What I'm reading

Nearly everything written by Tamora Pierce. It's a good thing I started with Beka Cooper: Terrier (her most recent novel) as she's become a much better writer over time. I think if I'd started with her first book I might not have made it past the first quartet.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms utterly blew me away. I anticipate it being nominated for many awards next year. Think of it as David Eddings and Roger Zelazny cross-fertilized with Ursula K. LeGuin and you might get close.

I somehow missed the last onslaught of books by the lamentably late Kage Baker. My local library kindly offered up Not Less Than Gods and I ordered two more, which should be arriving by the end of this week. The aforementioned was entertaining but not her best novel. (Right now, I'd say my favorite is The Anvil of the World although other days I might claim it was Mendoza in Hollywood.)

Ally Carter always entertains, and Heist Society was no exception.

I recently discovered the mysteries of Barry Maitland and have been working through them as they free up at the library. The series starts with The Marx Sisters which still might be my favorite of the four I've read.

Similarly with Rennie Airth, although as he's only written three novels I'm already done with his entire backlist. The second novel, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, is definitely my favorite of the trio.

I don't read Nora Roberts (well, I've tried a few, which is to say under 1% of her total list) but I do adore the novels of her JD Robb pseudonym. The latest one at the library was Fantasy in Death and it did not disappoint.

I know I read at least one more author in the past couple months but I can't recall who that was. I might come back and edit this entry tomorrow!

Another mitten finished

and still no photos. My computer, after many Unfortunate Incidents with the repair firm not being able to keep our credit card number long enough to actually charge us for impending repairs, is making its way back across the country to me. I should have it by Wednesday.

I don't do surprise mittens. I tried it on Elli this evening and she pronounced it to be "perfect!"

Then she paid me the ultimate compliment: "Oh my gosh, it looks professionally made."

Yeah, I'm pretty proud of it, too.

Project update (again)

Ishbel: finished, blocked, mailed, received, and admired (WIN)

Dashing: finished, mailed... no word from recipient yet...
Xmas socking ornaments: ditto

Axel's Mittens: finished, delivered, admired (but may be too small by fall - BOO!)

Mittens for Nicholas: just finished weaving in the ends on the second mitten tonight. He and his mother both really liked the first one, so I think is also a WIN!

Mittens for Elli: almost finished the first one when I realized the hand was too tight; ripped it back to the cuff, incorporated 5 more stitches into the pattern, and am working my way back up the hand.

Wild Sock: realized I really should not be knitting socks in Cascade 220, so I'm ordering some yarn from Socks That Rock and will do them over the summer

All the other mittens have their yarn in place, but I need to free up some needles before I can tackle any of them.

Rush jobs

I was on bed rest for most of the past week; my hip had finally decided to complain loudly enough that I had to listen. After the cortisone shot, my hip joint is all better but my surrounding muscles are complaining about the sudden uptake in their use. And so it goes...

Mother's Day loomed. I had no plans, none at all. But I did have lots of time and plenty of yarn (hah! that's an understatement.)

Dashing in 2 days, for The Stepmom. In Cascade 220 Superwash on #3 needles 'cause that's all I could find at the moment I wanted to cast on.

Ishbel, with about 20 rows already knit, completed in 4 days for The Mom. On a really long circular #3 wooden needle from KnitPicks, using Fingering Silky Merino from Sundara in a colorway whose name I've forgotten. I would have called it "Dusky Rose" but I'm sure she called it something much more spontaneous.

Now that both those are safely in the mail, I turned my attention to the birthday party that was... oops, this afternoon. Yeah. Only one mitten got delivered but given that's we had 80 degree weather today, he can wait a couple more days to get its mate. I seriously considered making him glittens but I really needed the recipient in front of me for multiple fittings and that would spoil the surprise. So I've promised Elder Son that he will get some glittens this fall, and I'll work on them when he's around. Maybe after that I can generalize the pattern a bit more.

So that's my Saturday night: reading "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms", knitting a mitten, and maybe watching "My Life in Ruins" if I can figure out the DVD here.