Birthday pics

Happy Birthday to Me!

Pictures from dinner tonight tomorrow...maybe...

A second purple bamboo scarf

My friend from Kentucky saw the scarf that

I made for Aunt Carolyn and asked me to make her one just like it only a little thinner and shorter. Here it is.

Happy Birthday to me!

I made this shawl as a birthday present for myself. I will wear it to my birthday dinner on Tuesday with the family. We are going to Bayona in New Orleans. It is variegated black, silver and bronze with black chenille weft. Amazingly soft and silky and so beautiful. I'm very proud of it.

Book Review: Mine ‘til Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

I’ve been having a hard time thinking of how to review this book. I liked it…and yet there was something about it that I didn’t like…and it wasn’t the kind of things you might suspect if you’d read the book. The supernatural elements. Those were fine. The racial elements—didn’t really work for me, not convincing. The romance—great. The extra characters—too many. The plot—the main one fine, but there was SO much going on that I had a hard time feeling that everything was developed.

Mind ‘til Midnight is the first in Kleypas’s Hathaway series following the five Hathaway siblings as they make their way into the world. Leo, the only brother and eldest of the family, has just been given a title in a rather round-about way, and is responding to that and the death of his fiancé by trying to do himself in—and bringing his sisters with him.

The Hathaways move out to their dilapidated country home to meet with more trouble and frustration than anyone should. And in the mean time, Amelia and Cam, the main characters of the romance, fall in love.

And here’s where my troubles came in…there was the Leo story, the Winn and Merripen story (which I understand is fully fleshed out in the 2nd book in this series), the Beatrix story (young cleptomaniac sister), the Poppy story (very underdeveloped when compared with the others) and the story about Amelia and Cam. I understand this is the first in the series, but I really think it tried to do too much.

All that said, I will read the next one in the series. Reading other reviews of the book, loyal Kleypas readers felt that Mine til Midnight wasn’t up to her usual standards. The writing was good (even if the Kindle edition had those annoying errors).

Recommended to those who like historical romances.

Soft Wool Scarf

Another experiment with self-striping wool yarn. This one is a very slow variegation which creates an almost sun-spotted or tea-stained look. It's very elegant and soft on the eyes. The wool was "fulled" a little to help it be more soft to the touch--and it definitely worked. I hardly find this scarf itchy, and I'm very sensitive to wool. It measures 7.5x62 and sells for $55. Fringe is twisted.

Mozart: Sonata in C Major, Mvt. I

This is a sonata that I played in competition in high school. I went to state and received "2" which is a pretty good score for a girl from Teague, TX. I wanted to relearn it and while it isn't as good as it was then, it's still pretty good. I'll have the other 2 movements up here when I re-learn them as well. Enjoy! PS: If you look closely in the lower left corner you'll see Oliver trying his best to distract me.

Trilogy and Bamboo Scarf

Berroco makes some wonderful yarns. This is Trilogy (wool, cotton and nylon) with Bonsai (Bamboo). From my understanding Trilogy is no longer available, unfortunately. I think it's a wonderful, glitzy, fun yarn. This scarf is wonderfully soft and drapy. It's a commission.

Orange and Pink Rayon and Wool Scarf

This is a scarf I'm keeping because I love the colors and the feel of it. It is made using rayon slub (a yarn that goes from thick to thin and back again) and a hand-dyed yarn from Schaefer called "Ann."

6 Lovely Towels for Mom

Book Review: Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James

James's boks are always so much fun, and this one was no exception. This is the 3rd and final in her "pleasures" series. Gabby is an heiress who was born and raised in India who travels to England to meet her betrothed only to find once there that her betrothed, Peter Dewland, is horrified by her lack of fashion sense.

The inevitable happens at her first ball, and her gown falls fom her shoulders exposing her chest to everyone there and mortifying both her and Peter.

But all that is ok because Peter's brother, Quill, is the one who is in love with Gabby and through several twists and turns (which involve some twisting and turning on the study floor) is the one who marries her and they fall in love with each other.

What I like about James's books (other than the fact that they are so smartly written) is that they are more than just the marriage plot. Yes, that's important, but it's only 1/2 the story. The other half is that the couple has to learn to communicate and live with one another, which they always do. Gabby is a delightful character who likes to "gab" and as a result there is lots of fun dialog and banter throughout.

Highly recommended to historical romance readers.

WW Update

I'm even and David lost 2. That puts us at 11 and 18!

Green Tencel Swedish Lace Scarf

This soft green tencel scarf is indeed soft on the eyes and the skin. It is woven in a Swedish Lace pattern that forms little squares throughout the scarf. Fringe is twisted.

The scarf measures 7x67 and sells for $45.

Book Review: The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale

I loved this book. I was captivated from the first paragraph. That's a feat for a book, in my opinion.

The Shadow and the Star is the 2nd in a series (wish I'd known that and read the first book first...) following the characters Samuel Gerard and Leda Etoile as they learn about love, themselves and the world.

Kinsale does an amazing job of portraying Samuel who was physically and sexually abused as a child in a brothel for boys as he struggles to cope with the feelings of guilt and shame that accompanies sexual abuse. Leda is an orphan who was raised by Miss Myrtle, a genteel maiden, who teaches her all about manners and the proper way of doing things.

There is quite a bit to say about this novel. The structure is very interesting with oscilating chapters between Samuel as a young child after he has come to live with Lady Tess and the "current" story line of Samuel and Leda meeting and then coming into a relationship with one another.

The story line of Leda early in the book reminded me of a 19th century sentimenal novel where the heroine's standards are often tested, and she has to choose the right moral thing to do even if she doesn't know if she will have food to eat the next day or not.

Kinsale also is a great writer. The prose is clean and the story line does not have any tangents or pieces that don't seem to fit--or that were left out. I especially liked how she could make a scene between Samuel and Leda where all he does is touch her face feel so charged with sexual tension. Very nice touch...to use a bad pun.

AND the setting is great--London in 1887-88 and Hawaii from 1860-1888.

Overall I liked this book very much and have added the rest of Kinsale's books to my reading list and will look forward to reading them one day.

Recommended for those who like historical romances.

"just because"

Suspiros Carinitos by Eugenie Rocherolle

Suspiros Carinitos is part of the Spanish Quartet by Rocherolle. I will eventually have all four songs up here. I particularly like the slow yearning pace of this one.

WW Update

I keep losing and gaining the same two pounds...if you're keeping track, I'm up 2 again this week for a total loss of 11. David is even.

I'm going to try to focus better this week. I hope I can manage to do so because if not, I have no idea what to do to lose weight...

Electric Green Bamboo and Cotton Scarf

This "electric" green scarf is made from my favorite bamboo yarn from Southwest Trading Company and pearl cotton. Super soft and SO SO fun, I love it!

This is a commission for Jan. This scarf sells for $55 with lots and lots of color options.

A Quick Note

Just a quick note to let you know that I am sending most of the scarves in the "Handwovens for Sale" label to a store for commission on Monday. Please let me know now if you'd like one so I can pull it out of the box for you!

If you do, you can e-mail me at lesliestbutler@gmail.com and we will go from there!

Victorian Confetti

A bamboo scarf using beautiful sea and sunset inspired colors. The pattern is a gorgeous twill that looks beautiful and different on both sides. David saw this in the loom and said "it looks like victorian confetti" which I thought was apt.

The scarf measures 8.5x72 and sells for $60. It has twisted fringe.

Book Review: Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

I loved the book, as I’ve loved everything she’s written so far. I enjoyed reuniting with the characters. It felt like a really homey reunion where you like everybody and they have fun stories to tell.

That said, the writing was a little odd for Gabaldon. Kind of edgy and hurried. I never understood why the William and Lord Grey sections were so out of synch (time wise) with the rest of the story lines. And I have to say that leaving such a cliff-hanger (well 4 to be exact) is difficult for a reader who knows she won’t see these characters again and reach resolution for at least 2-3 years.

Oh well. If you like the Outlander Series you’ll love this book. If you haven’t read any of the Outlander books, I recommend starting with #1 and reading until now…by the time you’ve finished book 7 it’ll almost be time for book 8 to come out and then you won’t have to agonize over the fates of all the characters in the meantime. Gabaldon is one of my favorite authors and I always love it when she has a new book out. Note of warning, they are LONG books, but so well written and fun that it’s worth the time and effort.

Barn Swallow Scarf

I absolutely love these rayon variegated yarns from Earth Guild's Dragon Tales yarns. They are super silky and drapy and have a wonderful sheen. They weave like a dream and feel wonderful too. I mixed the color, barn swallow, with a gold/cream alpaca boucle (that's the bumpy strips) and wove with a cream tencel. This particular scarf is a commission, but I can do one in the following color-ways if you're interested: pink, grey-black, autumn colors, purple (royal), browns, and the blue/gold of the barn swallow. Let me know if you're interested.

This scarf measures 11.5x66, has twisted fringe and sells for $55.

WW Update

I lost 2 pounds this week and David lost 1.5. He was trying on clothes yesterday and was getting into stuff that he hasn't worn ina while. Very satisfying. I haven't even tried on old clothes in a serious way, but I have put on clothes that were too tight a few month ago that fit very nicely now.

Now, to keep focused this week. I'm having difficulty with the focus thing. I just want to do as well as I can this week and hopefully things will calm down next.

Totals so far: Me, 13, David 16.

Jezebel, Yin and Yang Scarf

The yarns used to create this scarf are by Southwest Trading Company (a theme in my weaving apparently as I love their yarns). They are named Jezebel, Yin and Yang. What fun names for yarn!

The turquoise is merino wool and VERY very soft. The plain grey is bamboo, wool and silk and the lighter grey is bamboo, wool and silk with metallic sequins. It measures 7x64 and sells for$70. the fringe is twisted.

Los Gitanos by Eugenie Rocherolle

Los Gitanos (the gypsies) by Eugenie Rocherolle. A fairly new piece for me, and I like it. Hope you do too!

Red and Black Bamboo and Soy Silk Scarf

Another scarf from my favorite yarns--bamboo and soy silk from Southwest Trading Company. This one is in red variegated with black. It makes me think of Mexia blackcats and Texas Tech Red Raiders! Go teams!

This scarf is a commission for Erin.

Placemats

These placemats are a Christmas gift for Elizabeth, except for 2 (the turquose and maroon ones) that I am keeping for myself. They are ade using all cotton in a patten called advancing twill. I think they look very fancy and complicated. Almost embroidered, actually.

WW Update

Another difficult week on the weight watchers front. David and I both gained 2 pounds. That puts me at an 11 pound loss and him at a 14.5 pound loss. It's looking hard to meet that 20 pound by Thanksgiving goal.

What I learned this week? That I still do not know how to go out to eat and make good choices--maybe there aren't many good choices, which is why David and I have been cooking at home. Drinking wine, which I knew already, really hinders my ability to lose weight.

It makes me feel very confident about our decision to post-pone our Paris trip. We were going to go in December but have decided to wait until October next year so that we don't sabotage our weight loss...I realize after a weekend of entertaining/travel that we made a very good decision...

Doctor Graddus by Debussy

This song by Debussy is part of the Children's Corner suite. It is an imagining of his daughter practicing her excercises on the piano and then drifting off to dream-land. She repeatedly brings herself back to the themed exercises (the theme from the beginning), though. However, she ends in a mad-dash of arpeggios, showing dissonance, and bangs out the last few measures of the song. You can imagine her running off to play with her friends after the last "bong" at the end.

It is quite a difficult piece to learn, and I still don't have it "perfected" but this is as good as I've played it to date. I love the piece and will continue to work on it as I'm quite proud of having learned it...I do believe it's the most difficult piece I've ever played.

WW Update

Things disintegrated for me about Thursday this week, when I got hungry and couldn't seem to fill up no matter what I did. I ended up gaining what I lost last week, 1.5 pounds. David lost what he gained last week, 2.5 pounds. That puts us at 13 pounds and 16.5 respectively.

I am hoping to maintain this upcoming week. We are having company beginning Thursday, are going to New Orleans with them on Friday and having a dinner party on Saturday. I am going to try to make good choices, but I have to say that eating healthy and "partying" don't seem to go together for me...but we are trying by only going out to dinner the once.

Oh, I wish I could wear wool

...and I would keep this scarf! I love the colors and the subtle way that the variegations occurs in this scarf. It's wool and merino/nylon, measures 6.5x60 and sells for $50. The fringe is hemmed and loose.

It's been a long time coming!

I know it's been a while since I've posted a song...I've been working on several difficult pieces and have just not gotten them to where I like them well enough to post. There will be a few others in the coming days. Enjoy! This is Rondo alla Turca by Burgmueller. One of my favorites ever.

Burgundy and Gold Napkins

These are a commission for my friend Erin. There are 6 napkins in burgundy and gold woven in a plaited twill pattern. They are smaller than the napkins I generally make, but turned out just about perfect!

WW Update

10 weeks into the program and we are doing very well. I lost 1.5 pounds this week for a total of 14.5 and David lost 2.5 for a total of 14. We are rocking along! yea us!

My thoughts so far. It's been a very positive experience so far. I'm not exercising yet because I simply don't have the mental energy to figure that out along with eating right AND writing a dissertation, so exercise will wait. I'm still losing weight at a rate of over 1 pound per week, and that's very motivating. The points system allows for a great flexibility--I can eat what I want, for the most part, and just keep track of it. I usually have one indulgence per week. Tracking what I eat has also been very helpful. I usually plan my day's food out the night before and that way I know what I'm eating for snacks, lunch, breakfast AND dinner, and it's kept that "fear" of hunger at bay.

My goal was to lose 20 pounds by Thanksgiving--my first goal. I think I'm going to make it!

Oh, and what's even more motivating is that this week I've really been able to see and feel the weight loss. It's very exciting.