As for my own reading, I am still slowly working through The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, and, on the recommendation of a friend, I also am listening to Mink River by Brian Doyle -- through the magic of public library digital check-out -- and to The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton through the CraftLit podcast library, presented by the always-lovely Heather Ordover. I read The House of Mirth in college, but never got around to The Age of Innocence. And since I haven't seen the Daniel Day Lewis movie of the same name, either, I figured it best to read the book first.
My 9-year-old Amy Rose and I are listening to Anne of Green Gables on the weekly schedule through CraftLit (this is Heather's current book) as well, and we are up to the third audio book in the A Wrinkle in Time series, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. An aside: here is how old I am. I own the boxed set of THREE Wrinkle in Time Books, purchased in the 1970's from a grade school Scholastic book fair. Now there apparently are FIVE books in the series, the last two of which were published in 1986 and 1989. I was 17 and 20, respectively in those years and by then was no longer thinking much of those books, except as a nice grade school/awkward junior high girl memory. Looks like I am in for two books, new to me!
I know my book list sounds like reading overload -- but the books each serve their purposes. You know, one for driving alone to work, another for crafting, and the paper ones to hold in your hands when you can actually do so. The kid ones for Amy Rose's bedtime, etc. They are like knitting projects: A project to work on watching TV; another for work meeting or continuing education classes; another when you have time to really concentrate on those tough and complicated patterns (ha-ha -- like that ever happens!). Which brings me to knitting...
My current knitting: I finished one sock each of two different patterns. One from Toe-Up Socks by Wendy Johnson called "Rosebud," and I have been working on that one for a while (what was that about a more complex pattern?) and one from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. The first one has a nice lace pattern and the second has a ribbing named "Oak Rib," and has a french heel (very fun to make as I have not branched out much from short row and flap heels!) and a round toe. That one makes me feel warm and cozy, as it is adapted from Weldon's Practical Needlework. I love feeling connected to the knitters of the past, never mind that the pattern is simple. We, present and past, are of one mind.
Here are some pics:
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| I am loving this self-striping Jawoll yarn! It is a bit rough but seems very durable. And I love the colors. The other yarn is by Dream in Color, Smooshy, colorway"Strange Harvest." |
I am hoping to finish these two by next month as I want to make a bigger project for me!