Thursday, February 28, 2008

Books, Books, Books

Along with knitting I've been getting a lot of reading done lately (sometimes at the same time):
  • Finished Reluctant Genius and The Proud Tower.
  • The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers -- Classic thirties British mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey.
  • Winston Churchill by John Keegan (audio) -- Really only touched the surface, maybe I'll read more on him later. I don't think he was necessarily a nice guy, but definitely an interesting one.
  • James Herriot's Cat Stories (audio) -- Delightful stories by . . . James Herriot, about . . . wait for it . . . cats.
  • The Far Traveler by Nancy Marie Brown -- A "biography" of a legendary Viking woman, more or less a retelling of some sagas and an analysis of Viking life. Interesting section on spinning. Apparently wool cloth was the standard of trade for a time in the Viking world.
  • In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany -- A Canadian mystery set in B.C. The protagonist is a policewoman with aging hippie parents.
  • A Watery Grave by Joan Druett -- A half Maori, half American sailor with the United States Exploring Expedition in 1838 solves a murder while on the ocean. Who says all mysteries are the same?
  • I'm currently listening to Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson
Went to the immunologist/allergist today. Blood drawn, tests in the works. The best news is that I'm not allergic to my beloved kitty, although mold and dust mites have it in for me.

Added note: I just discovered my "beloved kitty" on the top of my dresser. After four years of life with me she's suddenly become attracted to high places. Either that or she was extremely stealthy about it before. She was on top of the entertainment stand interfering with the rabbit ears antenna earlier. Obviously she doesn't know what a narrow escape she's had with my visit to the allergist.

Friday, February 22, 2008

We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Blog

Sorry for the long absence -- I wound up in the hospital again a couple of weeks ago. I refuse to let this turn into a long boring list of the gory details of my health, so I will just say that I'm to see an immunologist, be on medical leave through March 12, and have upcoming surgery to fix a blocked tear duct.

The up side of long illness is lots of knitting and reading time when you don't feel energetic enough to do anything else.

Mystery Object Revealed








Step One













Step Two
















Step Three














Finished! Yep, it's a pom-pom maker.






I've finally caught up (mostly) on photographing knitting projects I've finished in the last couple of months.

A whole lot of cotton dishcloths. When you're too tired to think, these are great projects. Ann and Kay would be so proud.


Charity knitting. The hats were for my sister, but gauge went horribly wrong. I call the left one "Darth Vader" (imagine it in black)though it's here.



More charity knitting. Staying at my parents' after getting out of the hospital I ran out of yarn!! My mom produced some green 70's acrylic originally intended for an afghan. The square is for Warm Up America. It may be an unnatural green, but it's still warm.




Wool bed socks (for moi).









We have hat day every year at school and the only hat I had was a baseball cap that gave me hat head and made me hot. I wanted something looser but dramatic, so I used up a bunch of old acrylic on this.








My sister has about 3 hats I've made for her, but says they all don't cover her ears adequately. So, I have finally come up with this. It's a cross between the Blue Hills cap and a traditional Peruvian chullo. Note the pom pom on top, specifically per her request.








Somebody was really clingy and attention seeking after I got home from the hospital! That doesn't stop her from snatching my seat for a nap in the sun.