Another Knitted Shrug

This year I seem to be having a fascination

with knitting shrugs.

I've just finished my second one

within the past few months.

(I also have another one on

my needles, almost done.)

This one is knitted in a royal blue. It's from a Berroco pattern called Venus. You can find it here.

I think one of the things I find intriguing about shrugs

is their simplicity of shaping.

This one is knitted from the bottom up,

but I like to put my own spin on patterns,

so I knitted it from sleeve to sleeve.

I did this because of

the nature of my yarn,

which created striping.

I don't normally like horizontal stripes on a garment.

However, vertical stripes can be flattering.

The yarn I used is my own creation of

blended yarns, FUSION.

This colorway is a vibrant blue with

little touches of yellows, reds, greens

and just a touch of metallic.

*****

This week I'm linking to

The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays

Can Someone Please Explain???

Can someone PLEASE explain? Why is it that sometimes Blogger automatically double spaces posts??? So flustrating! I did my previouse post (book reviews) twice, last night and NEVER could get rid of the double spacing! I've checked in the HELP section... and it was no help. Please don't explain with info about the Html code... I can't go there!

Two Books from My Bookshelf

CLARA AND MR. TIFFANY is a novel

about the artistic relationship between

Louis Tiffany and Clara Driscoll.

As a result of recently discovered letters

in the early 2000s, written by Clara,

it appears likely she was the

designer behind the famous

Tiffany lamps.

Clara headed up the

women's department in Tiffany's

glass company in the early 1900s.

The Wisteria Lamp

The Dragonfly Lamp

~~~~~

In the novel, Clara, working under the direction

of Tiffany, is the creative genius behind

the famous stained glass lamps.

Although she and Tiffany are of

like minds in their search for "beauty,"

they are in separate social worlds and

he never gives her full credit for her creations.

The novel, full of social contrast of the time--

men/women, rich/poor, labor/management,

tends to read more like a biography than a novel.

I found the detailed descriptions of glass making

and the artist's process to be a bit tedious.

However, if you are at all interested

in Tiffany glass, it's a definite must read.

Steve Martin's AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY,

is the polar opposite of the first book.

I was very anxious to read this book because

I really like Steve Martin a lot.

He's a real renaissance man,

talented comedian, actor, musician and writer.

This is the first book I've read by him

and I was a bit disappointed.

It's the story of Lacey Yeager,

a young woman climbing her way up

the New York art scene beginning in the 1990s,

when she starts her career in Sotheby's basement.

Martin is an avid art collector

and he knows the art world.

Lacey achieves her success,

but does not manage to keep it.

Sounds like a great novel, doesn't it?

Unfortunately, I never really felt

any connection with her,

so her story never really mattered to me.

(All Google Images)

Something New for Your Knitting Bag!

Over the years, I have taught many people to knit.

One of the things I always tell new knitters is that...

...a crocheter doesn't need to know how to knit, but a knitter needs to know a little something about crocheting. There are places on a knitted piece, around the neck, cuffs, button edge, when a crocheted edging is just what's needed. And a knitter MUST have some crochet hooks in her bag for correcting mistakes and weaving up dropped stitches. I have carried Brittany Hooks in my bag for years. I particularly like them because they're pretty and feel good in my hands. Brittany Hooks are beautifully sculpted from sustainable, harvested birch. With all that in mind, I've selected an assortment of three sizes, "D", "F" and "H" for a range of possibilities, depending upon the size yarn being used. I've sewn an assortment of pretty, three pocket cases in designer fabrics with grosgrain ribbon ties and added them to my Etsy Shop. (You can find them under "Knitting Needle Cases") A perfect set of crochet hooks just for knitters! What could be more fun than fabric that looks like knitting?

If you don't see a fabric that suits you, please see my other needle cases.

I can sew you a case in many of the fabric choices on my site.

~~~~~

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

It's turned cool and cloudy here,

so I think I'll just sit and knit this weekend.

Perfection...

Blue Feelings

You can probably guess from my blog header

that I love the color blue.

But I don't like feeling blue.

I'm having a BLUE day today.

Definitely not a Holly Golightly "mean red" day,
just a blue day.

Looking forward to a hopefully

yellow day tomorrow.
(All Google Images)

Cranberry Lane Chicken for Dinner

We all have them....

Those recipes that are so simple,

but so especially good, that we go to them

time and time again.

One of those recipes for me is

CRANBERRY LANE CHICKEN

First of all, the combination of ingredients is just strange.
If you just read the recipe you'd probably think,
"Nope," and move on to something else.
But, I'm giving it a personal endorsement.
It's simple.
It's good.




Mix together:
1 can cranberry sauce w/berries
1 8-oz bottled French dressing
1 pkg. Onion Soup Mix



Pour over 4-6 chicken breasts in a casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
It's good with rice as a side.


Why the name?
There's a darling little shop nearby called
Cranberry Lane.
It's a home decor/gift kind of place you always hit
when you're out shopping with girlfriends.
One holiday season they had this recipe printed on little cards
and passed them out to customers.
Nice touch.
`````
This week I'm partying at
"Tasty Tuesdays" at 33 Shades of Green
"Wow Us Wednesdays" at Savvy Southern Style
"All Things Inspired" at All Things Heart & Home
"What's Cooking Wednesday" at Not So Homemade
"Whatever Goes Wednesdays" at Someday...Crafts
"Foodie Friday" at Designs by Gollum
"Show and Tell Friday" at My Romantic Home

Forsythia

"...In the yard I saw squirrels at frolic and that burst of yellow

the forsythia bush delivers faithfully to us each spring.

Gifts from God,

these sights and sounds,

this placid here and now..."

from THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED

by Wally Lamb

````

Is it just me, or are the forsythia more

ourstanding than usual this year?

By the way, this is an outstanding novel.

(Google Images)

Promise of Spring

Imagine a field of tulips stretching out as far as you could see.

We won't have that at Buttermilk Cottage,

but sometime this weekend

we're going to have our first tulips blooming.

They're just beginning to peek out now.

~~~~~

What are your plans for the weekend?

I'm making a start on cleaning up the front porch.

This will be a several day project.

But, I'm anxious to have it all ready

for warm days of sitting on it!

~~~~~

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Google Image)

Have a Lucky Day Today!

Hope you have a lovely day today.

In the spirit of the day

here's a very good, very easy recipe!

~~~~~

30 Minute Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner

14 1/2 oz. can, ready to serve vegetable broth

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 t. caraway seeds

1/4 t. coarse grind pepper

1 small head cabbage,

cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

(about 1 1/2 lb)

1 1/2 c. baby carrots (about 1/2 lb)

3/4 lb. deli corned beef, sliced 1/8-inch thick

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine broth,

garlic, caraway seeds and pepper;

heat to a boil.

Add cabbage and carrots.

Reduce heat to medium-low;

cover and simmer 15-17 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Place corned beef over vegetables in pan;

cover and remove from heat.

Let stand 5 minutes or until corned beef

is heated through.

Arrange corned beef and vegetables on a large serving platter;

spoon remaining cooking liquid over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

St. Patrick's Day has been a special and lucky day for me

for the past twenty three years.

It's the day my darling Kate

was a wee ten days old

and became my darling daughter Kate!

My Bookshelf--THE HUNGER GAMES

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins is probably a book

I never would have picked up to read.

But my very literary daughter is a big fan

of the young adult genre

and gave it a big thumbs up.

First let me say, don't let the genre

keep you away from this book,

especially if you like riveting, suspenseful,

action packed plots.

The book's setting is future America,

in which the country has been divided into twelve districts,

ruled by an oppressive government known as "The Capital."

Each year games are held, with each of the districts

represented by two of their youths, a boy and girl between

the ages of twelve and eighteen years old.

These games are held in a huge arena,

with all action televised to the entire nation.

The horror of the situation is that the games

are actual fights to the death,

until only one competitor remains.

The youths must battle each other, manipulated nature,

wildlife, injury, hunger and thirst.

The book captures you because of it's

sixteen year old protagonist,

Katniss Everdeen.

I quickly cared very much about

Katniss's endurance and survival.

The book is very intense and had me

hoping that the young adults

it was aimed at were mature ones.

I've made the book sound like a total action book,

but there is a love story here too.

My question is, why does this genre so often have the

girl caught between two guys?

(I'm reminded of the TWILIGHT saga.)

Since this is the first in a trilogy,

the ending is a set-up for the next book.

Perhaps that's why the ending seemed a little contrived to me.

But, that's my only complaint.

I liked this book a lot.

However, I did not much like NOAH'S COMPASS.

I usually like Anne Tyler's quirky characters, but

Liam Pennywell, the central character here is

not much likable.

He is a man who seems to participate in life

by holding it at arm's length.

It's not until the latter part of the book that the author

shares Liam's past and his passive existence is better

understood as his nearly lifelong depression.

I only recommend this book if you're a

big fan of Anne Tyler's work, in which case

you've probably already read it.