Rambling...

Last weekend I found myself walking through a collection of vintage cars and trucks belonging to a collector in Akron. My favorite cars were from the 40's and 50's. The curves and style of those autos were truly works of art. My favorite in the whole collection, though, was this delivery truck. It's like something from a children's story:

On a walk in the snow one day, I came across the imprint that some sort of raptor - owl or hawk - left after swooping to grab a small meal. The wing prints are on the right and left , the tail print behind, and on the left is a place where the bird hopped with its conquered prey and left blood in the snow before flying away with its meal:

And here is my gray cat with her doppelganger:

 

 

I finally placed orders for seeds - a little late, a few things that I wanted were already sold out. I'm always a little over zealous when it comes to planning my gardens anyway. Sitting in your house with the snow blowing around outside somehow leads to visions of huge, lush gardens filled with unending varieties of vegetables and flowers. In the heat of summer, when the weeding is starting to fall behind, the reality is much different. I'm sure I can get along with a few less plants to worry about : )

Book Signing!

If you're in the neighborhood on Saturday, February 9th, stop by the Old Trail School on Ira Road in Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the indoor farmer's market. The market runs from 9 AM to noon, with lots of terrific vendors, and I'll be there, too, signing books!

I'll most likely have my drop spindle with me, getting some spinning in when not signing all those books : )

Seriously, if you're in the neighborhood, drop by - the market is terrific!

Aack! This scarf is going to kill me! - or - Knitting things from movies, books, and TV shows

My son asked if I could knit some scarves for him and his girlfriend for Christmas. Specifically, a Gryffindor scarf and a Slytherin scarf. There are a few different patterns out there, so I asked which type he wanted. He chose, I bought the yarn, and started knitting away. Scarves are usually pretty easy.

This one is easy, yes, but time consuming, and LONG. My husband is out of town for several days, and I thought this would give me lots of time to put into knitting. Gaaa! I think there's a spell on my needles, or something. I've been knitting, all told over the past few days, for HOURS AND HOURS and the scarf seems to grow only incrementally - soooo slowly. And it's only half way done. Gaaa! What was I thinking??

And notice the green and silver yarn in the corner? That's for the Slytherin scarf, yet to be cast-on. I say again, GAAA!

 

 

I've knitted things from movies and books and TV shows before, usually as gifts. Some have been specific requests, like the Jayne Cob hat I made for my son (from the TV show, Firefly). You can see him wearing it in this post - scroll down to the end.

 

I also made some fingerless mitts fashioned after the ones Johnny Depp wore in the movie, Sweeney Todd, for my daughter's boyfriend. He loves them and wants another pair because these are about to wear out (they are 2 or 3 years old by now and he wears them all the time in winter). The problem with that is I sort of cobbled the pattern together and customized it for his (large) hands, but now can't find my notes. So I have to go through the process of cobbling together and customizing all over to make new ones. Gaaa!

 

And here are some mittens I made from the excellent book, Code Name Verity, for a friend.

 

I would someday like to knit the fingerless mitts Hermione wears in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 for myself (click the image to see it larger):

 

 

And then, there are the Beowulf socks I intend to make for my son someday - they have the first page of Beowulf written on them. I made the yarn already, but the pattern is a bit daunting, so I'm nervous about starting.

 

So there is no end to the inspiration that can be found in literary, film, and television sources - and the requests that may come your way if you are a knitter. My only advice to you is, STAY AWAY FROM THESE BLEEDING SCARVES. If you must, knit one of the other styles that can be found. You'll be glad you did.



Sale!

Two of my books are on sale now through Dec. 5th at Smashwords.com! Rose of Par Kluhnd  and The Witch of Starmont are both 35% off at checkout with special coupons.

Rose of Par Kluhnd 35% off coupon code - JN25U

The Witch of Starmont 35% off coupon code - JL79C

Use these codes at checkout now until Dec. 5th to save 35% on these books, only at Smashwords.com!

Herbs hanging to dry, and a little black kitten playing

We've had a couple of frosty nights, so I've gathered herbs from the garden to dry. It's too cold to hang them on my special drying rack in the garage, so I've hung these from the light in the dining room. It'll be warmer there and they'll dry more quickly. I've got a couple of varieties of tulsi, some parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sweet marjoram. Yesterday when they were freshly cut, the room smelled so good!:

 

 

And here is a little black kitten. He's always on the move:

 

 

He belongs to my daughter, but he comes over for visits sometimes: 

 

 

 

I wish more people would spay and neuter their pets, then my daughter wouldn't have to pick up so many abandoned kittens : )

Contact and quotes

I've been rereading the book, Contact, by Carl Sagan. At the beginning of chapters and various sections of the book there are all sorts of quotes. Here is the quote presaging chapter 10:

Do we, holding that the gods exist, deceive ourselves with insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world? - Euripides, Hecuba

I recently received the blue ray version of the movie, Contact, for my birthday. I watched it three times in two days.

And here is my favorite quote from the book itself:

She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

Carl Sagan was on to something.

Another book signing coming up!

I'll be signing books at the Countryside Conservancy's Howe Meadow farmer's market in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Saturday, August 18th from 9 AM to Noon.

I'll be bringing my drop spindles again and hopefully some of my Japanese indigo-dyed fiber to spin. If you're in the area, drop by, the market is terrific! I'll be buying up a lot of what's for sale, as usual : )