Sunday, January 24, 2016

Welcome to the Year of Slack

Last year, I'm not gonna lie to you, it sucked a bag of dicks.   We did finally move and the spousal unit got his new robot hip.  I fell far short of my goal to read 60 books and the amount of knitting I did was paltry at best.

This year, I am all about doing what I want to do.  I have read 6 books already.  I have finished a pair of socks and 2 hats started last year.  I have drunk a river of tea.

I don't read books that are necessarily new or notable.  I have Platte River Taste-- a mile wide and 2 feet deep.  Here are the first 6 of the year.

Book 1: Bloody Mary by JA Konrath.  The author thinks these books are not gory.  The author is wrong.  This is the 2nd in a series, but I don't feel compelled to read the rest of the series, though I do have book 3 since I bought an ebook bundle on the advice of a friend. Maybe if there is a snow day.  Or camping trip.  I am not wild about serial killers, so this is not really my cup of tea.  I think it's not a horrible book, so if that is your thing, I would recommend it. The main character is her own worst enemy.  And that is with the serial killers.

Book 2: The Lie and the Lady by Kate Noble.  I liked the first book in the series so I read this one next. It was pretty good, though  most of the plot hinged on people not telling each other anything.  A few honest conversations would have cut the length of the book in half.  That was a little frustrating.

Books 3, 4, and 5:  The Blackbird Sisters books by Nancy Martin.  I don't know why I'm even reading these.  I can't stand the heroine's sisters at all. The heroine is mildly frustrating in her amateurish detecting and inability to sack up and be with her shady boyfriend.  Again, a few honest conversations would move the plot forward pretty nicely.

Book 6:  Anything For You by Kristan Higgins.  I really liked this one better than the previous installment in the series.  Don't get me wrong though, I like all of Higgins' books to at least some degree.  This one has a lot more of the story telling from the hero's point of view than previous installments. It was not as funny as some of Higgins' other books, but a lot of times, the humor comes from the heroine getting herself into awkward situations, the heroine of this one, was a great blend of super competent  boot-strapper with fragile underbelly.

In terms of knitting, I have spiralled out of control with the volume of works in progress.  I have 2 pairs of socks for myself going.  I have a pair going for my mom.  I have 2 cowls in progress. I have a lace stole in progress.  I have Stephen West's Doodler hibernating as I am stuck all to hell on clue 2.

I have been keeping really good sock notes on Ravelry because I mostly make socks for myself and I want to get to a point where I have a solid recipe that fits my foot.  I have small feet that are very wide at the toe and  considerably narrower at the heel.  My ankles and calves are . . . sturdy to say the least.  Even when I am slim, I do not have graceful looking ankles. I am fiddling around with gauge to find the right blend of comfort and strength. I think I want to make a lot more plain vanilla socks until I know how to get all the fundamentals right on a sock.

Brace yourselves, sock notes are coming.