An Evening of Wonders: November 2015

Monday, November 30, 2015

Reading Challenge Recap

I am really proud of the fact I actually finished this reading challenge. I wound up finding several great new authors and enjoyed a large number of books I probably never would have picked up. To recap a few of the notables this year:

My top 3 favorite reads:
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. A wonderful retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A completely unexpected favorite this year. I chose it to fulfill the category need, but wound up becoming completely immersed in it.
Iceland by Betsy Tobin. I loved this combination of Norse mythology with historical fiction. I was inspired enough by this book to design a shawl for my Heroines Club for 2016!

My 3 least favorite reads:
The Hours by Michael Cunningham. Meh - I don't think this lived up to the hype AT.ALL.
Magic America by C.E. Medford. Depressing and not in an enlightening way. More violence and cancer than I really needed to read about.
Beloved by Toni Morrison. Is this book on all the should-read lists simply because it was banned? I found it confusing and depressing.

I've decided to forge on and do the challenge again for 2016. The upcoming topics are listed below, with some of my tentative choices included in italics. My plan, however, is to try to get as many of these on loan from my library and/or as Kindle loaners. I do have a few of them on the bookshelves already, and I may wind up slotting a few others in as I go, depending on what my dad sends me in his book gift boxes every other month or so. I'm looking forward to finding some gems in 2016 too!

2016 Reading Challenge List

A book that you've seen the movie of but haven't read: Edith Wharton – Age of Innocence.
Reader's Choice (freebie):
A book about mental illness (i.e. substance abuse, alzheimer's, autism, bipolar, etc.): Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
A book that's title begins with the first letter of your name – Wallace Stegner – Angle of Repose
A book with a great opening line: Paula Hawkins – The Girl on the Train
A book by an author you feel you should have read by now: Ian McEwan – Atonement.
A book with a beautiful title (in your own opinion): Philip Margulies – Belle Cora.
A work of young adult fiction: Tiffany Trent – The Unnaturals.
A book set in a different continent: John Shors – Temple of a Thousand Faces.
A book with a first name in the title: Marisa Silver – Mary Coin.
A book whose main character is in a profession that interests you: Vanessa Diffenbaugh – The Language of Flowers
A book everyone is talking about
A book related to a hobby or passion you have: Whitney Otto – How to Make an American Quilt
A book with a type of food/drink in the title: Ray Bradbury – Dandelion Wine.
A book by an author who writes under more than one name
The next book in a series you are reading: Stephanie Barron - Jane and the Stillroom Maid
A book from your "to read" list: Anthony Horowitz – The House of Silk
A book you're embarrassed to read in public
A book about books: Jasper Fforde – The Eyre Affair.
A crime story: Gerri Brightwell – The Dark Lantern
A book with one of the five Ws -or H in the title (Who/What/Where/When/Why/How) Hazel Gaynor – The Girl Who Came Home
A book about a thing that goes bump in the night (i.e. vampires, monsters, etc.): Brian Ruckley – The Edinburgh Dead (print copy)
The first book in a new to you series: Jules Watson – The White Mare
A book from the Rory Gilmore challenge: Isabel Allende – Eva Luna.
The 16th book on your to-read list: Theodora Goss – The Thorn and the Blossom.
A book that was mentioned in another book
An award winning book (Pulitzer, Newbery, Caldecott, Man Booker, Printz, National Book Award, etc.)
A historical fiction book: Katherine Howe – The House of Velvet and Glass.
A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago): Pauline Gedge – The Eagle and the Raven.
A book from the Goodreads Recommendations page: DJ Taylor – Kept.
A top 100 fantasy novel (The hobbit/LOTR, Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Prydain, etc.): T.H. White – The Once and Future King
A book from the top 100 mystery novels: Marcia Muller – Edwin of the Iron Shoes
A childhood classic (i.e. Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, etc.) Elizabeth George Speare – The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
A non-fiction book: Fiona Carnarvon – Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.
The highest-rated book on your to-read list: Betsy Tobin – The Clockmaster.
A biography, autobiography, or memoir
A book published in 2016
A book with a beautiful cover
A book about a major world event (fiction or non-fiction)
A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 (winner or nominated)
A book you meant to read in 2015, but didn't
An identity book - a book about a different culture, religion, or sexual orientation than your own
A book about an anti hero
A suggestion that did not make it into the final list
A classic book with less than 200 pages
A novella from your favorite genre
A "between the numbers" book of a series (0.5, 1,5, 2.5, etc.): Kate Daniels – Gunmetal Magic.
A fairytale from a culture other than your own:
A short story from a well-known author – Neil Gaiman – Cinnamon
A book by an author you discovered in 2015 and want to read more of
A dystopia
A book on a summer/beach reading list
A book originally written in a language other than English

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

WIP Wednesday: November 25, 2015

Sekret Knitting:

I'm in the home stretch on the first Heroines Club Shawl pattern for 2016. I have a couple more hours of knitting time to put in on it, and it'll be done and ready to head off for tech editing/testing. I'm looking forward to sending this one out into the world - it's a really fun set of gradients!
The yarn just arrived yesterday for the next deadline project, which will be a fair isle/stranded knitting garment. Lots of knitting to do on that with a pretty short deadline, so I'll be focused on that for the next couple of weeks.
Waiting on yarn for 2 other deadline projects that got accepted for Fall 2016 publications - one is small-ish and the other is a men's garment, so I have plenty on the deadline knitting front to keep me busy for a while.

Personal Knitting:

Because I suffer heartily from the Cobbler's Wife syndrome (as in... I knit constantly, and hardly ever have knitwear to wear myself), and I needed a new hat, I cast on for a Felicity Hat in some of my oldest stashed handspun yarn. This is a blend of wool and mohair (60/40 maybe?) in the Winter Dawn colorway, which is kind of a dusty mauve/purple colors. When I purchased it, or even when I spun it, is lost in the mists of time - it's VERY well-aged stash. It was sometime pre-Ravelry and it's been waiting for a project.

I haven't made any further progress on it, but just to show an updated picture of my Mesa Verde shawl, here it is. I've got another repeat and a half to do to finish it up and may work on this a bit over the holiday weekend if I have some spare knitting minutes.

I've got a bad case of startitis right now. I suppose that's what one does when faced with mountains of deadline knitting? I'm trying valiantly to suppress the urge to cast on new quickie projects - that's what I've been in the mood to knit right now (and maybe a fallout from a lot of larger deadline projects?). I also have 2 WIPs, which is a rare occurrence for me. One is the mystery shawl from Kirsten Kapur from this summer. I think I have clues 4, 5 and 6 left to knit. The other is a pair of socks which I've gotten as far as the cuff and maybe 1-1/2" down the leg on. Both of these are holdovers from many months ago - like last spring (socks) and summer (shawl). I generally don't like to leave things on the needles this long. I am strongly considering frogging the socks and starting over with something else. I'd like to finish the shawl, but I may have to wait a bit on that and try to work on it after December 20th when I'll need to have 2 of the 3 deadline projects (other than the Heroines shawl), finished.

WIP Wednesday: December 2, 2015

Sekret Knitting:

I finished the shawl for the Heroines Club January kit. That is off to my TE and test knitter.
I started the big stranded garment knitting deadline project this weekend. I've got 1 sleeve about half-knit and I've started on the body, with about 2" of that finished). I'm going to get sleeve #1 done completely and cast on for sleeve #2.
I have 2 other deadline projects, 1 large, 1 small, that I'm waiting on yarn to start.

Personal Knitting:

The handspun Felicity hat is done! It's maybe a wee bit dense with this yarn (which is more like an Aran then a worsted), but it's SUPER warm because of that and the mohair content. This was a really quick and easy project. I only used half of the yardage of this handspun, so I could either knit another hat, or might knit a pair of gauntlet-length fingerless mitts, or a pair of mittens.

I also finished my Mesa Verde Shawl #2, which I knit out of Rowan Scottish Tweed from deep stash.

Monday, November 23, 2015

2015 Reading Challenge - DONE!

I am done! Before I left to vend in Texas, I actually finished up both Muse and The Last Unicorn.

Muse was just the kind of historical fiction I like to read. Set in 14th century Avignon, and filled with lots of historical detail about the time period, the author also created wonderful characters and filled in the storyline about Petrarch's mistress with tidbits of fact she was able to glean from extant resources (and granted, there is very little known about this woman, but I liked how the author created a strong female voice within a very male-dominated time period.)

I finished things up with The Last Unicorn. I'm so glad I had this book to close out the year's challenge. Lovely, lyrical, filled with magical things and a fairy-tale based in reality, this was one that I will keep close to hand when I need a smile or an uplifting moment in my day. Peter Beagle writes well, and his turn of phrase and choices of words make this one a definite favorite of the year for me.

Next week, a quick recap of my favorites and not-so favorites of 2015, and a peek at the topics for 2016!

WEEKS & TOPICS

1. a book with more than 500 pages: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. FINISHED.

2. a romance: Katherine by Anya Seton. FINISHED

3. a book that became a movie: The Hours by Michael Cunningham. FINISHED.

4. a book published this year: The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck. FINISHED.

5. a book with a number in the title: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. FINISHED.

6. a book written by someone under 30: Eragon by Christopher Paolini. FINISHED.

7. a book with nonhuman characters: The Greyfriar by Susan Griffith. FINISHED.

8. a funny book: Bossypants by Tina Fey. FINISHED.

9. a book by a female author: Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson. FINISHED.

10. a mystery or thriller: Séance in Sepia by Michelle Black. FINISHED.

11. a book with a one-word title: East by Edith Pattou. FINISHED.

12. a book of short stories: Tapping the Dream Tree by Charles deLint. FINISHED.

13. a book set in a different country: The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. FINISHED.

14. a nonfiction book: The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling. FINISHED.

15. a popular author's first book: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. FINISHED.

16. a book from your favorite author that you haven't read yet: Forests of the Heart by Charles deLint. FINISHED.

17. a book a friend recommended: Botelo by Alyson Hagy. FINISHED.

18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. FINISHED.

19. a book based on a true story: The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry. FINISHED.

20. a book at the bottom of your to read list: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J Watson. FINISHED.

21. a book your mom or dad loves: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. FINISHED.

22. a book that scares you: The Blackhouse by Peter May. FINISHED.

23. a book more than 100 years old: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. FINISHED.

24. a book based entirely on its cover: Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliot. FINISHED.

25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. FINISHED.

26. a memoir: Two Rings by Millie Werber and Eve Keller. FINISHED.

27. a book you can finish in a day: India Black by Carol Karr. FINISHED.

28. a book with antonyms in the title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. FINISHED.

29. a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: Iceland by Betsy Tobin. FINISHED.

30. a book that came out the year you were born: Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. FINISHED.

31. a book with bad reviews: The Last Unicorn FINISHED.

32. a trilogy (the first): Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.

33. a trilogy (the second) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.

34. a trilogy (the third) Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.

35. a book from your childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. FINISHED.

36. a book with a love triangle: Muse by Mary Novak. FINISHED.

37. a book set in the future: Cinder by Marissa Meyer. FINISHED.

38. a book set in high school: The Small Rain by Madeline L’Engle. FINISHED.

39. a book with a color in the title: Scarlet by A.C Gaughen. FINISHED.

40. a book that made/makes you cry: Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. FINISHED.

41. a book with magic: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price. FINISHED.

42. a graphic novel: Seawitch, Book 1. FINISHED.

43. a book by an author you've never read before: My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira. FINISHED.

44. a book you own but have never read: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. FINISHED.

45. a book that takes place in your hometown: Magic America by C.E. Medford. FINISHED.

46. a book that was originally written in another language: Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende. FINISHED.

47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday): A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. FINISHED

48. a book written by an author with your same initials: Silver Lies by Ann Parker. FINISHED.

49. a play: The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. FINISHED.

50. a banned book: Beloved by Toni Morrison. FINISHED.

51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. FINISHED.

52. a book you started but never finished: The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes. FINISHED.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Spinning Friday: November 20, 2015

This week, I finished spinning up the combo spin from FatCatKnits "Famous Couples" club. This was the September 2015 installment - Sam and Dean.

I got two 2.5-oz braids of a superwash merino/sparkle base, which are shown coiled around each other above. The "Sam" colorway is the red/black/white/yellow one, and the "Dean" colorway is the purple/black/teal/white one.

I spun each of the colorways up separately, and then I plied them together to get:

This crazy bright 2-ply yarn!

Yarn Specs:
Fiber: Superwash merino wool/nylon sparkle - 5.0 oz.
Colorway: Sam and Dean (2.5 oz of each color).
Ply: 2-ply.
Weight: Fingering weight with 504 yards and 4.9 oz in the finished skein.

I originally thought I'd make socks from this, but 504 yards is WAY more yardage than I need for socks. I might do socks AND a pair of mitts, or maybe try to figure out a really simple shawl pattern that would play nicely with this.

Next I'll be starting the last blended roving offering from my Wooly Wonka Mythical Creatures Club - Gryphons, as I'm in the mood for a little heathery/tweedy yarn to make something for the colder weather.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

WIP Wednesday: November 18, 2015

Sekret Knitting:

Thanks to a couple of evenings in my hotel and not going out to be social after a day of vending, I am on the final repeat of the large lace project. That should be done and blocked by this weekend. It's already been reviewed by my TE, so it's ready to roll out of here to the publication shortly.
I've been working on the first Heroines Shawl Club 2016 pattern. I'm done the first lace pattern on that and just started the second. I'll be feverishly working away on that while I wait for yarn to arrive for.....
Another deadline project that's a long jacket with colorwork. That'll be a dash and a half to get it knit by the end of December's deadline but I think I can get that accomplished.

Personal Knitting: I've been working a bit on my second iteration of Mesa Verde, and I've got one more full and one half pattern repeat left to finish up. If I have some down-time this week, I'll see what I can get knit on that, but re-entry post the Kid N Ewe festival, plus a teaching night and a photo shoot on Friday, probably means not much will be happening there.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Reading Challenge 2015

In the home stretch! This week I finished Muse which is a historical fiction novel about the woman who fathered the poet, Petrarch's, children. Set in 14th century Avignon, this story imagines what type of young woman was the mother of his children, and follows this character, Solange Le Blanc, from her days in a nunnery where she learned to be a scribe, through her years as Petrarch's mistress, and eventually her return to the nunnery where she grew up. It ties in all sorts of great history including the years when the plague came to Avignon, and Pope Clement's reign in the city during that time period. There is virtually nothing known about the actual woman who was the mother of Petrarch's children, but this story ties in enough details of the time to create a believable character. I really enjoyed this one.

You'll also note that I read a graphic novel this week. I'll come clean here and say I don't "get" these. Are they comic books? Regular books? So I decided I would find a freebie on Amazon - which I did - Saltwater Witch - and read it. I LOVED the first 4 pages; gorgeous underwater watercolors with beautiful colors and just a touch of the macabre. And then the text started and it lost me completely - an orphan teen getting tormented and beat up in her group home. Good thing it was only 35 pages. I'm not sure I could have gotten thru much more.

And I am on to my final novel, The Last Unicorn. Peter Beagle's fantasy book about the last remaining unicorn. (The main issue with the bad reviews I read was that it had "too much magic" in it, which is what I love about it.) I'm planning to finish that one up this week and then I'll be ready to start the new challenge list in 2016 when the new year arrives!