Snoozing Beauty

This is the only way I could get Kate to model two of the hats I knitted this week. The striped one is yet another London Beanie, and the watch cap is from this pattern. The watch cap looks a lot better when it's being worn -- by a person.

Books Read in July

Dodie Smith: I Capture the Castle
Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale
Alan Bennett: The Clothes They Stood Up In and “The Lady in the Van”
Ellis Peters: The Holy Thief
Tom Perrotta: Election
Howard Norman: The Northern Lights
Ngaio Marsh: Tied Up in Tinsel
Eric Kraft: Inflating a Dog
Ruth Rendell: The Keys to the Street
William Trevor: The Children of Dynmouth

A Contest to Get You People Posting to this Blog: The first person to post a comment listing the last book, fiction or non-fiction, that he or she read in its entirety will receive from me a most excellent Dutch treat. (That's just a little joke; you don't have to pay half.) (Tip: When you click on the comments button and go to the "Leave your comment" page, change your identity to "other" so you don't have to create a Blogger account.)

The Nutty Knitter

Okay, I've knitted these hats and the one pair of mittens over the past several months. I do other things too. For example, I enjoy waiting for the bus.





Anyway, I plan to divide these items among three charities: The Dulaan Project, Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program, and Rad Bad Beanies Project.

Don't Laugh

I've knitted myself a pair of Fuzzyfeet. Here they are before felting and, apparently, in a hilarious state -- just ask Simon. He thinks these would be better as socks for Shrek.
















I've also done some knitting for a certain stylish 5th grader I know. This is the Kidlet Tank and the London Beanie.

Back in the Saddle

After being off the tandem for four weekends, Simon and I rode Saturday morning. We did only about 30 miles but were pleased to have averaged 16 m.p.h. since we were slowed up at several intersections.

We also lost a little time when we stopped to take pictures of this swan and her cygnets. Oh well, it's not like we're training for next year's Tour de France.

Bad Cat

The other day, Kate's dreams came true. She took over both the remote and the couch.

You may be wondering where we got such an ugly couch. Well, underneath several layers of cat-proof materials, there's a rather nice couch. In spite of what Kate thinks, the couch belongs to our landlords, not to her.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Simon and I are back from NC (and to think that I was looking forward to the heat – I'm over that now). We hung out with our parents and Simon’s sister and her kids and visited all our old hangouts in Raleigh:

Cup-a-Joe (iced latté double, skinny – heaven)
Mitch’s Tavern (the best chicken salad, gazpacho, gumbo, and chili anywhere)
The P.R. (under new ownership and better than ever)
Nice Price Books
The Reader’s Corner

And yes, I did manage to get to Target one or two or several times.

Books Read in June

Charles Palliser: The Quincunx
John Le Carré: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Charles Palliser: The Unburied
Elie Wiesel: Night
Cornelia Funke: Inkspell

Okay, I realize that I managed to read only five books in June, but -- in my defense -- I must point out that The Quincunx was over 1000 pages long.