Art History Mystery With Cat

In Knitlark Lane Podcast Episode #11 http://knitlarklane.libsyn.com I mentioned the book The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears in the Need to Read Segment.

If you love learning about art and visiting art museums like I do, you might enjoy this one. I am a big fan of the mystery genre, and I enjoy books where the author assumes that the reader is intellectually curious.

An English art scholar, Jonathan Argyll, gets involved in a fast-paced adventure while searching for a long-lost Raphael. He and Flavia de Stephano from the Italian National Art Theft Squad are led on a merry chase as they investigate the events surrounding the discovery of the painting. The plot is complex, and there are wonderful passages about the city of Rome that make you want to visit The Eternal City on the next available plane. It is an engaging read that kept me interested throughout. Let me know what you think.

This is the first of a series, so if you like this one, there are more to enjoy.

As I was taking some pictures for this blog post, my cat Sugar insisted that I pet her instead of take the pictures. I finally just let her get in the pictures -- she was relentless.

Tulips Cause Market Disaster

Blog to go with Episode 10 of Knitlark Lane Podcast knitlarklane.libsyn.com



I walked by these lovely tulips not far from my house. I just had to share them with you.

Yes, tulips caused a HUGE market crash in Holland. Tulips came to Europe in the 1590s from Turkey. They became very popular, and a person's tulip collection was a sign of their social status and good taste. The market went out of control. Tulip prices rose 100% each week. Some bulbs sold for what would amount to $100,000 in today's money!

People started speculating -- buying tulips to "flip" them. (Sound familiar?) Tulips would be sold many, many times before they even left the ground.

But, of course, the market corrected itself. It fell hard, and those who had not cashed in lost everything as tulip value sunk to 1% of its former price.

What a history behind that lovely flower!

Avoiding the Dreaded One Sock Syndrome?

Some more thoughts to go with Episode 9 of Knitlark Lane Podcast http://knitlarklane.libsyn.com

SOCK IT TO ME

I have finished my very first sock. It was really fun to knit, and it feels wonderful on my foot.



I got a bit carried away with the increases in the toe, but it will come in handy if I ever get bunions. Over all, though, am very happy with it for a first sock attempt.

NOW I have to avoid the dreaded FIRST SOCK SYNDROME -- where you knit one sock and never finish the other.

KNITTER WITH CRITTERS

I think I am on the right track with the second sock. My inspiration for finishing projects is the podcast Knitter With Critters. http://knitterwithcritters.podbean.com/feed/ or http://knitterwithcritters.blogspot.com.

Knitter With Critters is the subject of the Podcast Pilgrim section of Episode 9 of the Knitlark Lane podcast. Jackie started her very first podcast by saying she was going to focus her podcasts on the progress she was making in finishing up her Unfinished Objects (UFOs). She has been chronicling her journey in her podcast. Episode 9 dedicates the scarf shown in the blog from March 25 (below) to Knitter With Critters. And I have already cast on for the second sock.

I have many UFOs that I hope to finish in the next months, as I follow along with Jackie and her projects. She is a much more experienced knitter than I am, but I still can follow her lead. I have a list of my UFOs (some of them are knitting projects; some of them are quilting projects). I am trying to work on one of them every week. When I finish one, I get to reward myself (new yarn or new cast on). I'll keep you posted, and check out Jackie, too. (She also has four cats ... the critters).

READING ALOUD: THE HUNCHBACK of NOTRE DAME


If you are following along with the novel in the podcast, you know that we met Quasimodo, the Hunchback, this week. It is going to be most interesting to see how Hugo, writing in 1830, treats this character, and we can compare it to what it might be like for someone like Quasimodo today.

You can catch up with the past episodes of the novel at the link for the website, or leave a comment here, and I will try to get them to you.

First Socks and Life Replay

Hi there. Here is some more information to go along with Episode 8 of the Knitlark Lane Podcast.

Knitting Tales

This is a picture of the socks I talked about in the podcast. I am an "advanced beginner" knitter, and this is my first sock. I am knitting the socks toe-up (I guess that is obvious from the picture :) ) and I'm learning magic loop and the short-row garter stitch heel by Lucy Neatby. My knitting friends say I am biting off a big chunk here but hey, I say "Go big, or don't go at all."
The class is great with Teacher Melanie and Fellow Knitters Nancy and Lilah. We laugh alot about life, love and our knitting adventures.

The yarn is lovely. It is fingering weight 100% merino by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, Claudia & Co., 40 W Washington St, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 -- ClaudiaCo.com. The colorway is called Sharks, and I love the way the blues and grays complement each other.

Need to Read

Below is a picture of the cover of the book I recommended in the Need to Read Segment of the podcast, Replay by Ken Grimwood. Here is a link to one web review. http://americanfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/replay_by_ken_grimwood_review
It has also been part of the "You Must Read This" series on NPR's All Things Considered.

The book tells the story of Jeff Winston. He dies on the very first page, and then he begins replaying his life again. It has some themes from the film Groundhog Day (which I loved), but it goes deeper into the idea of second chances and adds some different twists.

I have heard that there is an option for a film version with Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, so I suggest you try to read it before it gets the Hollywood treatment. It will be a hard one to film and get the right tone, I think. The book is a page-turner, and it stays with you when you finish. Let me know what you think.

Take Out the U from the UFO -- I've FINISHED Something

Hooray! I have finished my first knitted object since my college days when I knit a blue vest (probably out of acrylic yarn) for my then-boyfriend. I worked really hard on that vest. When he opened up the package that I had wrapped so carefully, he made that face that people make when you give them something and they hate it. To be fair, I did not know about gauge then, so it was probably off in size. But still, my heart was in the right place. Anyway, I ditched him not too long after that. Hear more about it in Episode 2 of my podcast, Knitlark Lane, knitlarklane.libsyn.com.

If you get a chance, leave a comment to tell me about someone who was not appreciative of your gift that was knitted or crocheted with love.

But now I have finished my Noro Seed Stitch Scarf. I started with something I could Knit With No Mind . . . in the car . . . anywhere. I also tried to pick something that would not be overwhelming for an Advanced Beginner knitter like me. So, it was (Cast on 21, k1,p1 to end, Repeat. )
My big question is SHOULD I BLOCK THIS? and IF SO, HOW DO I DO THAT?

Here are some pictures. I am SO proud!

Walk With Me to see the City of Ghent, Narcissus Being Himself, and A Host of Golden Daffodils

Pictures to go with the Knitlark Lane Podcast Episode 7
http://knitlarklane.libsyn.com


Pictures of the City of Ghent, Belgium












Narcissus sees his reflection and cannot bear to leave it -- I think I dated his brother once.




A host of golden daffodils . . . how can you look at them and not smile?

Need to Read: The Doomsday Book

Picture to go with Knitlark Lane Podcast Episode 4
http://knitlarklane.libsyn.com

NEED TO READ

This is the book that I mentioned in the Need to Read segment of Episode 4 of the podcast. It is a time travel book that is set in Oxford in the modern day and in the middle ages. It grabbed me almost from the beginning, and everyone I have recommended it to has really liked it. I think it has some unforgettable characters.

If you read it (or have read it), please let me know what you think.