Friday, January 11, 2013
Zim, the Mighty Huntress!
Behold Zim! The mighty huntress, who gave forth with the chatter of the hunter, with prey.
The prey, since confiscated for health reasons, which she was happy to show off.
A felt mushroom, made for the kitchen of Grandchild #3
Fabric Giveaway at Maureens' Place!
For those who enjoy the prospect of adding fat quarters to their stash of 'I have a project in mind for these fabrics...really, I do!', Maureen, over at Maureen Cracknell Handmade , having her Friday Fabric Giveaway! Luscious selections for the textile-addicted, plus glimpses into Maureens' creative life.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A project completed
I'm not sure how I like the drape of it, but I did use a bulky weight yarn. I love the feel of 'Homespun' & it's warmth, & the cowl does a better job of keeping my ears warm than the hooded scarf.
Now, back to the birth record!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The perk from contest prizes.
I won a wonderfully scented candle from Mystic Sea Angel . I chose the Abundance candle.
It came packed in a tin, & has the most wonderful scent!
Sofi was also pleased with my candle prize as she got the perk of ....
...popping the bubble wrap that came with!
Sofi was also pleased with my candle prize as she got the perk of ....
Monday, January 7, 2013
2 Quotes, 1 Visual #16
As I don't have any sort of hope of reading 52 books in 2013, I will be spacing out these book opinions to every other week, starting with this one. 'The Casual Vacancy' (J. K. Rowling) is a Christmas present (I got two). I haven't read any one else' review of this book, but understand that there has been some ardent discussion on whether this novel is wonderful, a bit of a disappointment, or an abomination. For me, Rowling hid nothing when she published this book...she said that it wasn't Harry Potter for adults & it isn't. This novel is more along the lines of a 'slice of life'. A chapter in the lives of a small group of characters living in a small-ish English village.
This is in no way a fairy-tale or a sweet fable about a quaint English village. There is darkness in this village, similar to any other urban center. No myth-based folktale creatures, but modern accents of the middle class, the wanna-be-s, & the lower economic class. No honorable deaths, but sudden death, political jockeying, gossip. Any readers looking for a whiff of fantasy is going to be very upset. While this type of novel isn't my usual preference, the turn of phrase kept me moving right through the chapters. 'The Casual Vacancy' will be on my shelves until my daughter has read it (at least).
Quote 1: "You went all the way to the hospital with her?" Shirley was saying from the speakerphone.
No, thought Samantha, we got bored halfway there and asked to be let out. (page 9-10, paragraph 11-1)
Quote 2: "As the news traveled, an odd transmutation took place. It happened to the signature dotting the files in Barry's office and to the e-mils littering in-boxes of his enormous acquaintance, which began to take on the pathos of a lost boy in a forest." (page 46, paragraph 2)
1 Visual: "Here, she knew, the torch's light would be confined, and would not show around the edges of the door. She sat down with her back against the wall, pushed up the sleeve of her nightshirt and examined by torchlight the marks left by her last session, still visible, crisscrossed and dark on her arm, but healing." (page 149, paragraph 2)
The fantasy & magic written into Harry Potters' world allowed the reader to gloss over the darkness included within. Not so with 'The Casual Vacancy'. Here, the darkness shouts.
This is in no way a fairy-tale or a sweet fable about a quaint English village. There is darkness in this village, similar to any other urban center. No myth-based folktale creatures, but modern accents of the middle class, the wanna-be-s, & the lower economic class. No honorable deaths, but sudden death, political jockeying, gossip. Any readers looking for a whiff of fantasy is going to be very upset. While this type of novel isn't my usual preference, the turn of phrase kept me moving right through the chapters. 'The Casual Vacancy' will be on my shelves until my daughter has read it (at least).
Quote 1: "You went all the way to the hospital with her?" Shirley was saying from the speakerphone.
No, thought Samantha, we got bored halfway there and asked to be let out. (page 9-10, paragraph 11-1)
Quote 2: "As the news traveled, an odd transmutation took place. It happened to the signature dotting the files in Barry's office and to the e-mils littering in-boxes of his enormous acquaintance, which began to take on the pathos of a lost boy in a forest." (page 46, paragraph 2)
1 Visual: "Here, she knew, the torch's light would be confined, and would not show around the edges of the door. She sat down with her back against the wall, pushed up the sleeve of her nightshirt and examined by torchlight the marks left by her last session, still visible, crisscrossed and dark on her arm, but healing." (page 149, paragraph 2)
The fantasy & magic written into Harry Potters' world allowed the reader to gloss over the darkness included within. Not so with 'The Casual Vacancy'. Here, the darkness shouts.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
2 Quotes, 1 Visual #14
#14 is 'Taking 1960', by Rosa Sophia. A tale of strange, unsettling dreams, a dead grandmothers' ring, time travel, & a murderer brought to account moves Katherine from Pennsylvania to traveling to Las Vegas with a great-uncle she never knew.
Quote #1: "Julie Maslin was like a parasite in Katherine's thoughts, filling her dreams and waking moments with hopeless anger. Something horrible had indeed happened, something that Kat couldn't comprehend. And that was why she couldn't stop thinking about her." (page 23, paragraph 2)
The dreams that Sophia has given Kat drew me in, &, no matter how stressed Kat gets, I kept cheering her on. Just so I could get Julie Maslin out of my mind as well.
Quote #2: "Jake decided that if Katherine truly had gone back to 1960, then time was like a pinwheel. It was the same on all sides and corners and able to turn in any direction. If that was true, then something like this cardboard box had always been here. That meant that time went in continous circles.
But, Jake thought, there's always the possibility of some kid sauntering into your garden like he owns the place and breaking that pinwheel in two." (page 129, paragraph 2,3)
Awesome! Love these paragraphs so much that they earned this book a permanent spot on my shelves. Even though, time travel to 1960, the year before I was born, does make me feel old!
1 Visual: "Despite the fact that Katherine had packed Julie's letter in her duffel bag, she would never find it again. She had no idea that it was back in the box in the attic, as though someone had reached into her bag, pulled it out and taken it back, like a picture from an album that had somehow becom7e
misplaced.Kat's clothes were still in the box as well. She hadn't cared to take them with her, since they were too moth-eaten to wear." (page 309, paragraph 7)
Even though the pinwheel was broken, someone wanted it whole again, bad enough, to rearrange the 'furniture' within.
Quote #1: "Julie Maslin was like a parasite in Katherine's thoughts, filling her dreams and waking moments with hopeless anger. Something horrible had indeed happened, something that Kat couldn't comprehend. And that was why she couldn't stop thinking about her." (page 23, paragraph 2)
The dreams that Sophia has given Kat drew me in, &, no matter how stressed Kat gets, I kept cheering her on. Just so I could get Julie Maslin out of my mind as well.
Quote #2: "Jake decided that if Katherine truly had gone back to 1960, then time was like a pinwheel. It was the same on all sides and corners and able to turn in any direction. If that was true, then something like this cardboard box had always been here. That meant that time went in continous circles.
But, Jake thought, there's always the possibility of some kid sauntering into your garden like he owns the place and breaking that pinwheel in two." (page 129, paragraph 2,3)
Awesome! Love these paragraphs so much that they earned this book a permanent spot on my shelves. Even though, time travel to 1960, the year before I was born, does make me feel old!
1 Visual: "Despite the fact that Katherine had packed Julie's letter in her duffel bag, she would never find it again. She had no idea that it was back in the box in the attic, as though someone had reached into her bag, pulled it out and taken it back, like a picture from an album that had somehow becom7e
misplaced.Kat's clothes were still in the box as well. She hadn't cared to take them with her, since they were too moth-eaten to wear." (page 309, paragraph 7)
Even though the pinwheel was broken, someone wanted it whole again, bad enough, to rearrange the 'furniture' within.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
First project of 2013
& a frozen grandchild!
Grandchild #1 is not a fan of cold weather. This morning (just prior to heading off to school) she had on over-the-knee socks, jeans, shirt, a heavy fleece tunic (zipped all the way up),3 & double layer of a large afghan. She was almost warm ;)
My first project 2013 is a cowl. It is being knit in the Lion brand Homespun yarn, colourway 'Nouveau'. Which is supposed to be chocolate brown, grey, & tan. The grey is a strong blue grey.
It was supposed to be knit in the round, but the circular needles that I have in the correct size aren't 'long' enough. So I will just put a seam in it once the length is finished. Simple pattern: four rows of rib, then seed stitch.
My first project 2013 is a cowl. It is being knit in the Lion brand Homespun yarn, colourway 'Nouveau'. Which is supposed to be chocolate brown, grey, & tan. The grey is a strong blue grey.
It was supposed to be knit in the round, but the circular needles that I have in the correct size aren't 'long' enough. So I will just put a seam in it once the length is finished. Simple pattern: four rows of rib, then seed stitch.
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