Some stuff I've been promising you

Hi all!

Knitting:

• I've got the test knitting project #1 out in the post and done!! Yahoo!! I am relieved as all get out. Here is a progress photo of the project:

I'm not allowed to show you the finished product, of which I also have photos, until it's in the catalog. I'm not 100% pleased with it but I don't think I ever would be because I'm a hardcore perfectionist about my knitting. But anyway.

• Here is a photo of the yarn and the pattern I've been commissioned to do. The yarn is Plymouth Baby Alpaca DK and the pattern is Rowan's Ghost.

I'll keep you updated on the progress of it when I get it underway. I'm itching to get it started. However, I also need to get started on my Christmas knitting...That's for another post.

• Instead, I'll show you the MAN socks which are now the me socks, again. The first one didn't fit Travis but it did fit me so I decided to finish up the pair so I'd have another pair of socks. I'll be giving the MAN socks another go, though. Here is a photo of the first sock in action and the start of the second sock, which has actually come along a bit further since I took this photo. It languished for the entire duration of the test knitting project, for obvious reasons (see previous posts).

Partaking in Culture:

• I finished Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk, a while ago and, as usual for his books, I really enjoyed it. His books are like a guilty pleasure...easy to read, quick, and fun. His books have this weird non-fiction feel to them. In Invisible Monsters, he gave exhaustive tips for removing stains and cleaning. In Rant, the reader gets a history of the spread of contagious diseases throughout history. Rant is written in an interview style sans interviewer. The reader is getting an oral history of the main character. Like all his characters, the main character of this book is multi-layered and the reader gets the distinct feeling like he is hiding something from them. Chuck Palahniuk has become somewhat known for his big reveals at the end of his novels and Rant is no exception. I do not recommend this book, or any of his other books, for the squeamish or the prudish. I do recommend it if you want some brain candy that you will demolish in a weekend...
• I recently finished The Museum Guard by Howard Norman. It was a lovely book, rather folk story in its telling. It was set in the late 1930's and explored the day to day life of an average guy who became a museum guard because of his uncle, an alcoholic womanizer who is also a museum guard. The protagonist, Defoe, becomes enraptured with both a woman and a painting. The woman and the painting merge into one as the woman attempts to become the woman in the painting. Here, Norman details the pathos of a woman who has clearly made a break from her own reality in favor of what she feels is the more romantic and meaningful world of the woman in the painting. This book is at times frustrating and overall very engaging. It reads like the story of a painting, which is reinforced in many ways by the other characters who get the opportunity to provide the commentary for the story throughout the book. It was a refreshing read because it was well-written, lyrical, and interesting. The historical setting of the book was factually true yet unintrusive. There was something vaguely mysterious about this book and I do recommend it, especially if you like the feeling of peering into another life.
• If you are looking for a nearly exhaustive yet well-categorized compendium of knitting stitches, check out Mary Thomas's Book of Knitting Patterns. It was first published in 1943 and has since, obviously, been reprinted. She starts out with some of the most basic knitting stitch patterns and progresses to the most complex. There are patterns scattered throughout (mainly samplers and such) but the real meat of the thing is in the stitch patterns. There is some great knitting history and a ton (300+) illustrations of knitting stitches, including profile views of stitches. There is also a discussion of design and incorporating various patterns into garments and how they will best work together. This is not a book I would have appreciated as a beginning knitter but I know as I advance more, I will find it to be an indispensable resource. If you design garments or home furnishing and do not have this book, I urge you to get a copy.
  
• Since I have been sitting on my duff knitting my fingers to the bone, I have been watching too much daytime television. You know what's on in the middle of the day? Murder, She Wrote. That's right, I've been watching Murder, She Wrote....on the Hallmark Channel and the Biography Channel, respectively. Most of the acting is horrible but I felt like I was eight and staying up late to watch it with my mama.
  
• Deadwood Season Three is out on DVD now and we are nearing the end of the discs from Netflix. I shudder to think that it will be over soon because now I'm totally engrossed. I'll have to turn my television compulsion to something else. Any suggestions?

Well, bloglings and blogettes, I am going to go take a shower and get back to knitting and editing (something new this time!) and watch another episode of Murder, She Wrote. Travis is running around getting parts for the truck (1966 Chevy 10 - "Lucille" - she's up and running and we are happy to have her back. There is nothing like driving around with the windows down, sitting next to my baby on that big bench seat.) to work on that today so I'll be doing my usual....avoiding the heat and knitting for fun. I hope y'all are having a wonderful day. I'll be back soon with more knitting, more reading (I'm in the middle of a fantastic book!), and more happiness. Ciao!

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