAK ABOVE THE KINGS by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (388 p.)
17. HEDGE OF MIST by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (420 p)–Another good series, this time, a take-off on King Arthur, set in the far off, outer-space kingdom of Keltia . . . which immediately makes it sound absolutely awful, but it’s truly not. It’s beautifully written, wonderfully imaged, and almost always can make me cry….
18. DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley (342 p.) A new book by one of my favorite YA authors–and hers are few and far between, so that I’ve had this pre-ordered for months and months now. In this one, we have an earth almost exactly like our present-day earth, except there are dragons, an endangered species. Jake lives with his father at Smokehill, a national park dedicated as a sanctuary and walking a fine line between legislations that make it a crime both to harm a dragon and to actually aid one. Then, when Jake finally gets permission from his father for his first night out camping alone, he comes across a dying dragon and a recently-killed poacher . . . and a near-death baby dragon, which no-one had ever seen before. Ever. And then, of course, everything changed . . . although, there was still that pesky law that saving the life of a dragon was a federal offense . . .
19. DEAD HEAT by Dick Francis & Felix Francis (342 p.) And another torch passes . . . this book, the newest in a long line of British horse-racing-related mysteries, is co-written by the author and his son, and while a decent-enough read, it doesn’t quite have the feel of a “true” Dick Francis mystery. All the elements were there–the decent protagonist, the horse racing connection, the love interest, the unravelling of the hidden plot, the life-and-death confrontation . . . it’s all there, and yet, it just didn’t have the resonance that I wanted to be there, like his voice was being obscured by another voice–one that knew the tune but didn’t have the depth of quality to give the story its due. A perfectly adequate book, and better than no new Dick Francis book at all, but still . . . it just wasn’t the same.
20. TWISTED SISTERS KNIT SWEATERS by Lynne Vogel (142 p.) Everything you need to know about designing a sweater, more or less . . .
21. THE WHISTLING SEASON by Ivan Doig (345 p.) It was pure chance that I picked this up–the description on the back was extremely, frustratingly vague, but it came with so many exemplary blurbs I decided to take a chance, and I have to tell you, it was excellent. Written as a memoir, it tells the story of a widowed-father and his three sons who answer an ad in 1909 for a housekeeper to come from Chicago to Montana. She doesn’t come alone, though, she brings her brother, who steps in as the school teacher when the one they have elopes. That gives away more than enough of the plot, and I don’t want to risk saying any more, but it was a beautiful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was framed by glimpses into what Paul (the narrator) was doing in 1953(?) when he was telling the story, just as Montana’s school board is about to close all one-room schoolhouses… Really. Excellent.
22. THE WILDER SISTERS by Jo-Ann Mapson (364 p.) One of my favorites of Mapson’s, and much more…. encouraging…. than her Bad Girls Creek series. Rose Wilder, having lost her cheating husband in a car accident is working and falling for the local vet, who in turn is getting regularly drunk because his cheating wife has left him. Lily Wilder, on the other hand, has had enough of her high-pressure job as a medical equipment sales person–not to mention her bad choices in men–and takes off for the family ranch on the spur of the moment, where she and Rose meet up and patch up a quarrel . . . And that’s all just in the first couple of chapters. It’s an evocative book, in that it very much evokes the time and place of its setting (1990s New Mexico), and the story of the women’s struggles is so well-done. Mapson is really such a good writer . . . it’s such a shame her Bad Girls Creek books were so darn depressing (grin).
23. MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT by Ann Patchett (357 p.) As magical and perfect as her Bel Canto was, this is the book of Ann Patchett’s I keep going back to. As the book opens, Sabine is mourning the loss of her partner, Parsifal the magician, and then she gets the shocking news from the lawyer–Parsifal has been lying all these years . . . the family that he said died in a car crash in Connecticut when he was a child was, in fact, still alive and well in Nebraska . . . and nothing whatsoever like the family he’d described. Wanting to know what could possibly have made him break so completely with his family, she accepts their invitation to Nebraska . . . Just . . . a beautiful book. Her writing is beyond wonderful, and for whatever reason, this story touches me. Love it.
24. COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO CREATING A WEB PAGE by Paul McFedrie (369 p.) Pretty self-explanatory, wouldn’t you say?
25. DECEPTION OF THE EMERALD RING by Lauren Willig (448 p) Third in her “Pink Carnation” series, which is adding new “spies” to the Scarlet Pimpernel pantheon of Napoleonic-era spies. Framed by telling the stories of a modern-day graduate studet digging through archives, each book tells a spy story/romance–kind of “fluffy” compared to more serious fiction, but definitely entertaining and diverting.
26. MYSTIC AND RIDER by Sharon Shinn (440 p.) First in her “Twelve Houses” series of fantasy books. It’s a true, classic fantasy kind of outline–a quest, sword fights, magic . . . but it’s a very well done classic style fantasy, and her writing never disappoints me. The fourth (and final?) book of the series is due out in November (on my birthday, nonetheless), so I figured it was a good time to refresh my memory of the first three….
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