The Capricious Guide

New Blog!

Hi there! I am moving my blog to http://marasmind.wordpress.com/. Come on over and check out the new look.

Just some exciting things...

I've been more than a little grumpy lately and had a truly rotten week last week. So, here are some things that are making me happy today:

First, a new pattern from the Zephyr Style has been released! Tree Jacket. I really like it and may have to order.

Second, I am #8950 on Ravelry. They now have a counter so you can see where you are on the invite list. I'll get my invite someday, I don't have time for it right now anyway!

Third, it's summer in Seattle, there's no better place to be this time of year.

Fourth, The Complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece Theater. Here's the press release. Thanks to Meg for the cluing me in.

Fifth, my wedding is nearly here - only 3 weeks away!

Here's to a better week!

Year 3

Anyone else getting excited for this? I'm so there! Meg and I are going.....anyone else?

Just a little bump in the road

So once again, I've been to busy to blog. I don't really realize how busy I am until I look at this blog and see how little knitting and reading and blogging I've been doing. You see those are the things that are done on my time and I haven't had much of that lately. I've been taking kids to camp (my kind of summer work), getting things done for my wedding (almost a month away!!!), trying to train for the Lake Chelan triathlon AND Mike was in the hospital getting spinal fusion surgery last week. Yep, I've been busy.  Mike's recovery is going well and I have been home with him for a few quiet days and had some good knitting time in the hospital.

Here's what I've been working on:

Mike's Seahawks socks using the basic sock pattern from "Socks Soar" and Austerman Step yarn in color 02. I started to do a toe-up version of this sock at Purly Girls last Monday but didn't like how it was turning out and decided that while I was worrying about Mike I should work on a easy pattern that I had done before. I think they are turning out well.

I have also been working on the Jude sweater. I'm just past the cast of for the armhole and am still really liking the pattern and the traveling eyelets.

Also I have finished the Wicked Sweater a while ago and apparently didn't blog about it.

Pattern: Wicked from Zephyr Style

Yarn: Plymouth Fantasy Naturale

I loved this pattern and will definitely be using it again!

The Bliss

I've been a bad blogger, but I've been reading a lot and knitting too! I have nearly finished my Wicked sweater and will post a picture when it's done. True to form, I started something new before completely finishing my last project!

This is what I swatched today - Jude from Debbie Bliss's book Summer Essentials. Here's my swatch:

Looks good huh? I am using Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere resurrected from this failed project. I've gotten the 24 stitches over 4 inches to match the gauge in the pattern but 30 rows are only about 3.5 inches . I've used a size 5 needle and really don't want to go smaller and mess up my sts/inch gauge. The pattern is for a cropped sweater and I have more yarn than is necessary so the plan is to make it a little longer. I'll have to do that for sure now otherwise it might be really short! As long as it fits around my body I'll be happy. Any suggestions?

Literary Catch up #2

I read "One Good Turn" by Kate Atkinson a few weeks ago now. I'm not usually into crime novels or mysteries, but Atkinson is a great story spinner! The story picks up where "Case Histories"* left off though if you didn't read it you could read this without wondering what's going on.

"One Good Turn" focuses on Jackson Brodie who is a former private detective. He is in Edinburgh, Scotland with his girlfriend Julia who is engrossed in a play and has little time for Jackson. Wandering around, he stumbles onto a crime scene and into a maze of characters that Atkinson develops evenly through each chapter. This book is a little confusing as there are many characters who, as the reader, you know have to be involved with one another. The central mystery also changes about half-way through the book, but it kept me interested and involved. I think this book would be a great beach read, could be a quick read if you wanted it to be. I would recommend it to those who don't normally read mysteries for something different!

*By the way I know I read "Case Histories" also by Kate Atkinson before Christmas last year...why didn't I put it on my list or write about it?? That's strange. I really loved reading that book.

Not that song!

I've been compiling music for our upcoming wedding. Mike and I decided that we would rather not have a DJ have have so much music between the two of us we could just make several Cd's to play at the ceremony and reception. I have a good friend who did this and it worked really well. So when I think of a song I would like to have at our wedding I head to iTunes and put it on our wedding play list. A few days ago I downloaded The Sundays cover of "Wild Horses" and "Pour some sugar on me" by Def Leppard - yes it is going to be quite the reception!

Then last night the movie Fear was on cable and I was happily watching it when "Wild Horses" came on as the love theme for the movie! Augghh. If we used that song at the wedding, I know I would flash to those particular scenes in the movie so that's out. Oh well, I have lots of other choices.

If you haven't seen Fear - see it! I love this movie. It is about a nice girl who breaks up with her boyfriend and he goes all psycho. Great Saturday night movie. I saw it in the theater my freshman year at PLU with a bunch of people from my dorm. For weeks the words "Nicole for EVA!" were everywhere. The movie is from the mid 90's, filmed in the Northwest and has great music from the time - what could be better. It really brought back memories so I guess I'm not so sad about the song! 

Literary Catch up

So there is no way I am going to make my goal of 50 books this year. That's OK when I made that goal I didn't anticipate the events this year would bring me! Maybe next year I'll get to 50. This year I'll try for 30.

Anyway I wanted to write about the three books I have read recently. The first was "Suite Francais" by Irene Nemirovsky. This book has gotten a lot of praise and rightfully so. One of the most amazing things about the book is the writing of it. Nemirovsky wrote this in France during WWII. It was supposed to be 5 parts long but only two were written before she, because she was a Jew, was deported to Auschwitz and died there. Her daughter had the manuscript but didn't read it for years. When she did, she used her mothers notes to fill out the holes in the manuscript and eventually it was published. There is a forward and two Appendices. You don't need to read them before the actual story to understand what's going on but reading this book with the knowledge of Nemirovsky's life made the experience even richer.

Even with this amazing background, the story itself is well written and a generally a great read! The book itself is in two parts the first chronicles many different characters fleeing from Paris when the Nazi's advanced. Her character development is wonderful. Each person in the book is someone you can imagine vividly. The second part of the book is about life in rural France under the occupation of the Nazis. I thought this part was amazing because it showed how life goes on under occupation and how people's lives go on even under difficult circumstances.

Stay tuned for the next book.   

I have been knitting!

I've been planning a wedding, working, going to the gym and not blogging. However I have been knitting and even reading a little.

Here's what I am working on:

It's Wicked from Zephyr Style. I am loving this pattern, top down, in the round - there's nothing better in my world right now. I really needed a mindless knit. I am using Plymouth Fantasy Naturale which was given to me from an friend who no longer knit years ago. It is knitting up really nicely, very soft but it will be a little heavy because it is 100% cotton.

Next is a sock! I haven't worked on it since I cast on for Wicked but it is worth a picture:

   

This is the Jaywalker pattern from Magknits. It is as fun knit as I have heard! I think the leg is knitting up too small for me so I am going to give them to my Brother's girlfriend who is very deserving. I am using some really nice Claudia's yarn in Chocolate Cherry for this sock. I think it is coming out well.

Alas, I ripped my RPM sock a third time - I think I was better off the first time I knit it on size 2 needles. Here's the beautiful yarn just waiting to become something new:

  That's all for now....I'll try to update my reading list tomorrow.

Oprah

Oprah chose "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy for her book club! I'll have to be sure to catch her show when they discuss it.....yet another reason to read the book. Here's the link to my review...