Crafting Life Update...

Why hello blog readers! It appears that I am still around! This semester has been insane. Toshiba and I have already seen one another because I have been spending so much time with a large pile of books. Anyway in my crafting life I have the following going on... 1. I have gotten some great donations for the Fall KTC Blanket and have begun work on them (yes it looks like there will be more then one). 2. I finished my September socks for the Sock-a-month KAL 3. I finished 3 of my selections for The Autumn Reading Challenge. Only 3 more to go! 4. I joined a couple of other KALS... Warming your hands with knitted mittens Movies and Crafting... Cables for the Fall... Celebrate socks in October... So that is what I have done in my crafting life, now if you will excuse me I am off to my pile of books.... Happy Crafting !

Sunday Book Talk II

After Dark: A Drama of London Life in 1868 by Dion Boucicault I have never been that big a fan of plays but this one is fantastic. I read it for my Victorian class tomorrow and I loved it. Not more then 40 pages (my excert anyway). The characters are colorful, the story has lots of twists and turns and surprises. The basic story starts off with two bad guys (a gambling pimp and an escaped convict). The gambling pimp runs to tell his buddy that he has a great way to make some quick money. On his way to take some money from people addicted to gambling he saw a wanted poster for a guy he just happened to know with a hefty reward. Turns out the wanted guy was down on his luck years ago, got into some trouble gambling and forged his wealthy father's name on a note. Blackmail! Whatever the guys is wanted for the bad guys figure they could get some money from him or from the reward for turning him in. Turned out the guy was not in trouble but in fact his wealthy father died and left him some money on the condition he married his cousin. Perfect for the bad guys because now that he has the potential to enter the higher class, he no doubt wants to keep his little forgery secret. Now before I go off and ruin all the surprises in the play let me just tell it is full of attempted murders, long lost father's resurfacing, love lost and love reunited. Oh the drama! If you can find this one read it, it is so much fun. The R.I.P Challenge 4 titles to read 2 titles finished Previous Sunday Book Talks My favorite book sources:

Sunday Book Talk

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Okay so it is not really Sunday, but it is pretty close to being Sunday. So here we go, a little bit on my first R.I.P book finished... Ah Dickens, who has not read a Dickens novel? Dickens is always a pleasure to read and it is he who often makes me want to me a Victorian, but it is Proust who keeps me modern. Oliver Twist is just a pleasurable as most Dickens novels. My favorite scene of the novel is the "Please sir, I want some more" scene. Poor little Oliver don't you just want t give him more so he does not get eaten by the bully at the orphanage!? I do question about the book though...where did little Oliver end up at the end of the book. There is a dramatic shift from the story being centered around Oliver to suddenly he is not even in the picture. Many critics suggest that because of the disappearance of Oliver in the end of the book that Oliver is not really an important character but in fact just a literary tool to advance the plot. I would agree, because if he were truly important he would travel to the end of the novel with us. Even with its flaws I highly recommend this book (especially the penguin classics edition), and any of the numerous movie renditions. The R.I.P Challenge 4 titles to read 1 title finished Previous Sunday Book Talks My favorite book sources:

September Socks

Project: September Socks Yarn: 1 ball of Fortissima Colori Disco Tools: US F hook Size: 6 shoe Pattern: crochet as I went Start Date: September 3, 2006 Finish Date: September 16, 2006 For: Me Related Alongs: Sock-a-Month 2 Comments: Warm and puppy approved, what more do homemade socks need to be? Coming soon... The Smores Scarf

Something Interesting...

Project: September Socks Yarn: 2 balls of Tools: US F hook Size: 6 shoe Pattern: undecided (something from Sensational Knitted Socks Start Date: September 3, 2006 Finish Date: soon thereafter For: Me Related Alongs: Sock-a-Month 2 Comments: Maverick has been so intrigued by this project especially when I switched from my dpns to my hook. I may have to hide them so he does not claim them for his own.

Sunday Book Talk

A Reader's Challenge Now that summer is over and the summer reading challenge is over what is a reader to do? Well how about take the Autumn Challenge? I am not sure about the rest of the world buy here in my neck of the forest we have definately hit Autumn (although when one wakes up and it is 39 outside it is a little more like winter). Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the autumn challenge. The whole idea is to list a couple of books you plan on reading and read them. The challenge runs from August 30 until October 31. Since school is in session I am a little less ambitious then I was in the summer, my list contains only five books. The five books on my list are the ones I will be reading this month and next month for my Victorian class. So this Sunday tell me are you embarking on another reading challenge? From August 30- Oct 31 challenge yourself to read. My challenge list: 1. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 2. Goblin Market and other poems by Christina Rosetti 3. The Woman in White by Wilikie Collins 4.The Lifted Veil by George Eliot 5. Adam Bede by George Eliot Previous Sunday Book Talks Book Sources: