She Knits By The Seashore

I Give Up

Last Saturday, Chris and I went to visit a friend in southern Vermont. We made a few stops along the way.

Stop 1: Not Just Yarn, in Brattleboro (no link; site is down). The owner is retiring, and there's a 30% off sale. I want a cranberry sweater. Not sure what pattern yet. Suggestions? It's a bulky yarn. Maybe the Heather Hoodie Vest, but I'd like something with long sleeves. I have over 1400 yds.

Stops 3, 4, 5 (Basket Books, no website), also in Brattleboro. Chris bought something at stop 2.

I'm not even going to think about a yarn or book diet anymore.

New England Authors

National Novel Writing Month began last weekend. In a happy coincidence, Chris and I had already made plans to visit a few famous authors' homes.

On Halloween, we took a day trip to Cape Cod to visit Edward Gorey's house. He's probably most familiar as the illustrator who created the opening scenes of PBS' Mystery! show. Here is one version of the video. Gorey is known for his perhaps gothic sense of humor, but what I did not know is that he was a great supporter of animals. One of my favorite things about his house was the couch:

Yes, Edward Gorey was a big fan of cats, though it doesn't seem like he was able to train them very well!

 

The next day, the first of November, we could not have started NaNoWriMo off any better than to visit Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden. Our friends Hobgoblin and Dorothy, English professors, were the perfect companions to make the pilgrimage with us to Concord, MA. Walden Pond is (1) large, and probably really a lake (2) incredibly clear -- you can see to the bottom. We walked the mile or so around the perimeter and admired the view from different directions.

Chris, Henry, and I, with a replica of Henry's cabin in the background.

Site of the actual cabin, marked by stones.
 

After Walden, we went into Concord proper and visited the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, final resting place of practically everyone who is anyone in American literature: Thoreau, Hawthorne, Alcott, Emerson. The first three and their families are all neighbors, and Emerson is a little further along the path. People left pumpkins, gourds, and pens at the gravesites in honor of their mentors and heroes. I only recently read about the Dead Poets Society of America, and the search to find and document dead poets, so perhaps I should join?

Henry's grave, left middle, has gourds and pens next to it.

Mr. Hawthorn and family.

 Louisa has two markers, and there is a larger family marker outside of this photo as well.

Mr. Emerson.

 
A close-up. All images other than knitting taken by Chris.
 

After lunch, we found the Old Manse, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne for a time. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldon Emerson also had connections to the house. Creative energy was palpable. In what is literally the backyard sits the Old North Bridge, home of "shot heard around the world," aka the beginning of the American Revolution. I am not much of an enthusiast, but for those who love history, Concord is teeming with it.

The Old Manse.

The Old North Bridge.

 The marker near the bridge.
 

We didn't make it to Louisa May Alcott's house, or some of the other historic houses in the area associated with these gentlemen, but hope to get back there again sometime. I personally want to learn more about Louisa; there is a Pulitzer prize winning book about her and her father, and a new documentary of her life which will air on PBS next month.

So how is *my* writing going? I'm keeping up with the daily word counts. The writing is incredibly rough, but NaNoWriMo is about word counts and producing a first draft, not about the quality of said draft. And that's a good thing. It's a terrific exercise for those of us who normally want to edit so much we end up stifling the creativity and not finishing anything at all.

 

You'd write and knit more if you'd stay home with me on the weekend! -- Rosie

My purple cardigan aka Mr. Greenjeans continues to grow ever downward. I've separated the sleeves and am almost ready to begin the ribbed cabling portion.

I wanted to finish this before the end of the year, but with NaNoWriMo as a priority, and wanting to knit some beaded ornaments for Christmas, I think I'm going to have to give up on that idea. Or sleeping. :)

Growing Up With Judy Blume (A Book Review)

While taking creative writing classes over the summer at a local bookstore, I came across a collection of essays entitled Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume edited by Jennifer O'Connell. I read most of Judy's books in elementary and junior high school, and was curious to know what other now-grown-up readers would share.

Having read the twenty-four essays by contemporary female authors, I don't think the title is quite accurate. While some of the authors discuss what you'd expect -- boys and bodily changes -- many of them share deeply personal experiences about the bigger issues that Judy's books helped them tackle: major illness (Deenie), religious differences (Are You There God? It's Me Margaret), racism (Iggy's House), and divorce (It's Not the End of the World). The lessons they learned as young readers have often stretched across time, with characters speaking to them again in their adult lives, in situations such as losing a best friend (Just As Long As We're Together). And who hasn't felt anxious like Tony Miglione, when moving into a new neighborhood (or new job) where the rules are different and life seems to have turned itself upside down (Then Again, Maybe I Won't)?

If you haven't read Judy's books, the essays may not mean as much to you as they do to those of us who huddled under the blankets with them by flashlight after bedtime, or passed them around the back of a classroom. But the following excerpts may give you a glimpse of how important Judy's work is, because she treats her readers with honesty, as intelligent young people who can wrestle with some of the harder issues in life, and survive.

From "It Wasn't The End of the World" by Kristen Karmel: "I can't even count the number of times I read and reread It's Not the End of the World. That's because when you're eleven and your parents are splitting up, no one realizes that you might have some real adult questions that you don't exactly know how to ask. Karen Newman was the only other sixth grader I knew who was going through a divorce that she didn't understand, didn't want, and didn't know how to stop. But Karen Newman made it through. And that was important to me, because it meant that I could, too."

From "Vitamin K, Judy Blume, and the Great Big Bruise" by Julie Kenner: "Something, I knew, was wrong with me. I just didn't know what. And in the days before my appointment with the hematologist, I remember pulling down Deenie...I wanted the comfort of reading about someone else who'd looked into the dark unknown of a medical issue and come out of it okay. I spent hours curled up on the couch, ignoring schoolwork and taking comfort in Deenie's nervousness when she knows that she has to go see the doctor but hasn't yet had the appointment...I ended up undergoing a painful medical test and then being at the mercy of a doctor who apparently believed that a young girl had no brains whatsoever since he essentially avoided my questions (like Deenie's doctor often did) or patronized me (like Deenie's doctor often did).

And for those of us who "just" had trouble fitting in...

From "Freaks, Geeks, and Adolescent Revenge Fantasies" by Shanna Swendson: "My heart broke for Deenie's sister Helen when she was dismissed by her mother as "the smart one" [Deenie was "the pretty one"]...She seemed as trapped by the label as I often felt, and I've always wondered if she ever caught up with her poetry-writing mechanic who was going to forestry school."

From "I Am" by Erica Orloff: "I still remember when oh so beautiful Deenie chopped off her hair. She did it in anger and rage and fury and rebellion. She did it in a moment when her emotions got the best of her. Its lopsided ugliness was an external sign of how she felt inside. And I, straight A's, always striving for perfection for a father who loved me but demanded brilliance, thought Deenie was the most audacious, courageous character I had ever read about. 

But what about Fudge, you ask? Peter Hatcher's terror of a younger brother (Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing, etc) is honored in what is one of the funniest passages I have ever read, a tribute to Cara Lockwood's younger brother Matt. The essay makes me laugh so hard my eyes water:

The toilet, in fact, was my brother's favorite toy. With his neverending toilet fixation, I was convinced he'd grow up to be a plumber. He flushed entire rolls of toilet paper (including the roll bar). He flushed potpourri, Matchbox cars, my mom's mascara, the dog's collar, and an entire box of Legos. He kept flushing until he plugged up the toilet and it overflowed, and then he'd clap his hands, laugh manically, and run away, as if it was all part of his plan for world domination.

Thank goodness we've all grown up!

Whether silly, poignant, painful, or confident, the essays here read like girlfriends catching up on the past, sharing their secrets with you and making you feel better for your own insecurities. Making you feel normal. Understood. And, after all, isn't that what Judy Blume herself wanted for her readers?

Knitscene and A Rather Lovely Inheritance

What do you think of the new Knitscene? After eagerly anticipating the fall issue, I must admit I was disappointed in the pattern selection. The only project I'm seriously considering is the lacy wristwarmers. My friend MrsSDC gave me a stunningly gorgeous ocean-colored skein of Dream in Color Classy that will work perfectly, and the wristwarmers coordinate with a boucle mohair scarf I knitted several years ago.

Other than that, I think I'm going to knit Forever Tweed, a cowl-necked sweater by Wendy Bernard, that appeared in the previous (spring) issue. Now to decide on a yarn substitution! I'm also wanting to knit several sweaters from the Dauphine pattern book by Louisa Harding that I bought last year. It seems as if many of the yarns used in this booklet are either discontinued, or no longer widely available in the U.S. More substitutions. I so need to learn how to make them successfully.

A Rather Lovely Inheritance

Feeling down because of the economy and lack of a job, I wanted summer reading options that promised total escapism: fun, adventure, a little romance. A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond was even better than I expected.

Penny Nichols, an art historian/film set researcher, is working on yet another historical biography film when she finds out that Great Aunt Penelope has died and left her a swank London townhouse and the contents of the garage of a villa in Nice, France. Penny and cousin Jeremy, an upper crust British solicitor, attend the reading of the will, where Jeremy's inheritance (the French villa) is challenged by ne'er-do-well cousin Rollo and his greedy mother. Penny's determination to solve the puzzle of Jeremy's, and Great Aunt Penelope's, past -- and thus preserve Jeremy's inheritance -- takes them on a journey back and forth from London to Nice and even to Italy, culminating in the ultimate summer vacation.

There's some art history, some World War II history, and wonderful scenery to be lost in. Penny is a delight to get to know because she's so normal. No rich socialite type, she is a like a favorite college roomate or a next-door neighbor who is somewhat shy, but intelligent and passionate about people and things she loves. Her persistance in helping Jeremy come to terms with his identity is admirable, and her romantic daydreams about her Great Aunt Penelope's flapper lifestyle are just fun! When I finished the book, I had to start right away on the sequel, A Rather Curious Engagement, which takes us back to London and Nice for even more adventures. And according to Amazon, a third book is in the works: A Rather Charming Invitation is due to be published February 2010. Perfect antidote for winter (which is unthinkable to me now!)

Writing Class No. 6 and a Question

Wednesday was my last class for the second session, and I've signed up for the third session, which begins the week after next. Because of various discussions, we unfortunately didn't do any exercises on description as our group leader had planned. She shared some notes with us about simile and metaphor and promised to pick up on the topic next time. She's also going to teach us outlining and storyboarding, which I am most excited about. Sometimes I have ideas for stories, but I'm not sure where to start putting them on paper/on screen. If I can develop a good outline to follow, that will make a difference.

Because I was a journalism major in college, rather than an English major, I'm not familiar with literary journals. Today at Borders I looked through that section, trying to get a sense of what might be helpful. I bought an issue of Glimmer Train, because it looked like it had several good examples of short stories. I also saw Paris Review, and a few others. What I would like to know, if you read any of these types of magazines, is what you might recommend? I'm a mainstream writer and reader, so the avant garde journals will be lost on me. I'm simply looking for pieces of good writing that I can learn from, and use as models for well-written essays or short stories. Please feel free to email me at scarlett22770 at yahoo dot com if that is easier than leaving a comment.

Have a great weekend, whatever your plans!

Breton Girl Update, and a Fun Weekend

Still knitting away on the front and back of the Breton Girl sweater! It is taking a long time to knit it this way, but once I'm done, I'll only have the sleeves left! I'm still working on Paloma too, but I'm in the knit one row, rip out two stage.

 

The yarn falls off the ball unless I keep it in a plastic bag. I'm carrying the colors up the sides so I can avoid weaving in a million ends!

Despite the neverending gray skies and rain, Chris and I had a great weekend. On Saturday, he raced in Rhode Island, and Sarah and Jeff joined me in watching and photographing the race. The first photo is one I took of Chris rounding a corner (he's second from left), and the second is a photo of me that Sarah took, while I was taking pictures of Chris.

 

I'd really love to upgrade our camera. I don't take a lot of photos, but jumped into the deep end of the photography pool when Chris started racing. Nothing like capturing one person out of the pack of racers, all of whom are going by at an avg. of 25 mph! I'm beginning to think an SLR might be in my future.

After the race, we had lunch and visited a bookstore. Other than two magazines, I did not for once buy any books. Not that I am running out of reading material!

 

Indiscretions were committed over the last few weeks as follows: the top four came from Book Mooch, the next four came from Book Barn, where friends enabled me, the next three came from the bookstore where I have been taking the writing classes. Second to last, Becoming a Woman of Freedom, was given out at my church as the summer study book, and the book at the bottom of the pile, Face the Music, was written by Chris' colleague. She autographed my copy. What can I say?

 

Rosie says, "I think you had better start reading them!"

 

Obsession

"Where is Human Nature so Weak as in the book store?" -- Henry Ward Beecher

Maybe I shouldn't admit this on a knitting blog, but my yarn stash is tiny. While I keep a few skeins of hand dyed yarn for small projects, if I want to make anything larger like a wrap or a sweater, I need to visit the LYS. My obsession, my hoarding instincts, are not often incited in a yarn shop. No, it is at a book shop where they consume me.

Last Saturday, the first warm day of spring, was a siren call for a road trip. After Chris' bike race, we took a long drive around our little state, and stopped at a few of our favorite bookshops. It was at the last one where I left discipline at the car door.

I have been enabled by Dorothy and Danielle, whose blogs tempt me with recommendations on a regular basis. And Chris, whose exclamation of "It's only $4!" for each book we selected will now become legend.

During the week, when I cannot visit the bookstores as easily, Book Mooch feeds my compulsion.

 

Let's just say the Cabinet of Shame cannot fit one more book -- and that was before these two piles made their way home -- and leave it at that. What have you been reading?

I recently finished Ex Libris, a short but charming book of essays by Anne Fadiman on books and people who love them. If you are a book addict like me, you will enjoy finding a friend in Anne's pages.

I'm still working through the Artist's Way, writing my daily morning pages and trying to practice the artist's dates weekly. Sometimes it is just time alone at home with a DVD or an inspirational design book, and other times it is out window shopping, getting ideas. One valuable concept I've learned is that creativity does not usually happen in big bursts of time and energy, but in little steps of change and practice each day. Can we spend even ten minutes knitting a row or writing a paragraph? Another is to do the "next thing" towards your big goal, however small a step that might be (signing up for a class, locating a pattern, choosing and purchasing your yarn or paint, making the sample, etc), rather than what I typically do, which is to never start because I always want it to be perfect and complete at the outset. I remember hearing or reading that when we watch a pianist perfectly execute a piece, or a gymnast perfectly execute a routine, we must realize that they did not do this spontaneously because they are geniuses. We are only seeing an end result of many, many hours of practice and experimentation in their craft. They too had to sign up for a beginner's class at some point. And so it is the same with art and writing and knitting; if we exercise those muscles daily, we too will amaze ourselves at what we can accomplish.

I want to thank you for your kind words of encouragement about Rainy. They mean so much to me. Her appointment with the specialist is not until next week, but she seems to be doing fairly well. I hope you and your loved ones are well too, and enjoying spring or autumn!

Authors I Have Read and Loved

Some of my friends with book blogs have posted lists of their most 25 influential authors. Influential, but not necessarily favorite. Influential as in: taught them, inspired them, or introduced them to something or someone new. Made them think deeply. They are nice, neat lists with a lot of recognizable names from college classes or book groups.

I have been considering my authors all week, and whether or not to share my list. It makes me feel only slightly less vulnerable than sharing a photo of me in a bathing suit (not going to happen -- the cycling tights are bad enough!). Books and our experiences with them can be so personal. Since I don't have significant progress on any of my current knitting projects to share, however, I'm going to post the authors after all. In some cases I have read many or all of their books, and in others, only one. It's sort of chronological. My authors are from all time periods and genres and reading levels, so it's not a tidy list, but it is an honest one.

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald and 2. Edith Wharton. The rich are not like you and me, money doesn't buy happiness, and when you attend high school in a town with a famous prep school full of those kinds of people, F. Scott and Edith are good reminders of those principles.

3. Agatha Christie. Her books made me want to visit England desperately, and one of them introduced me to the poetry of:

4. Tennyson. "The mirror crack'd from side to side..." "Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies;" Love him.

5. Alexandra Stoddard, interior designer and mentor in the art of living well. Sometimes a good cup of tea or coffee and a pretty journal can make a big difference in your day. Alexandra is widely read herself, and quotes from and references to classic literature are spread throughout her books.

6. Mary Pipher. Reviving Ophelia explained my teen years. It made me feel sad and angry, but finally understood. I have always wanted to read The Shelter of Each Other too.

7. Michael Pollan's Second Nature. Why Americans garden the way we do, with our democratic ribbon of one lawn flowing into the next across the fruited plains, from sea to shining sea. Did you notice that they don't do that in England? Their gardens are private and often walled in...

8. Anne Perry and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I used to adore the Victorian era, until I read these books, and saw what I'm sure is only a glimpse of the restrictions and inequalities of women's lives during that era. It ain't all ruffle-y dresses and tea parties. I am much happier to be a 20th/21st century woman, with female doctors, educators, and lawmakers, thankyouverymuch.

9. Lois Ehlert and 10. Leslie Baker. They are children's authors and illustrators I discovered while working in libraries. Lois is a collage artist and Leslie is a watercolor painter. You could (though I hope you wouldn't) cut pages out of their books to frame and hang on the wall. Lois Ehlert is at the very top of my list of those famous people I want to meet someday questionnaires.

11. Joan Bauer and 12. Sarah Dessen. Two young adult authors who write the most lyrical books I know, whose characters have a dignity and a depth missing from much fiction today. Joan's Backwater and Hope Was Here, and Sarah's Keeping the Moon are my favorites. The latter I read cover to cover, then started at the beginning again.

13. The authors of the Bible, 14. C.S. Lewis, 15. Mary Whelchel 16. Beth Moore and 17. Chuck Swindoll's Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life book. My spiritual mentors.

18. Robert Browning, 19. William Wordsworth, and 20. Edna St. Vincent Millay. I've discovered their work later in my life, but Robert's "God thou art Love" passage, William's "The world is too much with us," and Edna's "I am weary of words and people, sick of the city, wanting the sea..." I live on those.

21. John C. Wright and 22. Pam Johnson-Bennett. John wrote the book Is Your Cat Crazy? which I clung to when our cat Charlie began biting and having panic attacks. He is a certified animal behaviorist, as is Pam Johnson-Bennett, and if your pets are exhibiting unexplainable bad behaviors, I can't urge you enough to get copies of their books. Bad behavior is never getting even -- pets aren't capable of thinking spitefully. It's a symptom that something is wrong, and it's up to us to figure out what that is. You will realize on a whole new level, as I did, how smart animals truly are after you read even one of these.

23. Alice Bass' The Creative Life 24. Madeline L'Engle's Walking on Water and 25. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way (in progress). Over the last few years, I've been studying creativity, specifically, how to encourage it in my daily life. All three of these books approach creativity from a similar angle, that being creative is a spiritual act and that our art feeds our soul. The first and last books offer specific questions and exercises to get past our blocks, fears, time challenges, etc, so we can finally make room in our day and take the risks we need to start practicing those arts or crafts that we have dismissed as being frivolous or for which we think we are not good enough. I have to tell you it is so hard to try drawing or painting again, when I have not done it regularly since high school and college. But I know I'm not going to be happy until I do it, even if it's very bad at first. Julia in particular has been tearing down my defenses one chapter at a time...

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you decide to post the list on your own blog, please let me know!

I Love a Mystery

Here's a peek at Fetching, in pink Plymouth Suri Merino, a gift from Sarah. Not sure why the edges are curling.

After numerous trips to the Book Barn lately, alone and with friends, we've been trying to "catch up" and actually read some of the books we've been buying, borrowing, or been given as gifts. Though we all know you never really catch up, it's fun to live in that illusory world, if only so you can justify buying *more* books! Read one, buy three, or something like that.

Anyway, a few quick book reports on new-to-me mystery series I've been reading.

First, "Wish You Were Here" by Rita Mae Brown, of the Mrs. Murphy series. Mrs. Murphy is the cat, who, with the dog Tucker, helps her person solve local murders. As a cat lover, the premise really intrigued me. But while I enjoyed seeing exactly how the author worked out using pets to help humans in a believable fashion, I have to admit I didn't care very much for the humans themselves. Maybe it's because we don't really get to know very much about some of them on any deeper level than their names. This is the first book in the series so perhaps as it develops we can become more involved in the lives of Harry the postmistress and her ex-husband Fair?

The second new series I'm experimenting with is the Dandy Gilver series by Catriona McPherson. They are set in 1920s Scotland which already makes them very cool. First volume is After the Armistice Ball. The cover copy compares this book to the genre of "Tartan Noir" which in itself sounds intriguing. Dandy, short for Dandelion, is a young married woman of breeding, bored with the lack of useful work after World War I. Her husband doesn't seem to much care what she does, her sons are away at boarding school, and when a friend calls her to investigate missing jewels, she's more than ready to drop everything and do so. Then the daughter of the owner of the jewels is murdered, and Dandy works with the daughter's fiance to solve both mysteries.

If you like the traditional format of a mystery, solving the "who" rather than the "how and why," you might be disappointed with this story. It's clear early on who the culprit is, without the big surprise twists at the end that I've come to expect from authors like Anne Perry. I have the second book in the series, the Burry Man's Day, and will read that and compare the two.

Now I've started Innocent in Death, by Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb, loaned to me by the sadly blogless MrsSDC. It's very different than my usual mystery, in that it's set in 2060. It's not English, and it's not cozy. A high school history teacher, Craig Foster, is poisoned by his lunch, with no apparent motive. Since I don't have the usual formulas to fall back on, I'm wondering if he was poisoned by mistake, or if his wife has a whole separate past life not revealed to me yet. Time will tell.

What have you been reading lately??

More Breton Girl & Vintage Novels

Still knitting on Breton Girl. I'm past the waist and on to the chest increases.

I love knitting sweaters, but it takes me so long to finish them; it's harder to blog about them than smaller projects. I'm looking forward to a couple of quick scarves when this is done!

Vintage novels are a favorite collection of mine. The covers thrill me (I wish I lived like that!), but I read the stories too. This Emilie Loring novel from the 1930s came from a spree at Book Barn a few years ago, a used book shop not too far from where we live. I started it at Cape Cod and just finished it this week, a perfect summer read because the story was set during a summer in Maine. The main character, Lissa, is a young author who writes in a lighthouse, willed to her by an aunt. How fun is that?! I'm looking forward to reading more of Emilie's books. I seem to have a whole shelf of them already, and there are still more I don't have. Do you have a compulsion to collect every single book by an author if you like their work? I do!

Old Favorites

On a rainy day, it's fun to visit old favorites...

Booking Through Thursday

1 & 2. They say that books read as a child make more of an impact on a person than books read at any other time in life. Are there any books that you particularly loved, that shaped the way you think when you were little? I'm not asking if you believed in fairies then but don't any more. I'm asking about patterns of thought, morality--something that made an impact. And, of course, examples, please!

My father used to read stories to me out of a few collections, which I still have, and they are dear to me. Some have become metaphors for life (and there is nothing I love more than a Good Metaphor For Life):

Ukelele and Her New Doll (C-- we were just talking about this!) is a story about a little girl that lives in the South Seas. She has a favorite crude wooden dolly that she gives baths to and plays with in the sand. Then the Big Ship comes and the sailors give her a fancy new doll as a present, that she can't get wet because it would ruin her glued-on hair and lacy dress. All Ukelele can do is put it on the shelf and admire it. She goes back to playing with her beloved wooden doll. (Here is a photo of the Golden Book version).

I love this story because it says so much about how we want the new shiny big thing (or person, or career), because it's so impressive or rare or expensive. Yet, sometimes after we get it, we realize that it takes so much more of our energy/time/money/care than we really want to give it. We appreciate the humble or familiar thing/person/career much more.

A legendary family tale is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. I'm a picky eater. I'm egg phobic. And I'm stubborn: "I will not eat them in the rain, I will not eat them on the train..." My father still quotes this to me at the dinner table ("Try them, try them, you will see!") and I'm in my 30s now.

Other old favorites: Mr. Punnymoon's Train, Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World, I am a Bunny ("I am a bunny. My name is Nicholas. I live in a hollow tree...And when winter comes, I watch the snow falling from the sky. Then I curl up in my hollow tree and dream about spring." I wistfully quote that last line after every Labor Day).

3. Also, did you read this book/these books more than once? Many times? Even if that's not a usual habit of yours?

I love these stories and I have read them so much, that they have become part of my frame of reference; for example, when I say about something, "it's just like Ukelele," my sister and C know exactly what I mean.  I still pull them off the shelf once in a while.

I have new favorites that were published after I became an adult that are just as important to me: The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant (I love to name things), The Dreamer by Cynthia Rylant, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney ("...there is a third thing you must do..."). (If you are a Maine knitter, you might know Ms. Cooney's work. She lived in Damariscotta). Although Lois Ehlert's books don't have any deep meaning to them, I adore her collage art. Hands reminds me of my parents, who work with carpenter's tools and sewing tools. It celebrates the act of creating something new with your hands -- a truth we can all appreciate. :)

Another old favorite:

  Santa Kitty! Charlie and Tim, he is watching...

I'm still working on the hood of the CPH, and I hope to have a progress photo for you after the weekend. I hope everyone has good weather, lots of rest, and of course, lots of knitting!