Plan C

Our plan C involves moving all the pots to the back porch. The thief, if so inclined, will have to search our property to find them and then go back there where there is a spot light to pick them up. I do hope this works as I will be very disappointed if they strike again and steal more plants.

I do like the plants back here and this coming weekend we will remove the rose bushes that aren't doing well and rearrange the pots so that they are more aesthetic.

Resting

I'm so upset...

Obviously two pots are emtpy...the one at the very top in the middle has half of the plant removed and the on in the row below it and to the right has about 1/3 of it removed. Time to get a camera, but to what point? To find out who is doing this? Unless we know them, what then?

Silk Scarf

With this blue silk scarf, I took advantage of how the different yarns and colors play with light and created a block pattern that does just that. The darker blue is a boucle yarn, which means it has tiny bumps or circles throughout. It give an interesting texture contrast to the sleek shiny lighter blue. The scarf is luxurious.

It measures 7x70" and sells for $90.

Book Review: The Music Lesson by Katharine Weber

A very quick read. Patricia Dolan tells her story of love, loss, and discovery through a journal written over several days while she is alone in a remote west-coast Irish village cottage with a stolen painting. How she got there and what she does while there is really the meat of the story.

She meets a distant Irish cousin, Mickey O’Driscoll, who she immediately feels passion for and who woos her into participating in his fight against the “English occupation of Northern Ireland.” She consciously assists with the theft of the painting and sits with it while it the Irish liberators are awaiting the ransom money—which doesn’t come and creates an awkward moment in the novel where painful decisions have to be made.

I enjoyed the book, and found Weber’s writing to be very engaging. I was surprised at how quickly I read through the entire book—less than a day start to finish. What I found a little dubious is the use of a painting as collateral for ransom money…maybe I just don’t understand rebel politics. Overall, though, a good read and recommended.

Book Review: Tortuga by Rudolfo Anaya

Tortuga is a bittersweet novel about a 16-year old boy who is injured in an accident and must go to the Crippled Children’s Hospital to recover. Set in the 1950s when Iron Lungs helped keep the most severe polio sufferers alive, this bleak portrait of life in a hospital somehow shines with a luminescence that I found very surprising.

Tortuga uses his spiritual gifts to connect with the “vegetables” in the polio ward and is overcome with the grief of life and suffering he sees there. Driven to despair he contemplates suicide, yet survives and then goes on to become a singer about pain and suffering as well as the beauty of life that he manages to see through his experiences at the hospital.

I’m painting a rather ominous picture of one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. The basic plot-line is as I’ve described above, but the desire to live and fight and be more than you currently are, coupled with beautiful prose, witty characters and an overall joy of living that permeates throughout the book, Tortuga does not leave the reader despairing. Instead, the reader finishes with a sense of hope and confidence in the future.

MMM...tasty?

Book Review: A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin

What an amazing book. Really, truly, amazing.

Cullin imagines Sherlock Holmes at 93: memory failing and facing the end of his life. What lessons and observations will that ingenious deciphering mind come up with when faced with love and loss, and at such a fleeting time that he’s likely not to remember it when he next wakes up or reaches into his pocket for the next snippet of memory placed there at some previous time.

The novel consists of three plot lines. The first is “present day” (1947) Sherlock—93 and just returning from a trip to Japan where he is in search of the elusive prickly ash plant. Here we see Sherlock interacting with his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro, and her son, Roger. Mrs. Munro’s husband was killed in combat in WWII. Sherlock attends his bees, harvesting the royal jelly for its health benefits.

The second plot line follows the trip to Japan where Sherlock meets up with a man whose real purpose for bringing Sherlock to Japan was to find answers about his long-lost father. Sherlock does find a prickly ash plant and cherishes the experience, much of the remainder of the trip is lost to “present day” Sherlock, but the reader gets beautifully written passages about post-war Japan and how WWII not only affected the landscape in Hiroshima but also the minds and souls of the Japanese people.

The third plot line is Sherlock’s own telling of one of his cases that wasn’t recorded by Dr. Watson. In this story, Mr. Keller, strives to find out what is troubling his wife. Sherlock find some sort of fascination or love for Mrs. Keller in his brief encounter with her in a garden, leading to his love of bees and tending of the apiary.

While the description of the separate plots sounds confusing or overwhelming the book is far from that. Very tightly written and organized, I found myself completely drawn into the story of a man whose memory—that thing that has defined him his entire life—is failing and he’s aware of it. The elusiveness of memory, of the bees, of love, of humanity permeates this beautifully written book. It will remain on my shelf.

I wish I had Smell-O-Blog

This is the jasmine we planted last year--there are three bushes on the lattice here, this is the pic of the one in the middle. The smell is amazing.

This is celebration!

Casey's Towels

4 towels for my cousin Casey who is getting married today...they'll arrive a little late, oh well. 100% cotton and soft and wonderful as all the other towels, in aqua, royal blue, natural and beige.

Rosey Bushes

The roses are planted on our back patio. The creeper in the corner (tied up to the trellis) has been a hanger-on since we moved into the house 8 years ago. We cut it back, it didn't grow, we dug it up, or thought so, and left it for dead...only last year it grew back, so we decided to wait and see what would happen. Lovely deep red roses on it.

Book Review: The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith

The King's Grace is a good read. I've read the two previous books in this series and enjoyed both of them immensely as well.

Smith writes about the time in British history typically called "the war between the roses"--the house of Lancaster and the house of York vie for the throne ending up with the Tudor King Henry VII eradicating the York line.

This installment is told from the perspective of Grace, one of Edward IV's bastard children, who is welcomed at court and plays an important role in this fictionalized portrayal of the mystery of the "boys in the tower" (King Edward's legitimate sons who were placed in the tower by Richard and never seen again).

The story is captivating and despite the fact that the book is so big, you really dig in and want to sit and read and read. I find myself getting to that point with each of Smith's books, and I really enjoy that I have so much to read--I can stay captivated for a long time. The characters are likable--or not when they shouldn't be--and the plot is interesting with enough turns to keep you reading, but not too many so that it doesn't seem plausible.

My only complaint is Smith's attempt at mimicking the middle English vernacular. It couldn't be done and be readable, but the "certes" and "tis" and other such words thrown in for "authenticity" don't ring true with this reader. I find myself overlooking it, though, after a few pages.

I'm happy...

I'm happy that my civic ordeal is over this week. We meet tomorrow, get "released" and then I'll never ever ever have to do that again.

38 days...

In 38 days I won't have to have conversations with either of my daughters about whether they are actually going to do their clothes or just complain about them being dirty...I won't miss that at all...I'm really looking forward to being friendly with them...and not "dealing" with irritableness and gripiness and other teenage ickiness!

Sonatina in C Major, Mvt. I, by Kuhlau

Please forgive the early flubs...other than that I think it's a decent playing.

They didn't ruffle, but they're still pretty

Don't know what happened, but the wool didn't shrink so the scarf didn't ruffle...and since it was so long, I cut it in two, hemmed them and have them for sale here. They are very lovely, soft and silky to the touch. They measure 9x62 and sell for $35 each. The yarns used are rayon, tencel and merino wool.

Alyssa and Elizabeth Go to Prom!

Attempted Theft

There was an attempted theft of one of the flower pots last night, but they didn't get very far, thank goodness. Now I guess we wait and see if they come back with wire cutters or give up the "easy gardening" to another victim.

First Blush

Our first rose of the season.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I loved this book.

Gaskell follows the life of Mattie Jenkyns, told from the perspective of a young woman named Mary Smith. Mattie's older sister, Dorothy, dies fairly early in the book and the remainder of the book is about Mattie's relationships with her friends and neighbors and society. They have several adventures including a conjuror, supposed thieves, marriage, love, betrayal, bank failure. But one thing remains constant--good people are appreciated and supported and "win" in the end. Winning doesn't mean that they get rich or have a windfall, but that they are happy.

Gaskell does a wonderful job of creating very life-like and enjoyable characters and presenting a simple story in a manner that did not feel simple. I really enjoyed reading this book and was kind of sad to finish it. I'll watch the mini-series presented by Masterpiece theater in the coming weeks. Looking forward to that as well.

And then 2 more were gone...

In an effort to keep this from happening until there are no more flowers, David has wired all the pots together. How I wish for a night vision camera to catch the thief's surprise when they try to pick up a particular pot and end up with 12 more! Hopefully this will do the trick.

What's missing?

This morning when I opened up the blinds to my front porch I noticed that the prettiest flower pot was missing. Gone. Someone stole our flower pot!

Spinning Song by Albert Elmenreich

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I made a good choice. It's such a charming book.

I've Given up...Twice

One of the things that I took away from the pursuit of a PhD in American Literature is the complete understanding that I do not have to finish a book if I don't like it. I decided upon deciding to quit that monstrous degree that if I wasn't ENJOYING what I was reading then I didn't HAVE to read it. I had paid my dues, and my time was worth way more than the book was.

I do try, though, to read a book, even if I'm not 100% into it after the first few pages--and how many books can you honestly say have "hooked" you page one (Elegance of the Hedgehog most recently, most not at all). So I do try and give the book a couple of reading sessions--sometimes a couple of days. But when I find that I'd rather do the dishes or clean out my closets than sit and read, I know that I'm just simply not "into" the book.

Recently, I was avoiding Pawn in Frankencense by Dorothy Dunnett. I've read the previous three books in this series and really loved book 3. Book 2 was a challenge to get through, but I chalked a lot of the main character's challenging personality traits to youth and figured that he had gotten over himself some. In book 3 I was not disappointed. It was a gripping and very well-written book. However, book 4 found me totally engrossed in mindless nintendo games during reading time, and after a couple of weeks of making absolutely no progress I decided that it wasn't time for me to read the book, passed it along to David and picked up this month's bookclub selection--which I was really looking forward to reading.

And was quickly and sorely disappointed. The Devil Wears Prada is not my cup of tea. I can barely stand the immature whining baby antics of the main character/narrator, and Miranda is simply a psychotic control freak who somehow manages to produce the top fashion magazine while going around and making everyone's life absolutely miserable. I used to work for a bad boss--granted he wasn't quite as bad as Miranda, but he was pretty awful--and I got myself out of that situation as soon as I could. I wanted to ask the characters, "so what if you don't jump 10 feet when she says to do so? What IF everyone decided to rebel? Why let yourself be so cowtowed? Get another job if this one makes you so miserable!" But since I can't converse with the characters, change the plot or writing style of the author, I decided that I'd read the end and see if there was at least some redeeming change in plot (nothing unpredictable) at which point I decided that the journey to the ending just simply wasn't worth the book. I also have to mention that the book is so stressful that reading it causes me not to sleep well...and that's never a good thing!

So, now after two rough reading experiences, I'll go pick out a new book--I bought several this weekend and am looking forward to each and every one of them. Every book offers so much promise before you open them up. Some of them deliver, some of them don't, but I'm always excited about starting anew and seeing what this new set of characters or plot twists will bring me. I think I'm going to go for something safe, though...something that I know I'll enjoy and will get me over this bad hump...how to make that decision, though...

Gray and Blue Alpaca and Velura Scarf

Heavenly was right. This scarf is so light and soft that you just want to pet it all the time. I used a spot lace pattern which gives the fabric a very airy feel. The fringe is cut short. The scarf measures 6x70 and sells for $75.

Update

I got my "all-clear" letter from the follow-up mammogram. yea!

Towels

These 4 cotton kitchen towels were originally intended for consignment, but my friend Sarah might want them, so maybe they'll stay here in Hattiesburg. They are 100% cotton and made using a twill design that creates a neat plaid look.

update

I got a call-back on my mammogram. I go for another one tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Invention 8 by J.S. Bach

Sorry about the bad picture. I didn't realize how badly the back lighting interfered. I hope you enjoy the piece. I've been working hard on it for 2 months!

I've been busy...

Doing stuff...nothing exciting. Dr's appointments, mammogram, that sort of thing, but I've also been playing on my new piano and loving it...and working on my new set of kitchen towels that I'm going to send for commission along with a few other things that haven't sold here. Today I'm going to lunch with a friend. Work? It's happening too.

But as I said, nothing exciting. Hopefully something will come up before the end of the week.

Update

In keeping with our year of diet and exercise, I'm reporting the results for the end of Month 2:

• David has lost 16 pounds
• I have lost 8.5 pounds
• We find that if we drink alcohol we don't lose weight
• I find that having a dessert once per week is perfect; I don't feel totally deprived and I can always wait until Friday or Saturday for a planned "splurge
• We are going to work on redefining "fun"...we like to go out to eat and have a few drinks and that's how we've unwound (and apparently gained weight)...so the focus for this month is to find alternative ways to have fun so that our priority of losing weight this year can be met

Big News!

I bought a new piano--a real piano. The Clavinova started buzzing for some reason and the music store where I purchased it gave me a full refund, and I applied that towards a very nice Yamaha upright. It's top of the mid-line or bottom of the top-end. Shiny, black. Plays beautifully. I'll have pics up after it's delivered today--probably around 5pm or so.

yea!

Book Review: The Darcy Connection

Elizabeth’s Aston’s books are like a breath of fresh air. I have absolutely loved reading every single one of them. The Darcy Connection follows the lives of Eliza and Charlotte, who are the 20 and 21 year old daughters of Charlotte and Mr. Collins—the cousin of the Bentons who will inherit the estates once Mr. Benton dies.

Eliza must accompany her sister Charlotte to London in order to escape making a bad reputation for herself and potentially ruining her sister’s marriage opportunities. She is carted along as an afterthought without an allowance for clothing and is told not to expect to go out to many dances and balls.

Eliza is actually not unhappy with this situation. She gets to sample the real life of London, finds more characters and circumstances for her parodies of life that she writes secretly under a pseudonym, and she learns that the young man she has been separated from really isn’t a good choice for her husband. And she falls in love with a man who is not only rich beyond her imagination but will also provide her a happy marriage.

Meanwhile, her beautiful sister Charlotte is making the rounds of all the parties and dances and strikes awe in the breast of many a young man. She almost makes a serious misstep, but still manages to make a very good marriage for herself and her family.

Filled with manners, misunderstandings, mores, villains, cranky older women, and mamas without much compunction about putting their daughters “on the market,” The Darcy Connection charms the reader with humor and a feminist perspective of life in early 1800s England. I always enjoy Aston’s books, and this was no exception.

Prelude in b Minor by Chopin

This a moody prelude by Chopin. I've been working on the voicing (making the melody "sing") and think I'm close. Enjoy!

Solfeggietto by C.P.E. Bach

This is the first piece my new piano teacher introduced to me. I liked it immediately and have been working on getting it perfect. It's difficult to get an entire performance without a mistake, and this one is no exception. One tiny blubber on the keys, but other than that it ain't bad. Hope you like it.

Book Review: A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

A Lion Among Men continues the Wicked series by Gregory Maguire. Focusing on the character of the cowardly lion who accompanies Dorothy to Oz and is her accomplice in killing the Wicked Witch of the West, the book examines the concept of identity and family and how important it is to have a sense of groundedness in a past that pre-exists us yet defines us by placing us into a set of boundaries.

The Lion, named Brrr, is the baby lion cub who Elphaba saves from a despicable scientific experiment. He grows up in the woods without family, somehow surviving and moving on to find what it means to have companionship. He makes a name for himself by playing dead during a riot—the people of Traum herald him as a cowardly hero, provide him with a handsome purse of money and a train ticket to get out of town. He settles in the university town of Shiz where he makes a name for himself as an art connoisseur. He finances his purse well and also becomes somewhat of a dandy.

Things change for Brrr, however, when he realizes that he is ostracized because he is an Animal. Fearing for his life at one point, he leaves Shiz and embarks on a journey to discover his Animal origins and find a place that will continue to define him. He somehow fails at every attempt to find companionship and ends up in the guise of a government recorder of information in order to stay away from jail. It is, ironically, his cowardly nature and his connection with the Wicked Witch of the West that provide him an escape from prison.

It is during this job that he meets up with Yackl. Yackl is a sort of guardian angel sent to guard over Elphaba and her progeny. She becomes lucid and magical at times when necessary and otherwise seems like a crazy loon other times. Interspersed with Brrr’s story is Yackl’s. We learn that she woke up an old woman and had visions, powerful vision, when pertaining to Elphaba and her family. She is waiting to die but doesn’t know how to. Brrr’s job, she learns, is to help her learn to die and hers is to help Brrr learn to live.

The book is a very nice addition to the Wicked series. I enjoyed the writing: Maguire has a magical way with words, so his books are always a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed Wicked, though it would be helpful to understanding the sequence of events to also read the 3 books in order.

Red Cotton Chenille Scarf

This scarf is soft and fuzzy and is perfect for that cool late fall or early spring evening. I used a merino wool tape in variegated black to white as an accent running along the right side. It shows up on the front but not the back. Fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 8x60 and sells for $50.

4 cotton towels

I think these turned out nice--not as I expected, but I like them. They are VERY soft, and I like the pattern's holes throughout (not sure if you can see them in the picture...try clicking on it and seeing a close-up). They are woven in green, natural and gold yarns with a rust accent. These are a house-warming gift for my friend Jeff.

Fur Elise by Beethoven

I think Fur Elise is such a pretty song, one of my favorites. It's not perfect, but it's getting there. Hope you enjoy.

L'Arabesque by Burgmuller

This is an easy one, but I like it. You'll have to let me know if you enjoy the music...

L'Orage by Burgmuller

This is me playing a L'Orage by Burgmuller. L'Orage translates to "the storm." I have been working on this piece for about 3 weeks and am almost happy with it. There are still a few tempo changes and some dynamics I need to work on, but I do hope you enjoy.

Update

David and I have decided to make 2009 our year to prioritize diet and exercise. To that end we are getting up and exercising every weekday morning. We are also eating a healthy diet that consists of lots of vegies and fruits, all homecooked meals, and very little sweets and alcohol. To date, I have lost 4.5 pounds and he has lost 11 pounds.

Book Review--Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi

No I didn't finish two books two days apart. I was away last week and finished Hegehog and only had time to do my review yesterday. I finished Lambert Square last night.

And I have to say that I was disappointed. I love Rosina Lippi. I enjoy her writing and have enjoyed every book she's written to date--both as Rosina Lippi and Sarah Donati. That said, my disappointment in this book may be exaggerated because I expected so much more from it and because I've just finished 4 really good books in a row. To me it didn't deliver. Here are a few reasons why:

• I just didn't buy that the main female character could be so agoraphobic, or depressed, or whatever you want to call it, and then just snap out of it in the end. The ending just didn't ring true to me.
• I thought the language fell short of true Southern dialog. She attempted to reach it, but it just didn't sound right. The "might could"'s screamed at me as being mis-placed or mis-used. Overall the language just didn't work, and that was a surprise because Lippi has always done such a good job with language and dialog and dialect.
• I felt like the characterizations of the Southerners in the book bordered on insulting stereotypes. They came across as overly naive, silly and dumb. And that the northerners were so smart and savvy and otherwise worldy just didn't work for me.
• The use of either young of old characters as the "voice of wisdom" seemed trite.
• I'm not a huge fan of dogs, and the dogs in this book annoyed me. Petty I know, but I just don't like it when animals in books seem to think or talk to their humans. It was as if the animals were the psychologists as the older or young characters were, and I also found that trite.
• The plot of the book seemed a little shallow as well. It's almost as if nothing happened throughout, though it did...Julia and Dodge adressed emotional and relationship issues and learned to deal with them in their own way...but other than that, nothing really happened outside of time passing.
• Finally, while I understand that all writers will put in their political stance and viewpoints, and while I don't disagree with Lippi's criticisms of George W. Bush, I did have issues with the two women who were passing along political propaganda against GWB when it didn't seem to have any relevance to the plot of the book or the characterization of these rather minor characters at all. If the characters had sat around at a party and discussed politics and disagreed on GWB and his policies and actions, that would have rung much more truly to me and set some sort of "reason" for the criticisms. It just seemed gratuitous, and I found that problematic.

In short, I didn't hate the book, though my list of complaints does seem rather long. I did enjoy it. I read it through to the end and fairly quickly. However, I just kept waiting for it to get better, to get moving along, to do something, but it never really did anything for me. I'm looking forward to Donati's next book and hope that it doesn't disappoint as well.

Book Review--The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I've really be wracking my brains to figure out how to adequately review this book, and I've been failing every time. I start a review and then realize that it comes up far short of this wonderful book...then I start over only to have the same problem again.

In short, I loved this book. It is up there as one of my favorites ever. I loved the characters, the writing, the structure of the novel, the setting (who wouldn't love Paris), the thought-provoking commentary over class systems, and the emotional connection I made with the characters.

Set in current dayParis, The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the journals of two narrators. Renee, or Madame Michel, is a concierge at a ritzy apartment building. Paloma Josse, one of the residents, is a 12-year-old girl who has decided that life is futile and in order to avoid the miseries of being an adult will kill herself on her 13th birthday.

Both characters share that they are very intelligent and trying to hide that intelligence--for different reasons. But they connect through their subversion of class expectations and form a bond that is at once touching and illuminating. They are brought together by a new resident in the building, a Japanese man who sees through both of their attempts to "go underground."

I don't want to say more about the plot of the book, but I do want to point out that when I finished it I was crying my eyes out...something I very rarely do with a book.

It's a Southern Miss Scarf!--SOLD

In Southern Miss colors, this lovely bamboo and cotton scarf is both silky and comfy. The gold is variegated to provide depth and a suprise of color. The black sets off the bright color very nicely. Any Southern Miss fan would be proud to wear this scarf. The weave pattern is called a Plaited Twill and looks like a braid running up and down the scarf. It adds to the complexity of the rich colors. The fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 9.5 x 68 and sells for $55.

Navy and Natural Napkins

These napkins are so soft. I really love them. They turned out very nice, too, and provide a very traditional pattern for a very traditional item. They will be sent to my friend Jeff for his attaining tenure this year. Congratulations Jeff!

For those of you who are close readers...

You'll notice that I changed my "what I'm reading" without providing a book review first. That's because I didn't read Pajama Girls of Lambert Square, yet. I decided to go ahead and start the bookclub book for February because with tax prep going on (finished early thank goodness) and my civic duty next week and exercising (M-F for 2 weeks straight) and eating right (everyday for 2 weeks!), I wasn't sure if I'd have time to finish it in time...So, I'm now reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog...and loving it. Few books captivate me with the first couple of pages, but this one did. I'm really really liking it. And I'll definitely finish it in time to do a book review well before book club.

Book Review: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Son of a Witch has its good points and bad...I can't decide if I really liked it or not. I guess a few days' reflection will help with that. SOW is the 2nd installment in Gregory Maguire's Wicked series and follows the story of Liir, who is assumed to be Elphaba's son. He has her general temperament--disatisfied with the world and struggling to identify himeslf mostly through rebellion against the government that is wreaking havoc on the citizens of Oz.

We get the story of Liir as he leaves the witch's murder scene and travels to Oz in the hopes of finding his half-sister Nor. He is rejected by the wizard and then struggles to survive as he hunts for a way to locate Nor. He joins the Home Guard and becomes a well-regarded soldier. Eventually, however, he runs away after causing an accident that killed several people. In running away he uses the broom to fly home to Kiamo Ko and ends up being attacked later by Dragons.

He barely survives the attack and determines at this point that he must seek vengence, which is what the latter half of the books is about. We are left with a very enigmatic ending--wondering what could possible come next.

Though I wasn't thrilled with this book, I did enjoy reading it and am looking forward to the third installment in the series: Lion Among Men.

Green and Gold and Peach Huck Lace Scarf

This scarf is a lovely soft green and gold and peach huck lace scarf made with cotton. There is a specialty mohair boucle (bumpy) yarn that adds a little texture and interest. The scarf measures 5.25 x 68", has twisted fringe and sells for $50. Please leave a comment if you are interested.

Happy 17th A&E

Sorry to be late, but here they are in their 17-year-old beauty!

Grey and Blue Alpaca Lace Scarf

This scarf is made using a lace weight alpaca yarn that is variegated from light grey to a medium blue. The overall effect looks like denim, but this scarf is soft and very very light-weight. It measures 8x70 and has loose fringe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas this year. We have had a great time. I gave and received some wonderful gifts, have eaten some wonderful food, spent time with family and friends and for the most part really enjoyed relaxing and being kind of lazy.

I hope 2009 starts off great for everyone!

Pink and Grey Scarf--SOLD

This scarf is made from pink variegated bamboo and a gray "ribbon" that is made up of merino, viscose and polyamide. The result is a soft, silky, yet very warm scarf. The pattern is a rose path diamond twill. Fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 6x68 and sells for $60.

A Sassy Purse for a Sassy Girl

Elizabeth's purse is the same pattern as the others I've made. It's pearl cotton with some specialty yarns (merino tape, bamboo and soy silk in this case). I made it a little smaller for her because she tends to try to carry everything she can in a purse and I didn't think a homemade purse could withstand the test. At any rate, I hope she loves it! Merry Christmas!

Piano Lesson

I went to meet my new piano teacher yesterday--her name is Jan Mesrobian. I liked her. She teaches a little differently than my other teachers did, but that's to be expected as I'm an adult now and she's a different person and all.

I'm going to enjoy it, though, and am really looking forward to getting started. Maybe I can figure out how to put some sound-bits on here and you can hear me play sometime!

Book Review--Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked by Gregory Maguire is a great book. A really great book. I saw the play last year in Chicago and really enjoyed it. The book, which I read before seeing the play and then again this past month, is SO much better. It felt to me like the play "disney-ized" Maguire's story a little more than necessary. It's still a great musical, but not really the story presented in the book.

I really enjoyed this book the second time through. I'm surprised at how little I remembered from my first reading, but I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. Maguire takes the Wonderful Wizard of Oz story and rewrites it from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. Her life is chronicled from her conception to her death. She is a very lovable and interesting character.

The main thesis of the book is asking the questions "what is good and evil?" and "who gets to determine what is defined as good and evil?" For me, the analogy presented in the book is of Nazi Germany during the rise of Hitler. I haven't found any articles about it, but David agrees with my perception.

I re-read Wicked for the purpose of reading the next two books in the series: Son of a Witch and Lion Among Men.

Happy Anniversary to Me and David!

Today is our 18th anniversary! I feel as if yesterday we were walking down the aisle and David was crying and I was trying VERY hard not to laugh. How fun it's been!

A Brown Purse

This brown cotton purse was commissioned by my friend Erin for her daughter Jordan. It's mostly brown cotton with highlights in green cotton and a lighter brown variegated soy silk. I think it turned out really nicely. Plus, I'm getting the hang of sewng these little bags together.

A New Piano AND a Big Surprise, all in one day!

So, yesterday was a big day--so big in fact that I had a really hard time going to sleep. At any rate, I've been saving up for some time to buy a new electronic piano keyboard and finally had almost enough and went and bought one yesterday. I love it. I've been practicing, and my hands are actully sore. I can't believe I went for 20 years without playing.

Then yesterday David also gave me my big surprise. It's an anniversary gift that he's been sneaking around for a while getting everything done on it and it's really sweet and wonderful. It's a pencil and charcoal drawing made from a picture taken of us when we were in Salzburg, Austria this summer. I think it's a really good likeness and will enjoy keeping it around forever.

Red Shawl

This shawl is for my friend, Erin's, mother. It's made from a slightly darker and shinier red tencel and a red bamboo. The pattern is called M&O. The pattern creates a very nice, overall, lacy pattern. I think this shawl looks rich. It feels very silky and wonderful, too. I think this would be a wonderful shawl for a party or church.

4 Towels for Tony

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas and thanks for being my guinea pig!

These are 4, 100% cotton towels woven in a diamond twill pattern. Each towel is different. The experimental part of these towels was that I used a special yarn called "taffy" that is "slubbed" which means it has thick and thin portions to it. I did not find the effect to really be worth the cost of the yarn, but Tony will have to tell me whether it "makes" the towels for him.

These are really pretty. The colors are great and are, in my opinion, perfect "Tony" colors! Enjoy!