Thereby Hangs a Tail

I read a great book today by Spencer Quinn, called Thereby Hangs a Tail. It is the second book narrated by a lovable dog. Here are a few quotes: "We run a detective agency, me and Bernie, called the Little Detective Agency on account of Little being Bernie's last name. My name is Chet, pure and simple. Headquarters is our house on Mesquite Road.."

The story starts with Chet knowing beyond a doubt - "that this guy was the perp. I lunged forward and grabbed him by the pant leg. Case closed. The perp cried out in pain, a horrible, high-pitched sound that made me want to cover my ears. Too bad I can't do that, but no complaints - I'm happy the way I am (even if my ears don't match, something I found out about a while back but can't get into right now). The perp's noises went on and on and finally it hit me that maybe I had more than just his pan leg. That happened sometimes: my teeth are probably longer than yours and sharper too. What was that? Yes, the taste of blood. My mistake, but a very exciting on all the same."

The book is about a kidnapping, abduction, and murder. Another dog is involved.

One of my favorite parts involves Chet being offered a chew strip. "O probably didn't deserve another chew strip for a long, long while, like a day or two. At the same time, I felt this sudden breeze from behind me, surprisingly strong, and realized my tail was wagging."

My own dog is home from the kennel, where she stayed while the outside of the house was painted. I'm a bad Mommy. I brought her home and shortly after, left for work. She was not happy! Very soon, I came back to get my forgotten lunch and she really let me know how she felt. She scolded me and told me in no uncertain terms that she would be the best dog if only she could come along. She even grabbed my leg with both front paws as i left the second time. I'm a bad Mommy for not taking her to work





1

Interesting Book

I've been reading a book called "Napoleon's Buttons - 17 Molecules That Changed History". It is written by two chemists for popular reading. 

Among the stories are: how European demand for the spice molecule piperine (the basic molecule of pepper) not only fueled early exploration, but also inspired the practice of buying and selling shares in the modern stock market. How a minor house cleaning mishap and an exploding cotton apron led to the development of modern explosives and contributed to the photography and movie industries. 

I was particularly intrigued by the chapter on Molecules of Witchcraft. Many of the women accused of witchcraft were herbalists, skilled in the use of local plants to cure disease and provide relief from pain. Some of this would seem magical. Many of these herbs inspired modern medicines. Some of them caused hallucinations (such as flying). Fascinating reading!  I'm glad my kids recommended it.  

A few atoms added here, subtracted there, is all it takes to make the difference between male and female sex characteristics, between a harmless molecule and a deadly addictive one. How that works, and indeed how culture has been shaped by chemistry, is the subject of this wonderfully readable book. 

Cooking for One

and one, and one. This afternoon was spent in the kitchen. DD Jan missed out on a delicious soup for two that took longer to cook than I had planned for. I hadn't read the part where it said to cook for one hour before adding the last ingredients. It's a vegetable and pasta soup. The trouble with meals for two is that instead of leftover meal, you have left over ingredients. I have made the soup again, through the cook for one hour part. She'll be here on Tuesday, and I will heat it up and add the last pieces.

I also made a big pot of Scotch Broth Soup, with lamb, veggies, and barley. The taste reminds me of Campbell's Scotch Broth, which I hear is discontinued. It made enough for 8 meals, 6 of which will go in the freezer. DD Jan was talking about how I'm eating a lot of lamb. "Did Dad not like lamb?" He liked it, but it seems to be more of a winter food, in addition to being more expensive than some other meats. I recently ordered lamb curry in an Indian restaurant and also bought and ate some lamb chops, which prompted the question.

Before the gym, this morning, I went to my son's house for breakfast. We were in the habit of going out for breakfast once a month, but when he took a look at his current finances, he suggested eating at home. He and his wife made pancakes, bacon, and a scrambled egg casserole. Last month they came to our house, and his Dad enjoyed it thoroughly. It made more sense for me to do the traveling this time. No need to try to keep things warm in transit.

I'll be reading/listening to King Lear in the near future. DGD Luci will be studying it in school this year. It is one of those things I know a lot about, but don't think I every read it and know I never saw it. I remember that the library has a section of audio books of Shakespeare plays. I think the audio will be closer to a staged version. I'll look for a video also. This is a case where the printed page has limitations. I may also read the play from the book I inherited from my mother.

This morning, Luci was deep into a copy of  Les Miserables that I gave her last week for her birthday.. It seems she loves old books. The first thing she did with my gift was to open it up and smell it. She loves the smell of books. The one I gave her, I had bought as a teenager and just read recently.

Knit, knit, finish

One of the side effects of working on many projects is that they may all get finished at about the same time.

• Sunday - cotton jacket
• Tuesday - Mystery Socks
• Thursday - Swiss Cheese Scarf
• Saturday - Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
• Monday - fingerless mitts
• Thursday - mitt covers

That's it for now. Work has been slow, and I'm the boss, so I've had more knitting time at work.

The Mystery socks were stash busters., using little balls of left overs. The swiss cheese scarf is cone yarn from a mill. I like it so much that I have started a sweater from the rest of the yarn. It is top down. all available yarn will be used and there are so many colors ot tweedy bits in it, that I can choose another color for finishing if needed.

Last Saturday was a guild yarn shop hop. We went to Columbus, OH, about 3 hrs south of us. We did have to meet up at 6:15 AM. I didn't drive, so was able to knit.I chose a simple scarf that had been sitting for over 6 months. It is the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf, knit from 2 balls of Noro Matsuri that I received as a holiday gift. On the trip, needles, sock yarn, a pattern, and a sock yarn needle gauge were purchased. Much fun was had.

One of my daughters had taken up running for exercise. She asked for fingerless mitts with thumbs. The yarn I chose is partly purple, her color, but it is also cotton stretch. (Patons Stretch socks). I decided to make mitt covers using Wool-Ease. If she runs when it is colder outside, she can use something else. All pieces were adapted from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns

Today is family day picnic gathering. DD #1 is in town from Florida. I gave her a book on historic American quilts, since that is her main hobby. She loved it.

Present sock on the needles is Lucy Neatby's Fiesta Feet, knit from Patons Kroy 4 ply sock yarn. Plan A was to use muslin as the solid, but it was knit into something else and is not available. Norfolk blue was substituted. Kroy is heavier/denser that many sock yarns, so I stuck with the same brand. Boy is this a lot of work! I made the leg longer, because I like winter socks to meet my long underwear. Nothing worse than a gap for the cold air to find. I've waited years to knit these. When I finally got to it, I couldn't find the pattern and had to buy a new copy. That wasn't so bad, as the first one was a copy a friend gave me. From her complaints, I thought she was sending me her original. When I used the muslin yarn, it was still available for repurchase. Oh Well. First sock is finished. Keep knitting!

Quick cast on - a fruit hat for grandson to be born in Sept. Stash yarn says he gets an apple. I bought a fruit phat pattern on the shop hop, thinking I only had the flower hat pattern. WRONG! I can't find a flower hat pattern, but already had the fruit hat. DD #1 was happy to take one of them off my hands. I should finish the hat tonight, started about 4:00 this afternoon. It was easy knitting at the party, round and round and round.

I had a reading problem.

I have overcome it now, but I had a problem. I have been reading a series of books about ancient Rome by Colleen McCollough. There are six long books about Julius Caeser, his times and the people around him. This time through, I read the books in order. The first book is about his uncle Gaius Marius. The last book deals with Ceaser's death. The closer I got to the Ides of March, the less I wanted to read. You can't change history, but I didn't want Caeser to die. I finally got past that part and am finishing the book.

I sometimes find the same sort of problem in knitting or sewing. I really enjoy the journey and don't want it to end, so I work slower.

Sock progress
Blue socks - one finished, one restarted with the knit stitches in the rib twisted this time. The two socks are supposed to match. I've been playing with gusset decreases. I like these better now than I did when the sock came off the needles. Deadline: the end of the month.

Black socks
One finished. the second started. The deadline was in July. I'm going to finish the blue ones first. An IOU was given to be redeemed by the time the weather gets cold (soon approaching).

I actually made myself a blouse and wore it this week. It's an old Vogue pattern. Sewing for myself goes slowly. I don't have much time, and don't really NEED clothes, although new ones are always nice. Another piece of stash fabric used up. I didn't have enough length for long sleeves.

Shawls and socks and more.

Knitting progress was slowed considerably by a black shawl. The yarn is Aussi Sock. I still need to write the pattern. It's on the to-do list for today.

I delivered the shawl to the yarn company last week at the TNNA industry show. I saw lots of people and made some new contacts for design. I have to be careful about over committing. I still have a sewing business to run.

I did pick up a book at the show. New Twists on Twined Knitting by Laura Farson. I've taken a class on twined knitting. This book uses the technique with two colors. There are hats, mittens and scarves. Since the technique makes a double weight fabric, there are many things it's not appropriate for. It's a Martingale publication.

Now that the shawl is done, I can spend time with a pair of socks that were started in early May for a May 19 birthday. I'm at the heel on the second sock. The pattern is from a vintage book, knit as written except for the 10 1/2" leg. Yarn is Trekking.

I've also been crocheting dishcloths since before Easter. One is now finished. These will be Christmas gifts. Lighting is bad in this photo.

I've been doing a little sewing for my self, but have nothing to show yet. I'm trying to work on it for 1/2 hour a day. I'm making a blouse and will retire a number of older things. I'm trying to relax today. Next Sunday, I'm teaching knitting all day.

I've been busy and I finished some things

On the sewing front, I was asked to make a wrap skirt from an elastic waist skirt. Also it needed to be a little shorter. The purple skirt was the example. I removed the waistband from the brown skirt and took out the elastic. I cut the skirt and lining down one side and finished the edges. The lining was sewn to the edge to keep it in place. The remaining skirt was stitched to its lining a couple of inches from the top and the excess cut off. This fabric made the new waistband. As an after thought, I should have gathered it slightly to better fit the customer's hips. Ties were made from the original waistband and a buttonhole was made at a 45 degree angle for ease in wrapping.

I finally finished my black shawl. I still need to write the pattern. The yarn is Aussi sock, 2 1/2 skeins. Needles are US #6/4.0 mm. I delivered it to the yarn company at the trade show Sunday, only a couple of days late. It's a trapezoid shape worked form the long edge to the short. The edging is worked sideways picking up from the edge in a defined manner. Fancy photos will be taken later this week and inserted in the pattern.

I've been working on a pair of socks since early May, or not working, because of the shawl and sewing deadlines. This is how far I am now. They are for a May 19 birthday. He'll get them when they're finished. Yarn is Zitron Trekking Pro Natura in a denim color. Needles are Knit Picks Harmony US# 1.5/2.5 mm. The pattern is vintage, adapted to the target foot. I didn't knit 10 1/2" legs.

I went to TNNA on Sunday, met lots of people, saw lots of things, got some ideas for new projects. I only came home with one book this year. I'll write about that soon.

The Big Read

I've mostly been knitting on the shawl. It's 70% complete, with a delivery date before 3/26. I expect to finish it by 3/20, when It'll need a bath and blocking. I still need to write the pattern.

I found this book list interesting.

The Big Read (http://www.neabigread.org/) said that, on average, adults have only read six books on this list. So ... copy this list, remove my yeses and nos, and add your comments (favorable or otherwise) about the ones you have read. Don't forget to include a total.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - YES
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – YES
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - YES
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling – YES
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee -
6 The Bible – I have read parts of it.
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - YES
8 1984 - George Orwell - YES
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman -
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - YES
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - YES (and everything else she wrote-)
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy – I read part of it.
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller –
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare – Much of it
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier -
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - YES
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks -
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - YES
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - On my bucket list
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot-
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - YES
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - On my bucket list
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens- YES
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - YES
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - YES
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh -
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - YES
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - YES
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - Not yet
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - YES
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - YES
33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - YES
34 Emma - Jane Austen -
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen -
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - YES
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini -
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres-
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden -
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne – YES Many times
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell -YES
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown -
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving - YES
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins -
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery -
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy -
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood -
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding -
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan -
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel -
52 Dune - Frank Herbert- YES
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons -
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - YES
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth -
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - YES
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - YES
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon -
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck –
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov -
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt -
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold –
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - YES
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac -
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy -
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding -
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie -
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - YES
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - YES
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker - YES
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett -
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson -
75 Ulysses - James Joyce -
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath -
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome -
78 Germinal - Emile Zola -
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray -
80 Possession - AS Byatt-
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - YES
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell -
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker -
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro -
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert -
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White -
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom -
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - YES
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton –
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad -
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupe –
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks -
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams -
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole -
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute -
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas - YES
98 Hamlet – Shakespeare – YES

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl - YES
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo -YES

Total 39. I never said I was average.