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Reads and Knitting



While here at the kids house I've been working on a little needlework but mainly been knitting. That's because of the convince of being able to just grab my bag and off I go, whether it's just here in the house or in the car.. Have to say that is one of great thing I like about knitting.

Brought two projects with me and been making some progress.
The cat cocoon is moving along, especially now that I'm working on decreasing for the top portion.  




As you can see it's just a big ball, lot bigger now but once wash and shrunken down it should be perfect size..  
I would love to get this done before I leave so I can give it to my oldest daughter who also lives here.




Then I started a scarf that was one of the Loops Clubs projects. 
Each month I'll get a new small project and this is one from March.
Liking the pattern because it's a no brainier because its a repeat of just 2 rows. So no need for me to have to keep looking up what to do next or count rows..

Since it took 5 days to drive here this year I was able to listen to 3 books along the way.


The first was one I figure was very appropriate since I was coming to see the grandsons and it was.  I had learned that I was not alone when it came to a few things. First is how we become so in love with these new little additions to our family. I am so overwhelmed by my feelings for them and how much I want to be with them. Next is (and fell short on this) is just keep my mouth shut.  I had seen a change in my daughter and our relationship during and after the birth. I haven't figure why but I'm least know now that happens for some. Another is the fact that is don't worry about how much I spent. We'll spend what ever it takes to see them and many other grandparents do the same thing too. I would suggest this book for grandparents and their children. Could be great insight for them too.

The Devil in the White City Audiobook


 Erik Larson is my latest favorite author. This book was so good. It will make an interesting movie. I heard but can't remember who bought the rights to the book to do just that.

Here is the publisher summary

In a thrilling narrative showcasing his gifts as storyteller and researcher, Erik Larson recounts the spellbinding tale of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
The White City (as it became known) was a magical creation constructed upon Chicago's swampy Jackson Park by Daniel H. Burnham, the famed architect who coordinated the talents of Frederick Olmsted, Louis Sullivan, and others to build it. Dr. Henry H. Holmes combined the fair's appeal with his own fatal charms to lure scores of women to their deaths. Whereas the fair marked the birth of a new epoch in American history, Holmes marked the emergence of a new American archetype, the serial killer, who thrived on the very forces then transforming the country.
In deft prose, Larson conveys Burnham's herculean challenge to build the White City in less than 18 months. At the same time, he describes how, in a malign parody of the achievements of the fair's builders, Holmes built his own World's Fair Hotel - a torture palace complete with a gas chamber and crematorium. Throughout the book, tension mounts on two fronts: Will Burnham complete the White City before the millions of visitors arrive at its gates? Will anyone stop Holmes as he ensnares his victims?

  The last book was another great one.

The Boys in the Boat Audiobook

Even thou I did not know one thing about rowing, let alone competition rowing, I found this book an enticing read.
Funny thing is I kept rooting for the boys even thou I knew how it turn out.

Here is the publishers summary
  
Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together - a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times - the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant. It will appeal to readers of Erik Larson, Timothy Egan, James Bradley, and David Halberstam's The Amateurs.



Linking up with Ginny at Small Things

Comments

  1. Love the scarf, a great pattern and yarn. Must take a look at the Grandparent book, sounds interesting.

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  2. All those books sound good, though I'm a ways from grandparenthood.
    I love how portable knitting is, too. Don't leave home without it!

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  3. I just became a grandma for the first time...maybe there is a "science" to it.
    I gifted my son the book by James Daniel Brown for Christmas. I am now thinking I will borrow it from him to read it this summer.

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  4. Sounds like you are staying productive during your visit. I like the loose weave you've got going in the scarf. Very interesting books, I may have to get the second one for My Guy for Father's Day.

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  5. I found your blog from another quilter's blog - can't remember where now - oops. It was for the Dresden plate with the beautiful alternating stripe and plain blades (I can't find your tutorial though). I thought from things I did see that you might be an Okie. I see that your relationship changed with your daughter after baby. Mine changed drastically after she moved from OK to NM and then when she married and then again when first baby arrived and then when second baby arrived and then when she lost the last one. She doesn't answer my calls or texts and she usually calls on Mother's Day, Christmas, and my birthday, and if she needs ME. If I have something that I really need to tell her, I have to text and tell her that I really need to talk to her and I'd better be serious. I'm thrilled about the book suggestions and your being with your mom and dad. Enjoy them while you have them. I lost my dad in 1990 and my mom in 1999. I was married for 23 1/2 years and he divorced me - bam! I was so hurt I vowed I'd never get married again and I did. I was a cancer survivor by then and had fibromyalgia and married a sweet man who had suffered 3 strokes. He finally got to the place I couldn't take care of both of us. My doctor told me if I didn't do something quickly I was going to die. He would not let me get help in and he would not quit driving (he was totally numb in both feet up to mid-calf) and feel constantly. There were other care issues. So, I felt I had no choice. I had to divorce him or die. He was found dead 7 months later. Now almost 3 years later my 39 year old son is back home with me. We have his almost 3 year old daughter with us and he is trying to get full custody. We have his 10 year old son with us for the summer. So, I'm trying to learn to enjoy again and not be afraid these relationships will be jerked out from under me again. At first, I was afraid he'd leave again and then when the little girl came, I knew he couldn't afford to leave with her. I don't mean that it a good for bad way for me - just honest. I'm going to look for the books in reading books. I've never been into listening books. Thanks for the reviews. I am also a knitter - not a serious knitter or quilter even though I have lots of stuff for both. I'm wanting to cross stitch again, too. Have fun on your trip.

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