Habits of the House ~ Book Beginning

 

I am currently reading the first page of Habits of the House by Fay Weldon. It truly is the book beginning. Here is the first sentence:

In late October of the year 1899, a tall, thin, nervy, young man ran up the steps to number 17 Belgrave Square. He seemed agitated.

Which begs the question--why? (Oh, and I have surmised from my reading that the British say "nervy" in the manner that we in the USA use the adjective "nervous".)

I have chosen to read this book as a counterpoint to my other current read, Empty Mansions, a non-fiction work about Hughette Clark and her fortune. So, I'm thinking that a bit of British upstairs/downstairs might be just the right read...something light.

Would it appeal to you?



Merry Christmas 2013

 

Merry Christmas

 

May you be blessed.

The House in Amalfi

I've just begun this book which I'm reading mostly for the setting and the atmosphere. Elizabeth Adler evokes the sense of place so invitingly that I can feel  the breeze and smell the lemon trees.

 





'For two years I have lived alone, not allowing even a dog or a cat to intrude on my solitude. My friend Jammy Mortimer, who I’ve known since we were little kids, says I’m getting creepy. “All this loneliness is not good for you,” she says in her usual forthright manner. “You’ll end up a fat, eccentric recluse, refusing to open the door even to me.” '

 'I didn’t know it on that sunny morning in Rome, but I had yet to experience true happiness. The “real thing” would not come until the following year, when Jon-Boy took me to live in the house in Amalfi. The place where, ten years later, he would die so mysteriously.'

The Beautiful Amalfi Coast, Italy 

Color Work Crochet

 



Now that my Christmas knitting is finished, I can pick up a WIP that I started and stopped last month. Not that I did a ton of Christmas knitting and crochet, but enough. I knitted three pairs of fingerless mitts: for a friend (to match an ear warmer), for my son, and for my dear husband and crocheted a twin size throw (the Sports Blanket) for my grandson, several "Twinkle Stars" to decorate gifts, and a fancy facecloth for a Ravelry swap.



It was a case of start-itis when I crocheted the first several rows of this throw just to see it! And, I liked it. I liked it. So, now I'm back at the "Country Fresh Blanket" from Yarnspirations. I'm enjoying the simplicity of the stitches along with the color work that gives it life.

 

Empty Mansions

 

 

 

Empty Mansions:

The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of an American Fortune

 

by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

 

"Dr. Henry Singman, an internist, was making an emergency house call on a new patient on New York's old-money Upper East Side. It was a sunny early-spring afternoon, March 26, 1991. Dr. Singman had received a call about an elderly woman. With no doctor of her own, she had sent out an SOS."

This non-fiction book begins with a lengthy introduction, setting the stage for the story beginning on page 20. If the reader is undecided about venturing into this story, the Intro will pull you right in!

 

 



"Though she recovered to excellent health, she chose to spend the next twenty years and nearly two months, or exactly 7, 364 nights, in the hospital."

 

Would you continue reading?

 



Victoria's Daughters

Victoria's Daughters by Jerrold M. Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an easy to read historical account of the relationships between Queen Victoria and her daughters. Their influence throughout Europe yields a fascinating account of thunderous international decisions resulting from family interactions. The scope of wealth, romance, intrigue, war, love and hate, life and death adds vitality to this nonfiction work . I truly enjoyed this book.

View all my reviews

Sports Throw Finito

 My post about this throw as a WIP is here.

 This is made with Purl Essence yarn and a size J crochet hook.

The adapted Classic Baby Blanket worked perfectly for this throw. A stripe generator helped me to place the navy stripes with the cream main color.

 The pattern for the little helmet is here.

A simple, flat circle is the shape for stitching details to kinda-sorta resemble a basketball and baseball.Now, the attempts at making a soccer ball were total disaster!! My stitching left much to be desired to even approach a suggestion of a soccer. Its disappointing because little grandson loves  playing soccer. Crocheting a baseball bat is not my forte either. I do have limitations!!

 

He is such a sweet boy that I know he'll love it even without a couple of things I wanted to include. The throw will fluff a bit after a gentle laundering. Right now, it looks too "stitchy" --- know what I mean?