Category Archives: Reading

Knitting, Reading

In which I introduce a new family member

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Don’t forget to regularly check in on the Pet Connection Blog! Over 5500 products from more than 100 companies have now been recalled. Let’s not even get started on the contaminants being in the US and Canadian human food stream.

Reading Update
Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie. Moving right along through the Kincaid and James mysteries.
Don’t Mess with Mrs. In-Between by Liz Evans. I’m reading these mysteries about British PI Grace Smith completely out of order – oh well… If you like mysteries with smart-alecky main characters, give these a try.

Knitting Update
Last Friday I accidentally bought a new laptop. Well, ok, not exactly accidentally, but close. CompUSA is closing its stores in Minnesota and finally dropped prices down to interesting levels. (Hang on, you’ll see how this relates to knitting in a bit.) One of the stores is about a mile from work and I wandered in over my lunch break to discover they still had a few decent in-the-box laptops for very good prices. Very good prices. So now in addition to my laptop “Kenshin” (more of a desktop, actually – poor Kenshin has so many things connected that it is not worth unplugging him to go mobile), I have “Rurouni.” (Rurouni Kenshin is an anime series about a wandering samurai named Kenshin – “Rurouni” roughly means “wandering,” which seems a very good name for a laptop.)

Anyway! I decided that I needed a laptop sleeve to protect Rurouni in my bag. I knew what I wanted and found it in AlterKnits, which was only the fourth book I pulled off the shelf – bonus!

I pulled out some Kureyon (color 81 – forest green, purple, black, grey, and rust) and cast on. It’s not much to look at yet, but when assembled and felted, it will stripe in the same direction as the bag above.

“Hey, big kitty, I think Mom is finally making us that cat bed!” -Mayhem

“Really? I’ll believe that when I see it, May!” -Chaos

Contests, Knitting, Project Spectrum, Reading

Please put on your sunglasses

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Many, many thanks to everyone who sent such kind words yesterday. I hope that Mayhem responded courteously to you all! I’m feeling about the same – wiped out. Hopefully the lab work comes back soon so we know what sort of anemia (iron, B-12, folate) this is.

Trek has had a lifelong dream of reaching 145 comments on a single post. Toward that goal, leave a comment for her before June 1 with a suggestion about fun things she and her daughter can do over the summer. When lucky number 145 is reached, Trek will draw a random winner who will receive a mysterious but sure to be fabulous prize!

Brenda moved her blog and is having a contest to celebrate! Leave her a comment about what you named your blog and why. If you’re blogless, leave a comment with what you would name a blog. She’ll draw two winners on May 8 (also her eighth wedding anniversary) – you could win some Schaefer Anne or Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn.

KitKatKnit is trying to find the lentil soup recipe she and her college roommates used to make. Leave her a comment with the recipe by noon PDT, May 3 (when she has to shop), and you could win a hat pattern and the yarn to knit it with.

Reading Update
All Shall Be Well, Leave the Grave Green, Mourn Not Your Dead, and Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie. Continuing on with the Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma Jones mysteries. These are very well done and I will continue to read them – in order. 🙂

Knitting Update
I finished my Bird of Paradise slip stitch rib socks! These are from Sundara’s yarn, colorway Bird of Paradise (from her sock club). The stitch pattern is one round of K3, P1, followed by a round of K1, slip one as if to purl, K1, P1. The slip stitch ribbing makes great vertical stripes in yarns that have two colors alternating rounds. I had to tweak the colors a bit because it was very dark when I took the pictures – however, the colors are accurate. Hence the need for sunglasses…

“What, you don’t think I have better things to do with my time than sit here by your socks?! I have fan mail to answer, Mom!” -Mayhem

“Hee hee, May – better you than me! I’ll just lurk here unobtrusively in the chair… wait, was that the flash?!” -Chaos

Randonymity, Reading

Maestro Mayhem

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Reading Update
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Wow. Just wow. This Pulitzer-winning novel kept me enthralled for over 500 pages. It was also one of my TBR Challenge books. I’ll be reading Eudenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides in the near future!
Cast On, Bets Off by Jack Olesker. I know, I just picked it up Saturday, but I was curious. It’s about yarn store owners Max and Lisa, who are deputized by Max’s brother to help solve a murder. It seemed a wee bit overdone at times, but I think that might just be because I read it right after Middlesex… It’ll be interesting to see how the characters develop in the next book. The Yarn Harlot has a tiny spot in the book, which was very fun to read. Strangely, as I was reading it, May walked up and ate part of the front cover while I gaped at her! That’s an unpleasant new development in the her ongoing snacking on household items project.

Speaking of May, I shall momentarily distract you with cute pictures of her, since I got nothin’ else. I’m nearly done with the toddler dress – just a bazillion ends to weave in. And I’m working on a secret project, which we all know is bad for the blog, but necessary for the life. 🙂

“A little more from the bassoon section, please! Let’s take it from the top, people!!” -M

“Bright. Stripey.” -M

“Big kitty! Help! My paws are transparent!! I’m meeeeelllllllltttttttttting!!” -M

Contests, Festing, Reading

I think I bruised my checkbook…

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Ginger’s having a contest – guess what she named the three chicks she just brought home and you could win some sock yarn. A knowledge of country music will help your guessing! Someone already guessed correctly! Now anyone who comments on the contest post by midnight April 27 will be entered in a random drawing for another prize.

Reading Update
A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie. This is the first mystery about Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his assistant, Sergeant Gemma Jones. I’ll definitely be reading more in this series.
High Heels and Holidays by Kasey Michaels. The most recent book about mystery writer Maggie Kelly, whose formerly fictional characters the Viscount Saint Just and Sterling Balder materialized in her living room a few months ago… Silly but fun and occasionally steamy.
High Stakes: A Tale of Vegas Vampires by Erin McCarthy. The first book in the Vegas Vampires series isn’t great literature by any means, but it was an amusing and somewhat steamy read. My big complaint is that the book ended abruptly, almost as if it had been split into two parts…

Yarnover Update
Well. I, um, might’ve picked up a bit more at the Yarnover market than I had anticipated… No one’s going to be particularly surprised by my purchases. 🙂

I bought some skeins of purple laceweight Euroflax.

Whoops, it looks like I forgot to take a picture of the knitting mystery I purchased – Cast On, Bets Off by Jack Olesker. I hadn’t heard of it before, so we’ll see… I also bought a black sheep magnet and a WPI tool (I’ve wanted one for ages!).

“Hmm, this doesn’t smell particularly sheepy to me. Plus it looks hard to pick up and steal.” -M

Jeanne and I each bought enough Blue Sky Cotton to make the Eyelet Cardigan (sorry, you can’t see the pattern at all in the picture). Um, yes, I bought black…

“Big kitty, I tell you, the only possible conclusion you can draw is that she’s going to make more black kitties. We have to put a stop to this!” -M

“Where do you come up with this stuff, May?!” -C

And I bought some amazingly soft true black (not dyed!) alpaca, which came from an alpaca named Orphelia.

“Now this smells like something very interesting! Not a sheep… What could it be?” -M

“Mmmm… Alpaca, you say? Soft. Mmmm… Mom, can we have an alpaca? I promise I won’t eat it.” -M

Contests, Knitting, Reading

Another bib bites the dust

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KmKat wonders what office buzz words bug you the most. Leave a comment by midnight CDT, April 17 (the same time taxes are due in MN!) and you could win a mysterious prize – not necessarily yarn.

Reading Update
Bloody Mary and Rusty Nail. I think these are the last two Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels mysteries I’ll read. I like the writing, I like the main characters, but I really hate the ongoing theme of serial killers.
Blind Spot by Terri Persons. Of course, after just whining about serial killer books, I read this one, although I skipped over a few gruesome bits… This well-written and suspenseful novel is about an FBI agent who has “the Sight.” She’s just been reassigned to the St. Paul office, which made this particularly intriguing to read. I hope this becomes a series!
Web of Evil by J.A. Jance. The second book about Arizona blogger Ali Reynolds finds her back in Los Angeles for her divorce hearing when things get a little complicated…
Blindfold Game by Dana Stabenow. I love both Stabenow’s Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell series, so I gave this non-series thriller a try and enjoyed the read. It features a CIA agent and his wife (an XO in the Coast Guard, stationed in the Bering Strait).
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich. This is billed as a “Between the Numbers Novel” and features Diesel, a vaguely supernatural character introduced in Visions of Sugar Plums. Definitely not as enjoyable as the “regular” Stephanie Plum series, since Ranger and Morelli only had bit parts. Mmmmm…. Ranger….. Ooops, sorry, didn’t mean to drool on anyone. Moving right along…
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot’s Guide to the Land of Knitting by Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Do I really need to say more?! 🙂 It’s a funny, quick read – and anyone who knits will find a point or two that hits too close to home to be entirely funny….
The Opinionated Knitter: Newsletters 1958-1968 by Elizabeth Zimmermann. This compilation of EZ’s pre-book newsletters was an enjoyable read for this EZ fan. I loved the little snippets at the end of each newsletter, announcing new products that she was selling (such as Barbara Walker’s first treasury!). This was one of my TBR Challenge books.

Knitting Update
Friday night I knit the second of the two bibs I needed. How amusing is it that I knit both of these with a US4 instead of a US6 (just grabbed the loose needle in my knitting bag because I knew it was a US6) and my only thought was that they seemed a bit smaller than usual?! The smaller needle is probably why the colors didn’t form their customary argyle patterning.

Chaos was very alarmed at the sight of May in this bib – note his poofy tail.

“Who are you and why are you wearing that abomination?!” -C

“Maybe if I bite it, it will leave me alone.” -M

“So much for that idea…” -M

I took pity on May, removed the bib, and caught Chaos enticed Chaos to model for old time’s sake.

“I have the strangest sense of deja vu…” -C

“Easily remedied, however. THIS is how it’s done, May.” -C

“Hmph. Did the big kitty have to make it look so easy?!” -M

Contests, Knitting, Project Spectrum, Reading

I was awakened yesterday by…

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…Mayhem chasing her tail on top of me. *oooof* Today started out inauspiciously when my espresso maker gave up the ghost…

Looks like the Yarn Harlot got a not-too-bad picture of me… If you’re looking for the Twin Cities “linkorama” Stephanie mentioned, here you go. Hey, our singing “O Canada” is available on You Tube! And here’s a link to the Strib article about the event.

Jenifer’s having a contest – guess what one-skein project she’s knitting and then share what your favorite one-skein project is (not from any of the one-skein books). Submit your entries by midnight, April 14, and you could win a mysterious prize.

Reading Update
Um, I haven’t apparently done a reading update for a while… Brace yourselves.

Maggie Needs an Alibi, Maggie by the Book, Maggie Without a Clue, and High Heels and Homicide by Kasey Michaels. Maggie Kelly writes mysteries set in Regency England. One day she turns around to discover that her hero, the dashingly handsome Alexandre Blake (the Viscount St. Just) and his amiable sidekick Sterling Balder have come to life and are standing in her living room… These aren’t terribly well written, but they are light and amusing.
Ready or Not? by Chris Manby. Light chicklit about a British radio producer who isn’t sure her fiance is right for her as the wedding approaches.
Out of this World by Jill Shalvis. More light chicklit (although significantly steamier than the previous title – *fans self*) about an LA muralist who inherits a mysterious B&B in remote Alaska.
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. Quite possibly inspired or at least influenced by Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series, this book (possibly the first in a series? It has that feel) features magical mercenary Kate Daniels in an alternate future in which tech is in decline and magic ascendent.
Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath. Book one in a (so far) short series about insomniac Chicago police lieutenant Jacquelyn “Jack” Daniels. Sufficiently entertaining that I’m reading the second book and have the most recent book queued up. Please note that these are pretty gory at times.

Knitting Update
I finished my Regia Crazy Colors socks yesterday for my first completed Project Spectrum April/May project. Although it was a struggle, I resisted doing the Ms. Matchy Matchy thing.

*sniff sniff sniff* -C

*sigh* “She’s still not making the tuna and catnip socks I requested, May.” -C

“Ok, big kitty, then I won’t even bother to stop and check them out.” -M

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

Ahhh… Friday.

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Wendy has started giving away books after she reads them – if you send her an email before noon EDT, April 1, you could be selected to receive her copy of Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson.

Lorette is celebrating her third blogiversary! Leave a comment about your favorite knitting trick or gadget and you could win some sock yarn. Comments must be left by midnight, April 1.

Reading Update
Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb. The latest Eve Dallas/Roarke (mmm…. Roarke…) mystery is good, but pretty standard fare. I swear, didn’t Born in Death just come out?!!
The Return of Jonah Gray by Heather Cochran. I was expecting this chicklit tale of Sasha, an IRS auditor, to be pretty standard fare, too. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a bit more substance than I expected.

Life Update
Some things I’m looking forward to over the next few days – as part of their World Tour of the US, Peeve and Mr Peeve are coming to Minneapolis tomorrow and they’re staying at Casa de Chaos y Mayhem! Now, if I can just remember to bring along my camera… 😉 Hopefully the flood watch we have going through Saturday night remains just a watch…

Also, next Wednesday, the Yarn Harlot will be speaking in St Paul and signing copies of her new book. Rumor has it that there are 400 knitters who’ve reserved spots, with a waiting list. Should be very crazy indeed!

I’ve had a rough week at work and things will continue on in that fashion at least through the early part of next week. So imagine how finding this in my mailbox yesterday afternoon cheered me up:

“I don’t remember being in the mailbox, but I know I always cheer Mom up!” -M

*snort* “Yeah, that’s what she meant, May… not.” -C

Hmm. I didn’t mean for you to have to imagine quite that much. Let’s try again, shall we?

*sniff sniff* “I will allow you to accept this gift.” -C

Gee, thanks, Chaos. Anyway, Imbrium and I exchanged mix cds – the mix she sent me arrived yesterday, along with two gorgeous skeins of Interlacements Tiny Toes sock yarn in Midnight Blues! (Yes, there’s purple in there – it just didn’t photograph well.) Thank you so much, Imbrium!! Hey, I can’t get to your blog… 🙁

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Knitting, Project Spectrum, Reading

Another Project Spectrum FO

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Lyssa is having a caption contest – caption the picture she took of a Japanese subway ad and you could win some random goodies from Japan.

I’m a little in shock about how warm it’s been. It’s nice, but weird, if that makes any sense. Put it this way – my SIL laid down the law to my brother today: No turning on the air conditioning in March or April because hello! this is Minnesota. 🙂

Reading Update
Silenced by Syrah by Michelle Scott. The Nikki Sands mysteries aren’t particularly well written, but I keep reading them anyway… Nikki works and lives on a vineyard in the Napa Valley and has a slightly complicated love life.
Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde. This rather predictable romance was a quick and pleasant read. Broken-hearted Hetty takes care of her uncle’s dilapitated country house while her uncle recuperates from an operation. The novel features plenty of cozy British village life. This was one of my alternates for the TBR Challenge.
Out of the Deep I Cry, To Darkness and To Death, and All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming. The most recent three Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne novels were as well-written and suspenseful as the first two, and the sexual tension remained thick enough to cut. *fans self* I hope Ms. Spencer-Fleming is writing the next book… *taps toe impatiently*

Knitting Update
The Mata Hari Meilenweits are done! Although I usually love knitting with Meilenweit, I think this was a very old skein (of course, I have no idea when or where I purchased it…). The yarn was thinner than usual for Meilenweit and it was kind of hairy – strange white hairs sticking out of the yarn. Not the most pleasant stuff to work with, but the socks are fine – and very Project Spectrum, no?

*yawn* “More socks?” -M

I modified the pattern to be slightly less lacy (and therefore warmer). My pattern notes are cryptic, but I did cast on 72 stitches. The pattern row was *yo, k2tog, k7*, moving over one stitch with each pattern row. I think I knit five plain rows between every pattern row. Fortunately, the hairiness doesn’t show up in the pictures!

In that first picture, May was on her way to the window to conduct important Mayhem business.

*chitter chitter chitter* “Birds!! Birds!!” -M

“I could’ve had that one!” -M

Randonymity, Reading, Tales of the Neighborhood

Hang on for the ride!

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If linear’s your thing today, better move along. Here? Not so much. You have been warned!

Don’t forget to leave your comment for the SoC “But since I wasn’t blogging then…” contest before 5 pm CDT today!!

Reading Update
In the Bleak Midwinter and A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming. These are the first two Claire Fergusson (Episcopalian priest) and Russ Van Alstyne (police chief in Millers Kill, upstate New York). The books are well-written and suspenseful and I already have the next few on reserve at the library.
A Deeper Sleep by Dana Stabenow. The latest Kate Shugak novel – these extremely well-written and suspenseful mysteries are set in remotest Alaska. You definitely want to read them in order!
24 Declassified: Trojan Horse by Marc Cerasini. Really, what can I say? 🙂

Of course, I didn’t drink any green beer on Saturday, but I did accompany my SIL to a midday bowling tournament and took a few pictures…

Something I don’t write about very much, strangely, is how much I love music. Ye gads, I don’t even have a music category on this blog! But I happily listen to my ipod at work all day, listen to my beloved 89.3 The Current in the car to and from work and while knitting at home, and listen to all sorts of interesting things via my favorite music blogs: Largehearted Boy, Cable & Tweed, An Aquarium Drunkard, Chromewaves, and the MPR Current Song of the Day.

So yesterday, when MamaTulip tagged me with a music meme, I decided to play along, even though I usually don’t do memes. (Although I have put a few music memes on a separate page, for the morbidly curious.) Basically, list seven songs that you are into right now or seven songs that you can listen to over and over. My list will be a mixture – and I might have more than seven…

Chaos isn’t much for music…

“I am so hungry. Diets suck. Hmm. I wonder if that kitten would be tasty?” -C

“I think it’s best if I hide under here for a while, don’t you?!” -M

Contests, Knitting, Project Spectrum, Reading

Tired Tuesday

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Teyani is having a contest to celebrate her new blog home! Leave a comment by midnight PST on 3/15 and you could win two skeins of Sock Hop yarn.

KnitNZu is having a contest – her 250th commenter will win two skeins of fingering weight Claudia’s Handpainted.

And remember – I’m having a contest! Leave your comments at the contest post by 5 pm CDT, March 19. And if you haven’t stopped by and read the comments – what are you waiting for? They’re brilliant! I hope everyone is having as much fun leaving comments as I am reading them.

Reading Update
Death of a Butterfly by Margaret Maron. I love the Sigrid Harald books, but they’re older and hard to find at my library or used bookstores…
Murder with Peacocks and No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews. More Meg Langslow mysteries! I realized while reading Murder with Peacocks (the very first Meg mystery) how rare it is that I laugh out loud while reading. In Murder with Peacocks, Meg is home for the summer, doing all the grunt work for the three weddings (!!!) in which she is the maid of honor. No Nest for the Wicket (the most recent book) features an eXtreme croquet match…
24 Declassified: Veto Power and 24 Declassified: Cat’s Claw by John Whitman. Hee hee – really, not a lot to say about these. I guess they’re a guilty little not-so-secret pleasure. 😉

Knitting Update
I finally knit my little blanket for HollYarns and Cyrano’s Creature Comforts Drive over the weekend. (You have plenty of time – the deadline is June 2.) I’ve been meaning to and meaning to… and then I realized that my yarn was perfect for the current Project Spectrum color theme. Yup. That was all it took to get me knitting… Anyway! This is about 24″x24″ – I cast on 65 or 66 stitches of doubled Encore worsted on a US13 needle and knit until I had a square. This fortunately coincided pretty closely with running out of yarn. 🙂

*streeeeeeeeeetch* -M

I wish I’d taken the following picture at a higher resolution, so that you could see how long May’s little kitty eyelashes are. Awwww….

“What?! This isn’t staying here for moi?! Hmph. How can everything always be mine if this isn’t?” -M