The Spinster Sisters

For this week's Yarn Along, I am still adding crochet stripes to the throw for DGD, but reading a different book. The Spinster Sisters by Stacey Ballis turns the traditional concept of "spinster" on its head! This is a fun, happy read so far. I don't think that tone will change significantly through the rest of the book. Centered on two sets of sisters, the story follows their interactions and their life choices, though the consequences of those choices vary among the characters. I think this book will make you smile, maybe even chuckle too!

This blanket is so enjoyable to make! I was inspired by this web page and am so pleased with the process and the style. Details about my blanket are here.

What's your latest project?

The School of Essential Ingredients

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme. Join us to share books!

Do you enjoy the books by Sarah Addison Allen as I do? Then you might well want to read The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Baumeister. Both authors share an ability to immerse the reader in the story as a sensory experience.

This is a beautiful account of people's lives and the importance of friendship wrapped in the delights of a kitchen. Memories of my Nonna's kitchen scented with baking bread, simmering tomatoes with basil, chicken roasting with rosemary and olive oil rose to the fore as I read this touching yet robust story that is bursting with life.

From p. 30, "Abuelita gazed at her, gently amused. 'Sometimes, nina, our greatest gifts grow from what we are not given.'"

***********

Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.

Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they are interested!

Post your teaser at http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ 

What sort of books do you enjoy?

Succinctly Yours #27

The lush green leaves had gone to yellow.

Mired in self pity Tree cried, "Laugh, jump in my leaves! Look at me! I am bald!"

- - - - - -

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters/words or less.Using the word of the week is an optional challenge. Then post it here.

Saturday Snapshot ~ Looming!

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Time to get off of the lake!

Colorado

June, 2011

Booking Through Thursday ~ In Public

"Do you carry books with you when you’re out and about in the world?

And, do you ever try to hide the covers?"

Absolutely!! Never leave home without a book and a book on my iPod tucked safely inside my purse. Reading while waiting for anything is an effective antidote for impatience and boredom.

Had to chuckle at the second question! No, I can't say I've ever hidden the cover of a book!
 

Capitol Betrayal

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme. Join us to share books!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they are interested!

From page 124: " 'For the past few weeks, the President has experienced what I would call a mild form of asthma....You try making policy in a pressure cooker and see if you don't wheeze a bit."

There's humor in this that made me smile. Bernhardt writes "smile nuggets" in his often tense fiction. It's an edgy book, not far removed from current events.

Succinctly Yours – Week #26

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words.

 

It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more. The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it here.

 

How much longer will they ignore me Duckie sadly wondered as he sat in the crowded corner. Without playmates, I know I will quack up!

[groan]

Cactus Majestic

At Phoenix Botanical Garden

March 2011

(Click on photo to enlarge)

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/  It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

A Patchwork Planet

  

This post will serve double...er...triple...duty since the couple of rows I've added don't warrant an update!

 What are you reading? What are you knitting? Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

 

I'm just getting into A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler, a favorite author. I've finally settled on this pattern for DGD's throw in the colors she likes. This thing has been reinvented three times to get to this point where I am enjoying the colors and the stitches.

This simple, quickie stitch combination is all over the blogs and perfectly suits the "swirly colors" that DGD specified for this throw. It involves WW and lace weight yarns with size G and H crochet hooks. I'm crocheting a row of sc and ch2 after each row. There is a row of white two rows of color, then white, and repeat in dc clusters of three. The pink yarn has a silver lurex fiber through it that is a happy, sparkly touch for a seven-year-old!

Succinctly Yours #25

Which vehicle in the company parking lot belongs to Lola, the free spirit and Creative Director, a misfit in the methodical corporate vibe?

+ + + + +

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words.

It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more. The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it here.

Horsey Part 2

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/

can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see.

How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

 

Paint your wagon?

And your horse?

Taken in Old Town Fort Collins, CO

Felted Tote on a Boat

 

The tote-on-a-boat is finished! Does anything feel as good as an FO?! Well, yes, I guess so, however an FO is right up there! The beginnings are mentioned here and here.
 

 It took two cycles of agitation in hot water, detergent, with a pair of jeans to felt the stitch definition out of this Rowan Colorscape yarn.

 

 I made a pocket by crocheting (because it was faster than knitting it) a rectangle and hand-sewing it on three sides with wool and a yarn needle. I was a bit concerned about how the crochet piece would felt compared to the knitting, but it is just perfect. Of course, I made the pocket twice the size of what I wanted and it worked beautifully.

 

I reinforced the bound off stitches for the handles by crocheting a strip across the stitches. I was concerned about the handles supporting the weight of the tote's contents. Does your bag ever feel like it weighs a ton like mine does?

This bag is ready to load with my netbook and camera and knitting and other necessities when DH and I board the train for the East coast, then a knitting cruise north along the coast to Canada and Nova Scotia! The cruise is with Craft Cruises, something that makes me smile as I think of it now. What is your Fiber news today?

On the deck table: Happy-happy blooms of pink geraniums and Iceland Poppies

Succinctly Yours #24

A school built by a  wood working class is still in use due to budget cuts in education. The practice project has seen students since 1940.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words.

It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more.The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it here.

Horsey

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Sculptures in RV Park

Sedona, AZ

Where we stayed

In beauty all around

Both natural and man-made.

Felted Tote Bag

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

 

 

I'm working on the second side of the tote bag which will be felted--soon, I hope! SusanB has given me some good suggestions on how to add a pocket to it, so I'll see what I am able to do with that.
I like the feel of this Rowan Colorscape as it slides through my fingers. It would make a soft shawl for cold weather reading -- maybe a book like Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler. This book has an engaging story line with subtle humor, a very enjoyable read about a young widow who visits her eccentric godmother, a celebrated author of murder mysteries. Wit ensues.

What are you reading and knitting?

Wit's End

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

 

"Her mother wished her to be thinking of fairies and dewdrops, but she was already the knives-and-curses type. You can tell me anything, her mother used to say, and then respond to anything she was told with disappointment or alarm."
-p. 56, Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler

Tote on a Boat -- And Train

 

I came home from a yarn crawl  with two cakes of Rowan Colorscape with no idea of a project for them. Then, the yarn spoke. "You are searching for a new tote for your upcoming travels. Use me." In obedience to the call of the yarn, I cast on 58 stitches with size 11 needles to make a felted tote bag.

 

I am knitting in stockinette to focus on the colors rather than a pattern. I knit for approximately 24 inches, then started the handles, which I hope will be long enough for a shoulder bag. For the handles, I knit 20 sts, then cast off 18, then knit the remaining 20 sts. When I purled back, I turned to the right side at the cast off sts and CO 50 sts, turned back to complete the purl side. I'm continuing in stockinette until the handles look long enough for felting. This is a huge guess on the length!

One yarn cake is for the front, one for the back, so I am using Cascade 220 for the handles. It will be interesting to see how the felting compares with two different yarns. I am thinking of adding an exterior pocket, but am undecided because I'd have to use 220 for that. Hmmmm, what's your advice on this?

 

This tote will be with me at the end of the month when DH and I board Amtrak and head off for New Jersey and a Fall cruise along the New England and Canadian coast. Smile, smile, smile!

Saturday Snapshot ~ At the Library

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

At the East Morgan County Library in Brush, CO

If you look closely at the web page banner,

can see this sculpture to the right of the door

Death of the Party

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!
 

 

 Two...maybe three...years in stash is quite enough for this sad Patons yarn.

"Knit me!" it cried. "Knit me, please!"
 

 

 Knowing that I need a small project when working on DGD's afghan gets too-too hot, Patons wanted to become a simple 2x2 scarf on size 15 needles.

And so, it is happening.
 

 

The final few pages of Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart are at hand. I'll finish it today--hurray! I have interrupted this book to read others, but have been plugging away to finish this. While the author has some clever bits in this book, her wordiness and awkward references to other mystery books and characters are distracting.

With good editing, this book could be a very engaging story.

Tell me about your current book and yarny project!

Ruby Tuesday ~ Arch

Fourth of July in St. Louis

Celebrate Ruby Tuesday!

Post a photo of your choice taken by you that contains the color red and link to this blog.

Saturday Snapshot ~ Promoting Civility

On display at the Overland Trail Museum

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/  Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Crocheted Ruffle Scarf

 

 For a quickie project there's nothing quite like the ruffle (or potato chip) scarf--crocheted version-- done here with some aran weight stash yarn and an I hook.
 

 

 My model, the lovely Lailah, did not want to sit and stay. However, she executed a model's stretch in a most fetching way.
 

 

Pink is obviously her color though maybe not this particular pink item in 90-degree temps!  Good Lailah.