Fiber Fool

I’m behind by almost five books when you consider those pictured above are books 7, 8, and 9 read in 2008 and we’re closing in on the second half of week 12 (the last three or four years I’ve ended the year having read 60-65 books). There has actually been a lot more music listening going on lately than reading. (Check the sidebar on the right to see what I’ve been listening to most lately. I just updated the list this week!) In fact, I’m reading slowly enough that I’m going the used bookstore route for much of my reading material rather than the library. I just don’t need any more deadlines hanging over my head. For the most part the only reading I’ve been doing is in bed before going to sleep as a means to shut my brain down. That means some nights I only get three pages read before I start to doze off and others nights my mind is more revved up.

Gods in Alabama by Joshlyn Jackson was a book recommended to me by my mom. After not being able to get my hands on a copy at my local library without jumping through hoops of interlibrary loans I got it for Christmas from her. I’d classify it as literary Southern fiction, even though much of the book revolves around a murder. Unlike a normal murder mystery though the murderer is known so there is no mystery element. However, if you enjoy mysteries I think you would still enjoy this book. While we know the murderer the book is interesting and full of twists and turns and little sprinkling of romance as well. I don’t think I’m quite as enthusiastic about this book as my mom was, I am glad I read it.

Another book I think my mom had recommended to me quite a while ago was The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen. I picked it up at Matter Bookstore in June while Chris was visiting, but only just now got around to reading it. My first exposure to Johnasen was as a co-author of The Delaney Christmas Carol. She does a lot of historical writing, however this book is contemporary. The book somehow manages to be suspenseful and sexy at the same time. Centered around one woman and one man’s need of revenge, suspense is definitely the main point of the book. However, there is plenty of sexual tension present amongst the pages as well. If you haven’t read Johansen or any contemporary set Johansen I urge you to give this one a try.

The next book which I just finished is Raveling by Peter Moore Smith. It was Smith’s debut novel and was a Edgar Award nominee for such. I’ll come clean. This totally jumped off the shelves at Anthology due entirely to its title. What knitter and spinner could pass over a book with such a name? When I read the description I was definitely sold, even though psychological thrillers are not usually my thing. Now that I’ve finished the book I’m very glad I didn’t pass this one over. There is not a chapter in the book, but that isn’t the only oddity of the book. The story is told in such a way that you are aching for the answers as much as Pilot’s therapist, Katherine. Despite all my commitments I did find myself making pretty quick progress of this book, often reading until midnight or later with my booklight. I have no questions as to why this novel was nominated for an Edgar Award, but I’m wondering what the book the beat it out was!

It has been a looooong time since I checked in with what I’ve been reading. With all the crazy deadline knitting there was probably been more audiobook reading than printed book reading, but reading is reading, right? Mostly I’ve been reading fluff. It has been to keep me entertained while knitting so the knitting at least appears to go faster or it is to try turn my brain off before bed.

The one non-fluff book I’ve read so far this year was Loving Frank: A Novel. It is a fictionalized account of Frank Lloyd Wright’s affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Very little is known about their relationship as it often appears as just a footnote in most biographies on Wright. This was a very thought provoking and entertaining read. It took a long time of having it on hold before I got a copy from my library, but I would say it was worth the wait. There is a lot of meat in it and I think would make a good book club selection as there are many topics for discussion in it. If you are a fan of FLW’s work the book is filled with imagery and his philosophy on design. As I feel with many fictionalized historical novels I find myself constantly wondering which parts were true and which parts were fictionalized. It has me thinking of adding some biographies to my reading list.

I also checked out two mysteries from the library. One I finished just before the new year, Jasper Fforde’s The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime It is the first book in the Nursery Crimes series which kind of spun off of the Thursday Next series. I didn’t find it quite as enjoyable as the Thursday Next books, but it was better than many books and I’ll continue to read the series as it grows if it maintains this level of quality or better. The other mystery book I checked out is the second Claire Watkin’s book by Mary Logue, Dark Coulee. I think this one was as good as the first one, Blood Country. While it was somewhat predictable there were enough turns that made you doubt your suspicions. It is another series I will continue to read for the time being.

I also broke out one of the Christmas gifts and read the next Aunt Dimity book which I received from my MIL & FIL. This one was Aunt Dimity: Detective. Once again Lori finds herself falling for a handsome man who appears to help her solve her latest case while her husband works hard at the London office. Aunt Dimity played a bit smaller role in this story than she does in some others, but it made the book no less enjoyable. This is just a fun cozy series that offers love, attraction, ghosts, small town dynamics, murder, and of course some mayhem. If it says anything, this is the only cozy series I see myself owning. It is one of those you’d pull from the shelf to occupy a snow day with a cup of hot tea or a sick day in bed. I have some gaps early in the series to fill, but from here on out I will actually forgo the library on this series and buy the books.

On the iPod I’ve read the second Ceepak mystery from Chris Grabenstein, Mad Mouse. This one isn’t a cozy, it is closer to a thriller. A sniper appears to be loose in the NJ seaside town and the target appears to be Danny Boyle and his friends. There is nothing like having your first case as an official year around cop to have you and your closest friends in the crossfire. It was a high impact book that I had to give up trying to read at bed time as it just kept me awake with all the action.

Currently I’m nearing the end of Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, the second in a newer series featuring murder mystery writer Sophie Katz and the PI she is lusting after, Anatoly, set out to prove Sophie’s sister innocent of her cheating husband’s murder. This is a mystery novel for those who like witty comebacks and sexual tension between the characters. The whole cast are full of smart remarks that make me laugh out loud. The reader of the Audible.com version also does a fantastic job with the voicings, making it especially easy to listen to while knitting.

I really wish I could show you what all I’ve been knitting on. I’m super excited about it all, but alas I can’t. Hopefully I’ll be around a bit more regular for the next week or more. Though I am still having some shoulder trouble so I have to ration my computing and knitting time carefully right now so I can’t make any promises.

I have been super lax in keeping you up to date on my reading. Seeing as I’ve hit a bit of stumbling block in the knitting department at the moment it seemed a great time to catch up on that topic. It has been much of the same around here - cozies. I figure it better to be reading than to not be reading and for whatever reason, anything other than cozies or the occasional romance seems to equate to slogging through. There is also a book meme at the bottom of the post.

• Aunt Dimity and The Duke (Book 2), Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed (Book 3), and Aunt Dimity Digs In (Book 4) by Nancy Atherton - I love this series and it is taking most everything in me to hold back so I don’t run out of these books too soon. Next up is a Christmas one so I think I’ll try hold out on that until I get back from my MN trip. I think I’d like to own these books - these are the first cozies I’ve felt that way about. But, I see myself pulling them from the shelf to read when stuck at home sick or snowed in. Book two is a little disconnected from book one, but was as enjoyable and serves as set-up for the books that follow.
• Candy Apple Red by Nancy Bush - This was recommended to me by Wanda I believe. It was a fun read. I just started the next book in this series, Electric Blue.
• Dark Tort and Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson - These are the two most recent in the Goldy Bear series. Much of the same, but still enjoyable.
• Crime Brulee by Nancy Fairbanks - This book as a new to me foodie cozie I stumbled upon at the library. It has a nice twist in that the female sleuth is a middle-aged woman whose children have moved into adulthood and she has stumbled upon a career as a food critic/writer. I enjoyed this book and will definitely be checking out the other books in the series, though at this point it isn’t one of my top picks. But, my favs so far I’m rapidly catching up on.
• The Case of the Roasted Onion by Claudia Bishop - This is the first in a new series from the author of the Hemlock Falls Mysteries (many of which I cannot get through my library). I was expecting a foodie mystery but it was a veterinary mystery centered on racing horses. While it wasn’t what I expected it was quite enjoyable. I did have a few nit picks on details that I’m curious to see if they get addressed or fixed in the books that follow.
• Blood Country by Mary Logue - This was an impulse purchase from Anthology back in June. It appears as though it was part of a mail-order book club. It was set mostly in a small Wisconsin town on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, with some action also taking place in the Twin Cities. A former Minneapolis detective finds herself widowed and moves her and her young daughter to a small, rural town to hide from the dangers of her former job, only she finds out one can only hide for so long. This was a much better read than I had been expecting. There were also some other authors and titles listed in the back of this book that I’m going to seek out.
• Witches’ Bane by Susan Wittig Albert - The second installment of the sleuthing adventures of semi-retired lawyer, current herb shop owner, China Bayles. I not only enjoyed the mystery element of this book, but China also went through some great character growth as well, an element you don’t often see in cozies. I’m looking forward to continue with this series, though my library and it’s partners seem to be a bit spotty in what is on the shelves so that may slow me down even further.
• How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - This one took me forever to read. I think it’s been on my ipod all summer long and I only just finished it. Part of that was due to the narrator of the Audible.com version not making it through my pillow speaker in a clear fashion. Though if the book had been terribly compelling I’m sure I would have found excuses to listen on my laptop, the stereo, or with headphones. That said, last few hours just flew. I think it was just a real slow starter.

Continuing along the theme of books, I was tagged by Athena Dreams a while back. But it always takes me a while to get around to responding to these things.

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?
I’m not opposed to paperbacks and prefer them for travel reading, though if it is a book I think I’ll re-read over the years I would usually prefer hardcover. Though real long books I don’t care for in hardcover as I don’t find them comfortable to read if they get too heavy.

2. If I were to own a book shop, I would call it…
Literature and Libations ??? No idea, I’ve never really given it a thought. Though I do love coffee/tea shops combined with the books. It just seems such a natural combination.

3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is…
I’m not one to recall quotes from books or movies, sadly.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be…
I haven’t thought about this in a long time. Certainly not since I started to meet some published authors and have had the honor of coffee or dinner with some of them. I know at various points in my life I have wished to meet LM Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Toni Morrison, or Jane Austen. I’m not sure who I’d choose today.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…
If I could bring unlimited yarn/fiber/needles/spindle/wheel it would have to be The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns. If that were not the case (which I suspect quite likely for a deserted island trip) I’d have to say one of the collections of Willa Cather books probably.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…
Would allow a book to be open at the perfect angle for me to read and knit at the same time. It would also be able to turn the pages by a voice command so I wouldn’t have to pause in my knitting. Or, one that could hold the book above my head at the right angle so that I could read while lying on my therapy balls or the heating pad. Again, it being able to turn the page on a voice command would be highly desirable.

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…
Wonderful times pouring through the shelves of some of my favorite used bookstores.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be…
As a child I always wanted to be Mary in The Secret Garden. There is just something I love about the idea of having my own secret place like that. Currently I’d love to be Lori Shepherd in the Aunt Dimity series. She gets to spend a lot of time in a small cottage in England, she gets to communicate with ghost and solve mysteries, all while learning to be a good cook and having a quite lovely (yet realistic) relationship with her family. Keep in mind I’ve only read the first three books of the series so far. I reserve the right to change my mind :-)

9. The most overestimated book of all times is…
I think I’d have to go along with the many who had named DaVinci Code. It was an interesting concept, but not very skillfully executed.

10. I hate it when a book…
Either leaves you hanging with way too many questions unanswered, or they tie up it up way too neatly and leave no questions for you to answer yourself. Yes, I’m a demanding reader (sometimes anyway)!

Since I think most everyone has probably already participated in this meme, I will just leave it with those that want to participate, tell us about the books in your lives!

I am currently working on designing a sweater using the techniques from the soon to be released Ethnic Knitting Discovery by Donna Druchunas. The finished sweater is to be a part of an online gallery to complement the book at ethnicknitting.com. This book starts with the simplest of ethnic sweaters in terms of techniques and design and walks you through a small sample/useful swatch project and a couple of sweaters from four different regions – Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, and the Andes. It is the first in a series that I understand will address increasingly complex ethnic knitting.

The patterns in the book are really non-patterns. But, don’t freak out about that! Even if you are patently not a designer or even if you are a bit afraid of the math involved you can knit a sweater from this book. There are three different worksheets for every project so you can choose the one that works for you. The first is just a schematic on which you note your dimensions and gauge and you just fly by wire, working off of the graphic. The second provides some more hand holding by giving you a chart to fill in with all the important numbers and the notes you need to do the math ahead of time. The third worksheet will hold your hand through every single step, helping you to fill in the numbers but still providing you with step-by-step direction on how to knit and assemble the sweater. For me, because I’m an experienced knitter who has stayed away from garments for myself for a variety of reasons through the years I’ll probably end up using a conglomeration of all three.

I am working on the Norwegian Boatneck sweater (those of you who have been around for a while, or were at least here for last winter’s baking activities are probably wondering what took me so long to start a project like this). There are some traditional stitch patterns and guidance on making one as shown in the book illustration with the yarn gauge of your choice and sized to fit you. I am mixing up the stitch patterns to make it a unique sweater, just for me. I’m also borrowing a few things from the following chapter such as a modified drop shoulder rather than the standard drop shoulder because I’m not a traditionalist. Ha, ha, I know some of you are laughing at that. Okay, let me put it another way – just because a given construction is the traditional way does not mean I won’t make modifications so that the finished garment will be more flattering on my plus-sized frame.

Even before I started choosing my stitch motifs and the final dimensions (still not 100% decided on that since I own nothing with this type of construction from which to take measurements) the first step was choosing the colors of the sweater. I could have stuck with the traditional black/ivory/red color combo, but I already have a sweater in that color combination in my closet. Oh what a game choosing colors can be! Especially when you don’t have a photo of an already completed version of the sweater to analyze.

My poor, poor friends and family have been inundated with schematics approximating the color combo choices of the yarn I will be using for this sweater (Suri Merino from Plymouth if you were wondering) all week long. Amanda in particular has been scrutinizing nearly every single option I have pulled from my hat. Others have felt utterly overwhelmed at the variety I came up with (and if you are reading this and thinking I’m talking about you – you were not alone).

It is in this process of choosing my colors that I realized you all may enjoy following along in my design process and decision making on this. It should give you a good sense of Ethnic Knitting Discovery and the infinite sweater possibilities it and the rest of the series can provide you. I hope it also reminds me of the decisions I made along the way so I can write a helpful abbreviated diary to go along with the sweater photo at ethnicknitting.com.

Going through the color choices also reminded me of the struggle and uncertainty many feel in choosing colors for their projects. I often feel I have a good inner color sense and I also have the training and experience from my pre-knitting life to back me up, yet I was waffling on my color choices - BIG TIME. So, I think I will also be addressing some color theory as applied to knitting (though really what I talk about will be applicable to most any craft) in the coming weeks.

At this point I am thinking of touching on these topics:

• Ways in which yarns and color can contrast
• Common color harmonies and how to use them to aid you in color selection
• Analyzing the contrast and harmony used in a published pattern
• Safe ways to swap out colors in a published pattern
• More daring ways to successfully swap out colors in a published pattern
• How to use a spreadsheet and photo editing software to aid you in color selection

I’m only starting to formulate the posts for these so if you have some specific questions about color or color and knitting, leave a comment! In the meantime, perhaps you would like to fill out a meme on color – either at your own blog and link back to this post or in the comments… Just cut and paste and answer and spread the word!

1. What is your current favorite color?
2. Had your favorite color changed over the years?
3. Is your current favorite color one that is currently trendy? (Do you see it in the fashion rags or on the clothes rack or in the linen aisle right now? How about 5 years ago?)
4. What is your favorite color combination?
5. Is that combination a popular one? (Is it use in prints you see in the stores and catalogs and magazines now? How about 5 years ago?)
6. What is your favorite way of using color in your knitting? (Are you a stranded knitter? Do you prefer simple stripes? Do you prefer just accents at the hems/collars?)
7. What colors look good on you?
8. What colors look bad on you?
9. Do you wear colors that don’t look good on you just because you like them?
10. What is your favorite neutral color? black/white/ivory/tan/brown/gray – if brown or gray do you prefer cool or warm versions of those or does it matter? And, how dark?
11. Is there a sweater pattern that uses more than one color that you’d like to make, but you wish to change the colors from what is published? If yes, which one? What do you not like about the published colors?

The answers to these questions should prove useful to you as I work my way through this color series.

Those who are perfectly happy choosing patterns based upon the colors published, don’t worry. These posts will take a lot more work behind the scenes than I usually take for my blog posts (and I have a lot more work to do these days as well) so there are certain to be non-color and even non-design posts too! Quite likely cooking, gardening, and reading posts will still pop up now again too.

Additional Posts in the Color Series

• Intro Stuff - My Color Meme Answers
• Part I: Hue and the Color Wheel
• Part II: Color Descriptors I

Due to the back trouble and the need to stick very close to home since we returned from Colorado Springs last weekend I’ve gotten a bunch of reading done.

Chris had mentioned a while back having read the most recent Harry Dresden book and reminded me that DH & I had started watching the series on the Sci-fi channel and we had talked about reading the books. So, I put the first one, Storm Front on hold at the library. I read it early last week and DH read it while we were in the Springs.

I was kind of disappointed that I had watch the series first as there were some definite changes made to the characters for the television series - Murphy is physically different and Bob is different in many ways. It also kind of ruined the mystery a bit as the story from the first book matched up pretty closely to one of the episodes from the first season. Fortunately I don’t have the best memory when it comes to television shows so I didn’t know the ultimate outcome, but rather had a sense of deja vu throughout the reading. Regardless, I enjoyed the book and read it very quickly.

I’m not the most open to sci-fi/fantasy books so that is saying something. It also is the first book of a series which often is not the strongest. I’m looking forward to checking out Fool Moon before too long.

While in the Springs I read Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson. In this twelfth adventure of Colorado caterer and sleuth, Goldy Bear Schultz, she finds herself attacked early one morning and that was just the start of the day and it went downhill from there. As usual Goldy is on the case trying to find the guilty party. However, this time there is even more at stake. She is the prime suspect!

It was a pretty typical DMM read. Though it was new to have Goldy as the sheriff’s department number one suspect. It added a nice twist to the usual plot. If you have read the other books in the series and enjoyed them you will likely enjoy this one as well.

Early this week I then read a book that my mom had recommended to me. It was one of those books that she calls me about and says that she had wanted to call me in the middle of the night and tell me about it when she had finished reading it. That sets the bar pretty high though!

The book she recommended was Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews. This is the first Andrews book I’ve read, but I enjoyed it a lot and will likely check out her other books at some point. It was a funny and heartwarming romance set in Georgia. Keeley Murdoch is a thirty-something interior designer in business with her aunt. Her plans go south at her rehearsal dinner and it drags down their interior design business as well. She finds herself reluctantly working on a dream job restoring an antebellum mansion with an seemingly endless budget but a very tight deadline. There is some definite tension between her and her client and she isn’t too taken with the ultimate goal of this restoration project.

While Keely’s life seems to be going down the crapper, Andrews portrays it with great humor. I often found myself laughing out loud as I read. The plot is pretty predictable from the get-go and the ending may be bit a too clean and wrapped up, but I enjoyed the book a lot. I devoured it in less than a day so it isn’t a huge investment of time.