WW Update

I lost 2.5 pounds this week and David lost 2, so now we're down a total of 8.5 and 11! yea!!!!!

Everybody needs a red shawl!

It is made using the bumble bee yarn from a couple of scarves ago--this time in red. I doubled the cotton warp so that it "shimmers" a little with the brighter red against a burgandy. Soft, nice weight, yummy!

It measures 14x80, has twisted fringe and sells for $105.

An Oasis of Love

The two yarns used in this scarf are Oasis (soy silk) and Love (bamboo and silk). It is amazingly wonderful feeling. Sumptuous I would call it.

It measures 6.5x66, has twisted fringe and sells for $85. Worth every penny, too.

Yarn Trees!

I bought these two yarn trees to store all my coned yarns. I LOVE them. They twirl so I have access to all sides, AND they look great. My studio is looking more and more like a store everyday!

The weekend

Went to the Beau Rivage to stay and then attend the socials for David's program's 10th anniversary. It was great seeing all the alums and prospective students. The socials were really wonderful.

The Beau's bathtub was amazing as usual. I have to get me one of those.

And every single one of the books I have listed over on the left are wonderful. I love it when that happens.

I lost one pound--my experiment this time was to eat whatever I wanted (within reason, I packed my breakfasts and snacks and ate lunch and dinner there) but not have any alcohol. I weighed before I left to see how "bad" the weekend was for me. I'd lost one pound before I left, SO that means I maintained this weekend by eating what I wanted. Albeit it was only 3 days, bu STILL! That's good to know. Now, next experiment I will eat health and drink alcohol and see how that goes.

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Book 2 in Kathie and Leslie's "assignment".

The Handmaid's Tale tells the story of Offred, who has become a handmaid in the Gileadian society. It is set in the "near future" (a the time of writing, it would be "now" today) America after a fundamentalist Christian group takes over America. Atwood imagines a world where Rachel Carson's predictions in The Silent Spring come to fruition--our pollutants have created an unsafe environment, with whole species becoming extinct and the human population in decline because of environmentally influenced sterility.

Women and men fit into proscribed roles, but since the story is about Offred, we really only delve into the position of women. Offre, who has proven her fertility in the "before" time by having a child is put into the Handmaid's role: she will have children for the new society. Emotions and love are absentin Gilead and people behave in an almost robotic way.

The most haunting aspect of The Handmaid's Tale for me was the memories of "before" that Offred has. She remembers times with her husband and child and piecemeal tells us about their relationship and how she got to where she is now.

Atwood is an amazing writer. The writing in this book makes it worth reading. The story told makes it worth re-reading. I think this book should be required reading for all college students. Amazing.

dead snake

I went outside this morning to get my clean clothes and found a curled up dead snake right outside my door on the sreened porch...totally covered in ants. At least it was dead and the cats didn't bring it inside. But, since David's out of town, I had to deal with the carcass...and now I feel like I'm crawling with ants (see it was the ants that bothered me more than the snake, it was after all dead).

Oh, how we take our men for granted sometimes. Wish you were here sweetie!

College

My girls started college today! I'm so proud of them...a little in awe that they're grown up. Can't wait to get the "low-down" Friday morning over coffee...

What a wonderful weekend

I had such a nice time traveling with my sweetheart to attend my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary party (congrats Jackie and Janice!)...the party was such a nice event and so perfect for the two of them.

Travel while doing WW wasn't the best for me, though. I gained one pound. David lost two. I think it was the wine--I had more than a glass or two at the winery. Hmmm...anyway, will try to do better this coming weekend when I will be attending David's program's 10th anniversary party. Two nights of socials, but I'd already decide not to drink anything alcoholic.

Royal Blue Dimity Scarf

Dimity is a fabric made using a plain weave ground with stripes of twill. The twill stripes are set so that they are twice as dense as the plain weave and they "puff" up a little. The effect is very formal and pretty.

The scarf is woven using tencel and cotton. It is gorgeous and very silky soft. Fringe is twisted. It measures 7x65 and sells for $80.

Midnight Pleasures by Eloisa James

I loved this book. I didn't want it to be over. I loved the characters and felt for them during all their tribulations and joys. Superbly written and just plain fun.

Sophie falls for a rake and fears marrying him because her father has made her mother's life so miserable. In order to avoid him, she agrees to marry a "safe" man, only to decide not to and to marry Patrick, the rake, instead.

The marriage plot happens pretty quickly and then the remainder of the story is about the two newlyweds learning the miseries of poor communication in marriage. They are consistently given the advice to talk about things and just as consistently avoid talking about things until an event happens that forces them to address what's going on.

Highly recommended for romance fans (read Potent Pleasures first) and literature majors who enjoy being rebellious and reading something outside the canon. There are so many cleverly disguised jokes and funnies that it's delightful finding them. Though, according to my Aunt Betty, you don't want to read Eloisa James aloud to your mama.

Net Zero

I'm down one pound and David is up one. We'll see how we do with travel in our plans this week...

Bumble Bee Scarf

The yarn used for this scarf is by a company called Mango Moon...Bumble Bee yarn is polyester and viscose, soft and bumpy and in vibrant colors. I just love it. This scarf is made using the bumble bee and a cotton yarn. It would be wonderful for any day when you need a "pick me up" or just to show your funky attitude.

It measures 6x64 and sells for $55. Fringe is twisted.

Whoop!

David and I each lost 5 pounds this week! Go us!

8 Napkins

I made these for our personal use. They are made using a cotton linen blend yarn that is wonderful for kitchen linens. They are soft, durable and stain resistant. The pattern is called a plaited (or braided) twill. I've taken close-up photos so you can see the individual patterns. I love these!

My evening

My daughters invited us to their apartment and cooked dinner for us tonight. The food was great, conversation fun. I'm really enjoying my grown-up girls!

Book Review: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

A delightful Jane Austen read. She is wry and witty, sarcastic and sweet. The story line follows an "anti heroine" Catherine Morland as she travels from her childhood home to Bath and meets with people who are both genuine and fake. Learning to tell the difference and dealing with the consequences show the growth of our main character...who I loved for her charming simplicity.

We're at it again...

David and I joined Weight Watchers on-line yesterday. I hope we manage to lose the weight this time...for two people who can be so successful at so many different things, this is one that seems to elude us.

Double Weave Tool Holder

This may be the coolest thing I've ever made. It is made using a double weave technique that leaves the sides open. When you change which yarns are on "top" and which are on "bottom" you create horizontal pockets that work, in this case, as tool holders. I had a great time making it.

Book Review: Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

Earthly Joys tells the story of John Tradescant, gardener to gentry and royalty during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I. Following his life as he serves one lord and then another, Gregory offers a very interesting insight into life during the tumultuous time in England after Queen Elizabeth I died.

Tradescant's family are exploring their own faith outside of the newly formed and established Church of England, at a time when the royalty seem to be backlashing into catholic ways. The tension for John is that he staunchly believes in the great chain of being--god ordained the king who ordained the gentry who ordained their servants, etc. He can't seem to understand how his family can question this way of knowing the world, and thus all of John's decisions are based on what he believes he should do to serve is Lord.

I wasn't crazy about Earthly Joys, but I did like it. I really liked the perspecive Gregory takes by looking at life from a garderner rather than from a gentry or royal person. But I really didn't like how Tradescant so stubbornly held to his service to his masters despite the fact that he knew logically he shouldn't. I also didn't like the section in the middle of the book when Tradescant was serving the Duke of Buckingham. I finished the book with a strong curiosity about the sequel, so plan to read that one at some point in time

If you are a big fan of Gregory, I recommend it. If you like historical fiction, I say give the book a read and see if you like it...Otherwise, I don't know.