Reading list#2 2024

  

1. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy I have read other books by this writer that have liked much better. Or maybe it was too slow paced after reading William Kent Krueger. 
2. Three Inch Teeth by C.J. Box another thriller, I read it in one day.
3. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson about Marconi and the invention of the wireless radio which send messages in Morse code. Way more than I needed to know about radio waves and antenna but also growing aggression in Germany before WW1 and a mystery. Wireless radio played a vital roll in catching the villain. 
4. The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger for book club a death was it accidental or murder, lots of secrets and confidences, the story takes place in the 1950’s dealing with post was trauma and family. Very good!
5. A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber a young woman dealing with the death of her sister from cancer and a romance, just a nice story after the murder and gore of the 3 previous books.
6. The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner WW2 Japanese and German internment camps in USA, about friendship, family, and home. Very good!
7. Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese about the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and a woman he painted in late 1800’s-early 1900’s and about the woman’s niece during WW2 and the recovery of the painting.  The painting is The Woman in Gold, Ann Marie O’Connor wrote a similar book, The Lady in Gold which was made into a movie with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. I need to watch the movie again. Very good.
8. Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill about the secret service agent assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for book club.
9. Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict about Mrs. Winston Churchill. Very good
10. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor something light after 3 serious but very good books
11. The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear stand alone book, not part of the Maisie Dobbs series. Story takes place in England after WW II and back tracks to WWI in Belgium resistance fighters then to resistance during WW II. Good story and interesting characters.
12. The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht for book club weird story but lots to think about how family stories are passed on and become larger than life. Good book club discussion but no one really liked the book. The grandfather/ doctor in the story carried a copy of The Jungle Book his whole life.
13. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling my knowledge of the book was from the 1967 Disney animation. (I watched that again too) the book was very dark but fun to read.
14. The Tuscan Orphan by Siobhan Daiko WW2 Italy army nurse and orphaned girl, the search for her parents and a love story. The book was ok but not great.
15. Start a new list……..

Fun weekend with the little girls and some of my favorite books. I never get tired of reading kids books. DD and I were shopping together a couple weekends ago we found what she needed in the first store we went to so after a couple other shops we went to the big book store just to read picture books. —Ann—

It’s not done until I love it

 A sweater I knit this past winter from Berroco Remix Light 30%nylon, 27% cotton, 24% acrylic, 10% silk and 9% linen. It was a dream to knit and washes beautifully in the washing machine and then into the dryer!

Fresh out of dryer

The end of the day the ribbing is stretched out of shape and I look like I had a tough day. 

It’s not done until I love it.  I ripped the ribbing and re knit the neck with a rolled neck finish, it doesn’t stretch. Then I ripped the cuffs and reknit a garter stitch cuff on much smaller needles. I also ripped the 2 x 2 ribbing from the hem and did a split hem in garter stitch.  It looks so much better. This yarn in a 2x2 ribbing does not have any memory, it stretches out but doesn’t pull back in unless it has been through the washer and dryer. I’m going to get more of this yarn to knit pullovers for the little girls. It’s been a learning experience.           —Ann—

Flowering crab apple trees

 

The flowering crab apple trees are in full bloom here. The next strong wind it will look like a snowstorm of white and pink petals. The watercolor was done with a couple clicks on the Waterlogue app. Enjoying the colors and warmer days. —Ann—

Sweater and jeans

Last summer I started knitting this yarn into a cardigan things did not go well so I ripped and put it away. The yarn needed a time out.  It is zauberball cotton from Schopple Wolle.  I thought I would try again with this pattern called Derecho on ravelry the yarn was so much better behaved after months in time out. I lengthen the sleeves from cap to three quarter.  It was just tv time knitting with no hiccups. After a soak and spin through the washer then into the dryer and almost dry, it shrank to perfection. 

 I bought some new jeans that I needed to hem up. The first pair easy peasy cut the hem off then turn it up twice and stitch. Same procedure for the second pair, try them on and the right leg is longer than the left. Argh I was so glad I used the single stitch instead of the triple stitch suggested for hemming denim. Rip one leg then decide to rip both to make sure both are the same length. It looked  the same, measure again. Turn the hem up again and stitch with long stitches, try on again, right leg is still longer. Rip the basting stitches and trim less than a quarter inch from that leg turn the hem again and baste. They looked the same check placement of my feet, toes match turn looked the same on my heels, put shoes on with heels. The hems match!! Sew the hem with shorter stitches and done!—Ann—

Socks

 

I have been knitting socks on the numerous road trips to see the little girls, after all they are only 3 for a year. Socks for them knit from a cotton bamboo yarn, footies for me from Wool Addicts footprints yarn wool, cotton and nylon, and birthday socks for son.

Knitting on the road….

—Ann—

Design wall

 A little quilt top finally together I had almost all the pieces in a bag of “quilt seeds” leftover from other baby quilts. Fewer decisions when I can start with quilt seeds. I will just say a nephew ( I won’t go into the greats and grands of the family tree) and his wife have a new baby girl. A tummy time quilt with lots of colors and black and white patterns for those little eyes to focus. Rainy days and sunny days, still chilly days are good days to quilt.  —Ann—