Mad Caterpillar

The second sock just never gets its picture taken as often as the first. But it is all done -- here it is, with its mate, ready and waiting for the August 2nd Sockapalooza shipping date! I sure hope my sock pal likes this pair!

Again with the details:

Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in red/brown colorway
Pattern: Go with the Flow by Evelyn Clark from Favorite Socks.

I loved knitting these socks. The pattern was easy to memorize, and worked really well with the variegated yarn. I will definitely be making more pairs of these in the future. But in the meantime, I’m going to work on a neglected sock project that I started last year and stalled on:

The Purple Pomatomus. The yarn is Trekking XXL in color number 75. This pattern requires dedicated attention (no knitting while watching movie rentals) so it will probably take a while to complete. But there is no deadline for these, and I’m not in any hurry. Summer is finally here – time for bare feet and sandals!

Posted by Danielle at 10:21 PM | | Comments (4)

I am an unabashed lover of children's fiction. I enjoy reading almost anything in general, although I do have a love/hate relationship with some literary fiction. But that's a topic for another day.

There will always be a special place in my heart for children's books. As I get older, I find more and more that children's books are usually just as interesting to adults, but in different ways. If I could indulge in that ever-popular hypothetical activity of picking any living celebrity to have dinner and an evening of conversation with, it would be J.K. Rowling, hands down. To repeat what millions of fans worldwide have said time and again, I think she's brilliant, and an inspiration on many levels. But again, I digress.

The book I'm currently reading, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, is generally classified as "young adult fiction", but as often happens, I think that classification is misleading. There is no reason that this book would not appeal to adults as much as teens; halfway through I know that I am certainly enjoying it so far. The most unique thing about this book is its unusual narrator, and his lyrical simplicity. The book is narrated by Death, that dread figure garbed in black. "You will know me well enough and soon enough," he says in the first chapter, addressing the reader. A simple phrase that a child might overlook, but one that certainly gives an adult pause. This gentle version of the Grim Reaper has an unusual obsession. It is color. Life, to this Death, is an ever-changing parade of color that he catalogs and collects. He drinks it in, savoring it like wine, describing it in vivid terms as though it were a gourmet meal or a physical, tactile experience.

It is inspiration to look at the world again, anew. Even when the looking is hard.

Posted by Danielle at 11:21 AM | | Comments (0)