THREE TAMS--TAM B

I actually finished this one in less than one week in February.  I ran out of the ombre yarn and had to finish with a blue that was very close.  Still not  as tam-ish as I had expected.  Pretty, though.

Side view


Top view:


The ombre yarn--greens, blues, purples


Worn with ribbing rolled up


Inside the tam (neat, huh?):


Worn as a tam (sort of):


 I started Tam C, but got bogged down in the currogated ribbing--tedious.

THREE TAMS--TAM A

I had been working on a vest made with Red Heart's "Gemstone", but discovered that my second (and third) skeins had a very different colorway than my first had--same color name, different dye lots. The one I had used for the vest back had navy blue, and darker colors than the other skeins, which had no navy at all. You can kind of see the difference in this picture:


So, I had to stop work on it until I could find more yarn closer to my original (which I did find on Friday at Michaels). Anyhow, I wanted to knit something small, and remembered the tams in the new Winter issue of Knitty, which fortuitously used small amounts of ombre-type yarns. I have several orphan multicolored yarns in small amounts. I started one with size one needles for the ribbing (I have to go down 2-3 sizes to get guage) and a grey-white-green-rust kind of yarn with an off white; the ribbing seemed too tight and the white in the ombre got lost in the white of the background. I frogged it and started another using size 2 for the ribbing and size 3 for the main part and found a small ball of this multi


with an ecru-ish main color. The colors look great together:


It took about a week of obsessive knitting, but I finished it Sunday.
The hat from the side, stretched:


The top of the hat:


Since it is acrylic, not wool, I can't really block it. Here's how it looks on me as a tam:




If I pull it down like a cap, it goes down to my nose! Though I could fold the ribbing up.

BEDROOM SHAWL

Last winter I started to make an Elizabeth Zimmermann "Ribwarmer" vest (from The Knitting Workshop) with this nice grey yarn I had in my stash. I loved the way it felt--even though it's acrylic--but I ran out and couldn't find any more, not even another in a close shade. I had been doing a bit of nightly knitting before going to bed, sitting up in bed propped up with pillows, but my shoulders were chilly. So I decided to use that yarn and make a simple triangle shawl with the grey yarn--essentially a garter stitch washcloth pattern (k1, kfb, k to end) until I ran out of yarn. I got to 150 stitches across and bound off. It was nice and warm, but a teensy bit smallish.

Inspired by the way Wendy Johnson had added the lace edging to her Pinwheel Sweater, I thought I could add a lace edging to make it a bit larger while also learning how to attach lace and do more lacework. I looked through a lot of books and online, with limited luck in finding an edging that you attach as you go and that turned a sharp corner. Then I took A Gathering of Lace out again and found an edging (Shaped Triangle) that looked like it would work--though I had to adjust a bit for the much smaller number of rows (and a number that did not divide appropriately)--lots of graphing! I didn't have any other grey to even come close in color, so I first tried a very light,clay-ish shade. I got one side done--and ran out of yarn and didn't have any more.



Frog time!. Then I thought I'd try a pink (didn't like any of the colors I had) or a blue--and found this one skein of turquoise acrylic yarn, a bit fuzzy and very soft. After much ripping out at the start, I got into the rhythm--and remembered to use life lines. I finished it today--with one inch left over after binding off. I had tried putting on the top edging (with a slightly darker turquoise yarn), but didn't like the way it was coming out. It is not meant to wear in public, just at home.

RECIPE BOXES

Although I have two entire bookcases of cookbooks, I also have a few recipe boxes. The one that is in active use is this wood one (I don't know if it was a gift or from a garage sale), but it is relatively new, maybe from the last 5 years:



I also have these two Rice Krispies recipe boxes--there may have been 3 or 4 at one time--that were from an offer on the box. They were meant to go to some of my children (one or two might have the other boxes) and they contain duplicates of a few recipes--another project never finished!:



I used to have more boxes (a Land-o-Lakes one and a Sylvester & Tweety Pie one, but we had a kitchen fire ten years ago and I lost most of my recipe boxes and recipes.

Here are two recipes that are used. This first is from a friend who served it at several meetings hosted at her home and is one of my favorite Sloppy Joes recipes; she says it was one of her mother's recipes, so probably from the 30's or 40's:

Hambeques

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. stock or water
1/2 c. chopped green peppers
2 Tbs "fat"
1/2 c. catsup
Salt, pepper, cinnamon, marjoram, allspice, paprika, and 1 Tbs worcestershire sauce. [to taste, but I used 1/2 tsp for each spice; once I also added 1 Tbs brown sugar]

Brown the onion and green pepper in the "fat". Add meat and fry. Add liquid and catsup. Add seasonings. Simmer c. 15 minutes. Thicken with flour [I used c.1/2 Tbs] mixed in water and cook 5 more minutes. Skim off fat.

One great aspect of this challenge is finding recipes you've forgotten about. Here's a family favorite that I should have made for the annual Cookie Exchange Party. It is from a Ladies Home Journal Christmas issue originally (70's or 80's):

Cheesecake Dreams

Base:
1/3 c. brown sugar , packed
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/3 c. melted butter

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Reserve 1/3 c. of the mixture. Pt the remainder gently into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Filling:
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

At medium speed, beat the cream cheese and the sugar together until smooth. Beat in the remaining ingredients. Pour over the baked crust; sprinkle with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack; cut when cool.

This recipe can be doubled and put in a 9" x 13" pan.

5-HOUR SWEATER FINISHED FOR PJ

I sewed on the last button on Wednesday and Rudy took it to Harper for Margaret to pick up at her department office on Thursday. I hope she takes a pic of him wearing it. I think the navy and orange (Go, Bears!) will look better on him than the green lacy set I made before he was born.

I'M ON RAVELRY!

I got accepted at Ravelry (a new yarn-related forum/blog/project-source-database/community, etc.). I didn't have to wait too long to get in, either. My Ravelry name is (predictably) "LizzieHelen".

RED AND GRAY SPIRAL HAT

I'm finally putting up the picture of the red and gray version of the spiral hat, the one I made for Yvonne. This one turned out too snug. I have to make her a new one, too.

KNIT SPIRAL HAT

This is the hat I knit last year during The Apprentice and American Idol. The pattern is from Handknit Holidays: Knitting Year-Round for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Solstice by Melanie Falick.



Although every time I measured it seemed to be in gauge, it turned out huge. I gave it to Fabien, but he gave it back saying it was too big for him(!)--and he didn't like the I-cord top. I was going to frog it, but, instead, I donated it to PADS. I hope it fit someone and kept them very warm.

I made the hat again, much smaller, in red and gray for Yvonne--with just a plain top. [Picture later] I'll have to make something else for Fabien since I'm tired of the pattern.

[This has been a test of putting phots online again; I think it worked.]

BEEN BUSY, ETC.

Hard to believe it's been so long--5 months--since I last posted here. Part of the reason is that I wanted to post pictures of projects I was working on, so I kept putting it off. Unfortunately, after our move in April, the printer--which handled the photo editing--refuses to be recognized by the computer. If you try to access it, it says there is no printer, but if you try to install it, it says it's already there!!!!!! I also tried to upload to the Microsoft program on the computer itself, but it kept saying "the scanner or camera is already in use"(?????) Then, of course, I got really busy at work, finishing stuff for the Kane County Fair, planning and working at the Art Show in Elgin, reading books for three Adult Summer Reading Programs, and trying to keep unpacking at the new house. And my husband--who said he would fix the problem--got extremely busy, teaching a Summer Math course as well as taking an Organic Chemistry course AND working as a software consultant. This semester, he is working full time and teaching 2 classes at Harper--you can tell he's retired (!). Meanwhile, my camera is filling up with pictures of projects, artists, and our trips to California and Arizona this summer.

Currently I'm working on socks-to-be-felted from Cat Bodhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles--so far it's been easy enough (I never made socks before) but I'm running out of the wool I started with; they'll probably end up two-colored. For my AAUW craft group we've been making "Gingham" coasters from plastic canvas and I'm making a box to hold them. Also, as part of the 50th Anniversary of Elk Grove Village , local artists and some of our staff were asked to decorate black metal book ends. I got mine late, but got several ideas and finished 2: one decorated with blue and white flat-bottomed glass marbles (on sale this week at Michaels and Hobby Lobby) and one with broken discarded cd-roms in a mosaic effect (very cool!). I'm still working on an embroidered set and probably a pieced one as well ("Broken Dishes"). We'll see. So far 22 sets have been finished and are on display at the Library. We may have a silent auction for them on October 15th at the Open House.

MORE BOOKS READ (CONTINUED AGAIN)

Of course, I also read Romances, too. In keeping with the just-finished season, I read a couple of Christmas-related books:
The Brides of Christmas, a collection of three novellas by Jo Beverly, Margaret Moore, and Deborah Simmons, all set in the Middle Ages--all three were interesting and touched on different aspects of the Holiday celebrations of the period
To Marry at Christmas by Kasey Michaels--a reprint of a story from the 80's, really too sugary for today's tastes (a department store buyer and the son of the owner meet and at once (it seems) decide to get married)
A couple of the books were by very popular authors:
Red Lily by Nora Roberts--the conclusion of the In the Garden Trilogy, a nice finish to the ghost story and the romances
All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz--good romantic-suspense occurs when a young lady returns to her hometown at the request of a long-ago friend only to find her dead and the mystery of her own parents' death re-opened.
The rest of the romances read since January were historicals:
In Pursuit of a Proper Husband by Glenda Garland--a widow is attracted to the widower husband of her deceased friend, but secrets get in the way of their romance in this well-done Zebra Regency
Alas My Love by Edith Layton--a former street urchin, sent to Australia, has returned to England after amassing a fortune and sets out to find his possible family in this well-written story by the always reliable Ms. Layton; a most unusual hero
Noble Destiny by Katie MacAlister-- another wacky "Regency" by the very amusing MacAlister, full of outrageous characters and malapropisms, misunderstandings and sensuous romance
Just Say Yes by Myretta Robens--charming story of a vicar's daughter who is attracted to a land steward who is really a Lord.

Since I started this topic, I have read a few more books:
Let It Be Love by Victoria Alexander--the latest in the Effington Family stories has moved on to the grown children of the original Effington characters; here Jonathan reneges on a promise to marry a desperate young lady, but then falls in love with her while they write a sensuous book about Gods and nymphs
This Rake of Mine by Elizabeth Boyle--a schoolteacher meets up with the man who had ruined her reputation by kissing her in public years before and gets involved with spies and murder as her three young lady charges attempt to match-make; I didn't like the hero at first, but he became more likeable as the book went along
Forever by Jude Deveraux--a Kentucky girl with the power of "True Persuasion" helps a Montgomery to solve the mystery of his parents' disappearance years before, while confronting witches in this unusual paranormal romance
Shadows in the Dark by Elaine Cunningham--a former vice cop now PI specializing in finding lost children is herself sought by evildoers as the heiress to enormous Powers (strong hints as to her heritage come from a character called Ian Forest who owns a club called Underhill) [a real page-turner!]

MORE BOOKS READ (CONTINUED)

I turned in my log sheet for the STDL Winter Reading Program and got a nice lined notebook and attached pen as the prize.

Most of the books I read seem to have been mysteries (including the Native American related ones for STDL). I've taken a liking to the Aaron Elkins mysteries and read three since January:
Curses!--Gideon Oliver takes part in a dig at an ancient Mayan site in the Yucatan Peninsula where a previous scandal at the site 5 years before is revisited when a dig member is killed
Icy Clutches--Gideon Oliver investigates when the remains of victims of an avalanche in Alaska are discovered
A Glancing Light--museum curator Chris Norgren takes on verifying the authenticity of recently recovered art stolen by the Nazis in WWII
I also read a couple of books by Donna Andrews from her Meg Lanslow series (very funny):
We'll Always Have Parrots--when the unpopular star of a fantasy tv series is murdered at a fan convention, Meg must cope with escaped monkeys and parrots, rabid fans, temperamental actors and writers, and a fencing demonstration (in skirts) as she tries to find the culprit
Owls Well that Ends Well--Meg and English professor/actor Michael have bought a house "as is" (full of junk) and hold a gigantic garage sale that becomes a media circus when an antiquarian bookseller is found dead in an antique trunk.
I read, finally, as well, the latest books by several popular authors:
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun--not much mystery, but still a cozy read as the town of Pickax celebrates its sesquicentenary.
Murder at Five Finger Light by Sue Henry--Jessie Arnold is stranded on a lighthouse island with a few other people while a murderer stalks them; lots of surprises.
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton--Kinsey Milhone investigates the disappearance of a woman and her car that occured in the fifties, 34 years previously.
I also read (and enjoyed) the latest [before March, anyway] in the Blackbird Sisters series, Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die by Nancy Martin--impoverished socialite Nora's obnoxious Society column writer boss is found dead on her porch and her mob-connected boyfriend is a suspect. I liked Veronica Heley's latest, too, Murder by Committee, an English cozy featuring Ellis Quicke, a widow finding her way as an independent person and still trying to rescue her selfish daughter who has been involved with a shady entrepreneur who is murdered. Lastly, I read a first novel by Elizabeth Becka, Trace Evidence--a Cleveland based forensic specialist, Evelyn James, gets personally involved in the deaths of two young girls, one who has been drowned after being thrown in the river with her feet encased in cement and one who has been strangled after escaping her cement shackles; not too gory, but very intense ending.

MORE BOOKS READ SINCE JANUARY

For the Elk Grove Winter Reading Program we only had to read three books: one set in the past, one in the present, and one in the future. For the first two I read two Christina Dodd books:
My Fair Temptress--impoverished former belle is assigned to teach an apparently foppish weakling how to be a "man" and win a wife
Close to You--conclusion of the Prescott trilogy, TV reporter is being stalked by the man who killed her parents and separated her from her siblings when she was a baby.
For the third I read
Jack McDevitt's Seeker--27th century antiquarian Alex Benedict and his pilot Chase Kolpath look for a derelict ship purported to belong to a long lost colony from Earth.

Some of the other books I read also fall into the SciFi/Fantasy categories:
Mel Odom's Lord of the Libraries--the exciting conclusion to the Vault of All Human Knowledge series wherein ex-Librarian Juhg and Wizard Craugh rescue Grandmagister Wick and prevent the Goblinkind from overrunning the world
Christopher Paolini's Eldest--continues the quest of reluctant Dragonrider Eragon to help dwarves and elves to vanquish the renegade Dragonrider, King Galbatorix
Catherine Asaro's Charmed Sphere--mages Chime and Lord Fuller use their flawed powers to help save their kingdom from their ambitious neighbor and his own evil mage
Mercedes Lackey's and Rosemary Edghill's Music to My Sorrow--unseligh elves, corrupt tv evangelists, mesmerizing rock bands, grasping parents, and more confront Bard Eric Banyon and his friends

A couple of the books I read don't really fit into a genre:
A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke--humorous fictional account of a British executive's attempt to work at a French firm and to live in Paris
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason--four Princeton seniors attempt to help solve the mysteries of a famous Renaissance book [that actually exists] while coping with school deadlines, women, social duties, and a murder [fascinating page-turner; I read this while in France and on the plane home]

DANIEL'S SWEATER, ETC.

Wow! It has been a while since I posted here. I did finish Daniel's sweater in January and sent it to Iowa by mail. However, I don't think he has put it on yet (he's 3). His mom says she'll use it instead of a coat when the weather is a bit warmer.

Because we are getting ready to move and I was preparing to go to France for my youngest daughter's wedding--listening to Pimsleur tapes, scanning old magazines to-be-tossed, packing some stuff up, and reading over-due books--I haven't done much craft/needlework except for my AAUW Craft Group project which is a felt penny rug with a lighthouse and sailboat motif from the August, 2003, issue of Create & Decorate Magazine. Even after 2 meetings, I only have all the pieces cut out and a couple of them embroidered onto the background.

I have read a LOT of books (36) since January, though. The Schaumburg Library's Winter Reading Program had a theme of Native American characters and writers. The six books I read for that were:
Arthur Williams' Missing at Tenoclock--small-town Colorado female deputy is forced to take over a murder investigation when the Sheriff is killed
Jake Page's Stolen Gods--blind New Mexico sculptor helps solve the murder of an art gallery owner who dealt in historic Indian artifacts
James D. Doss's The Shaman Sings--newcomer sheriff investigates the vicious murder of a young graduate student at the local college in a small Colorado town
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Ogilvie, Tallant, and Moon--lawyer uses his shamanistic abilities to relive the last hours of a murder victim's life [recently republished as Bad Medicine]
Scott Young's Murder in a Cold Climate--Inuk Canadian Mountie travels by plane, helicopter, dogsled, and snowmobile in an effort to solve the murder of a prominent man
Kirk Mitchell's Cry Dance--BIA officer Emmett Parker and FBI rookie Anna Turnipseed search for a cold-blooded killer who mutilates his victims amidst Native American confrontations with opponents of reservation casinos

More on the books read later.

BILLY'S & ANDREW'S SWEATERS

Andrew in his new sweater. It's lighter weight than Billy's and only took me three days to make.

Billy in his new sweater. The sleeves are, indeed, WAY too big, but he likes it. If I get a chance (maybe this summer), I'll redo it.

Both boys in their sweaters.

I started Daniel's in the car on the way to Iowa and worked on it on Saturday while watching TV at the house...but (of course) I ran out of one yarn with just the top of the second sleeve and the neck to go (sound familiar?). So I'll have to finish it here and send it in the mail. It's royal blue, medium blue, and off white.

I recently finished Donna Simpson's The Gilded Knight--lame, impoverished ne'er-do-well tries to persuade his deceased cousin's widow to vacate the entailed estate she lives on, but a blizzard keeps him snowbound with her and her gravely ill daughter, enabling him to learn to know her better as well as to re-examine his own pointless life, leading to love and personal reform (a kind of bittersweet story, with a potentially happy ending); Catherine Asaro's The Last Hawk--Sauscony's brother, Kelric, doesn't die in battle, but crash lands on a planet ruled by women, where he is forced to remain for 16 years, a catalyst through his Quis playing skills causing great societal changes and war (another intense story, hard to put down, though the end is very sad, if heroic); and Charmed Destinies--three novellas connecting romance and magic by Mercedes Lackey (dark view of medieval life with a great revengeful ending), Rachel Lee (cute story about a future/modern couple magically co-dreaming the same adventure while at work), and Catherine Asaro (interesting tale in which a girl discovers her mage abilities by finding a long-lost heir to the kingdom).

BILLY'S SWEATER FINISHED

After much "frogging" and using different yarns, I finished it.

It is heavy, but actually doesn't look too bad. I don't think the yarn changes are too glaring.

I have not been doing any craft stuff since then--a week ago--until Sunday, when I did start a sweater for Andrew, but I only have a couple of inches done. Blogging, reading, and packing up Christmas stuff have taken a lot of time. And, I worked this past weekend. This sweater will be in brown shades.

I am currently taking down the tree; I packed the ornaments yesterday. I brought in the outdoor lights this morning and am packing them; I'll get the tree lights later today. Here's some pics of the tree as it was:

I've only read a few books since Christmas. Lynn Kerstan's Dangerous Passions was quite good, another in her Black Phoenix series, though leaving the reader with several unfinished plot threads. I also like Nora Roberts' Blue Smoke even though a lot of characters died nasty, horrible deaths. Rita Mae Brown's The Hunt Ball was a nice relief, more picturesque than scary or gory. Lady Savage by Donna Simpson was very different, depicting the struggles of upper class Regency era characters to survive on a deserted Caribbean island after being dumped when their ship was hijacked.

STILL WORKING ON SWEATER FOR BILLY

The frustration continues since I have now run out of two of the three yarns used in the sweater. I have substituted, but the colors really don't match. So, the top of one sleeve and the collar will be "slightly" different. Oh, well.

SWEATER FOR BILLY CONTINUED

Still working on the sweater--and nothing else. It took me most of the week to do the first sleeve, since I ripped most of it out after I was almost done because it was too long (I changed the increases from every 6 rows to every 5 and it helped). Saturday I finished the first sleeve, but only after taking out the cap shaping several times until it fit the shaping on the finished body sections--major frustration. I finally started the second sleeve today. However, since the kids were unable to come here for Christmas because of car trouble, I now have at least a week to finish it.

Meantime, I've been reading, but just a few books: Jeffery Deaver's The Coffin Dancer--the second Lincoln Rhyme mystery, good, but full of scary tension and twists; Shirley Jump's The Angel Craved Lobster--the third in the "romance with recipes" series, enjoyably humorous and with all-seafood recipes this time (the Indiana brothers are real characters); Mercedes Lackey's The Wizard of London--another in the Elemental Masters series and an engrossing story (tho I liked Phoenix and Ashes better). [Looking at the first Amazon review, it appears the original stories about the parrot and raven featured in the story are available online at the Baen Free Library.]

SWEATER FOR BILLY

I'm currently pretty much working exclusively on a knit sweater for Billy. It's an 8-ish, using size 17 needles and three strands of yarn, each a different shade of blue. It's loosely based on the basic rolled edge sweater in The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits: Patterns for Babies and Toddlers, but up-sized, mostly using the guide in Ann Budd's The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns. I've done the back and am almost done with the front and have yet to start the sleeves. If I get it done soon, I'll try to do a sweater for Daniel and Andrew, too--which, being smaller, might take less time. I only started Billy's last week.

Of course, I'm still also trying to read my overdue books as well (and watch ANTM 5, TA:MS, and TA, work, keep my blogs up, and read about the TV shows on FORT). I've recently finished Teresa Medeiros' After Midnight--a "Regency" vampire story (though I'm not a fan of vampire stories in general, this one handled it well); Sarah Andrews' Only Flesh and Bones--Geologist Em Hansen investigates the murder of the wife of her former boss (I liked it, but it does take a while for the story to develop, then you're hooked); two Aaron Elkins' mysteries, Old Bones--Gideon Oliver uses his expertise as a bone specialist to identify bones found in an old French wine cellar (a page turner and a likeable protagonist)--and A Deceptive Clarity--art museum curator tries to find the fake in a collection of art formerly "liberated" by Nazis during WWII (very interesting, since I like art--tho not the period Chris Norgren specializes in (Renaissance)--and the descriptions of European cities are delightful); Susan Alexander's Skintight--Las Vegas showgirl meets professional poker player, who just happens to be the son of her former husband (great, funny romance and I especially liked the dance-related parts); Victoria Alexanders' When We Meet Again--another Effington lady finds her destiny, this time a "disgraced" cousin (Pamela) comes home and finds herself engaged to an exiled Prince, Alexei (another funny, romantic story); Jude Deveraux' First Impressions--a mother of a newlywed inherits a Southern colonial house, finds herself in danger, and needs the help of a jaded FBI agent and a local lawyer (delightful, hard-to-put-down book); Carl Hiassen's latest YA book, Flush--teenager finds himself helping his "ecoterrorist" (sort of) father discover the truth about a local gambling ship's illegal waste dumping (a fun read, with wacky characters, tho not quite as good as Hoot); and Jenny Nimmo's Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors--more about Billy Raven's ancestral background is discovered when Charlie and his friends try to save him from evil "adoptive" parents (good story, but seems to be more of a too-short filler leading to the next story).

JESTER HATS FROM YARN GIRLS BOOK

Last winter I made these darling Jester Hats for the three youngest Iowa-based grandchildren (mainly because they were supposed to work up quickly). The pattern came from The Yarn Girls'Book of Kid Knits: Patterns for Babies and Toddlers. I finished Thea's as while we were there and did take pictures of them wearing them, but they weren't as clear as I would have liked. When they came to see us last week, they all had their hats so I took pictures of the hats alone. They are a bit big on them, but do look cute.

All three hats:

Andrew's hat:

Daniel's hat:

Thea's hat:

MELANIE'S PONCHO FINISHED

Well, I did finally finish the poncho on Sunday, just before they left for Iowa.

Surprisingly, it fits just right.

It seemed so big while I was working on it. It was the only craft I worked on all week, even during lunch at work and during the evenings while everyone else was watching movies. But I did get it done.

Now I'm kind of in a wishy-washy, what-should-I-work-on-next state. I did do some on the baby afghan while watching my tape of three episodes of America's Next Top Model and one episode of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.

I've also been trying to finish some of my majorly-overdue books--some so overdue they've been declared "lost". I recently returned Elizabeth Castro's Publishing a Blog with Blogger--got some good hints, though a lot I already knew; Marc Romano's Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession--mostly about the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (I enjoyed this very much); Kathy Reich's Crossbones--a kind of departure since it delved into the possibility of a post-Crucifixion Christ (very interesting); Patricia Rice's Much Ado about Magic--the latest in the Malcolm Family series in which the women have "talents" that might designate them "witches" (loved it and can't wait for the next); Shirley Jump's The Bride Wore Chocolate--another of her funny recipe-a-chapter contemporary romances in which each recipe (in this book, all have chocolate in them and are easy) has relevant character commentary (enjoyable, but the recipes really made me wish I wasn't allergic to chocolate [sigh!]); Jeff Lindsay'sDearly Devoted Dexter--funny and disturbingly gruesome at the same time because the main character/narrator is himself a serial killer of serial killers (really nasty deaths, but still a compelling read); Sarah Andrews' Mother Nature--geologist Em Hansen goes to California and investigates a murder relating to environmental cleanup of old, buried, leaking oil tanks in a flood plain (not a quick read, but very interesting); Jo Beverly's A Most Unsuitable Man--another excellent romance set in the Malloren milieu (hard to put this one down, even though this time period is not a favorite of mine). I just finished Betina Krahn's The Book of the Seven Delights--an exciting, Indiana Jones/The Mummy-type of adventure romance set around the turn-of-the-century in which the heroine (a Librarian!!) searches for the lost Library of Alexandria (loved it! great fun)--and Sam Baker's Fashion Victim--murder during New York's and Milan's Fashion Weeks (very timely and intriguing since I've been watching ANTM 5).

Yvonne and I also watched Revenge of the Sith this week--great special effects, but the story, etc., "eh". Now I'll have to read the book version--which is supposed to fill in some gaps.