A Gift, Some Knitting, Some Reading

First off, I have to share the wonderful goodies I got from Kim of Kim Knits, thanks to a lovely swap arranged by Kathy of Compassionknit. Kim is so smart. The swap was a no-yarn swap, so Kim included needles!

It seems so obvious, but it never occurred to me. Of course, the first thing that occurred to me was chocolate, but that's another story! I love the little notebooks she included. It's just perfect for keeping in my knitting bag and tracking details about my projects. And she noticed that I am a sucker for all crafts, so she sent a needle-felting project. It's a little hamster and just adorable. I'm thinking it would be perfect for Thankgiving weekend!

Thank you so much, Kim, for such fun and thoughtful gifts!

As for knitting, I've been unusually monogamous and managed to add quite a bit to my TTL Mystery Shawl 2017. I ordered the light pink online because I couldn't find anything that seemed right locally. It's OK, but a bit too pastel for me. I'm about 20% through the final clue; I will finish this!

I just finished History of Wolves, a first novel by Emily Fridlund. It's a coming-of-age novel set in northern Minnesota. It's much more nuanced that your usual COA novel and well-written.  In this book, a teen-age girl who is being raised by her hippie parents on the site of a failed commune begins baby-sitting for an affluent family that moves in nearby.

The plot is not what you'd expect. I found this novel quite gripping.

That just leaves me reading non-fiction for now. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, a doctor, looks at death and end-of-life issues in America -- and what a mess it is! Not a cheerful read, but very thoughtful and thought-provoking. My father moved into Assisted Living a few weeks ago, so this has special resonance for me.

I've just begun The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf, which is about early biologist Alexander von Humbolt, and it is fascinating and really well-written. I'm looking forward to getting deeper into it.

Please do join us for Unravelled Wednesday with Kat!

Taking A Break

Some weekends are not as relaxing as others. Take this one. I am working on my Professional Development Plan; if I don't submit it by April 1, I'll lose my teaching license! Gone are the days when teachers maintained their licenses by taking classes. I have to write a plan, document that I carried it out, and write reflections. I was a newspaper reporter in my first career so I will get through this; I'm not sure how the others manage. It is a LOT of work.

Thus, a few breaks are in order -- along with a cuppa.

I picked up the new Piecework magazine because I want to knit the scarf on the cover. The Double Rose-Leaf pattern comes from Weldon's Practical Knitter, so the directions are words. I'm a chart girl, so I'm going to have to chart this out for myself, especially since it is a 21-stitch repeat. There are also a lot of good articles in this issue.

I've also been petting this yarn:

Kathy set up a sock-yarn swap and Ellen really made my day when her package arrived. She has clearly figured out that deep pink is my color.  The yarn is more pink than it looks in the picture, just a few shades darker than the bird on that adorable project bag she included! I have to admit that there were two chocolate bars -- they came in very handy during a rough week. They did not last long!

Thank you Kathy and Ellen for an awesome swap!

Now, I've got some more reflecting to do...