Aack! This scarf is going to kill me! - or - Knitting things from movies, books, and TV shows

My son asked if I could knit some scarves for him and his girlfriend for Christmas. Specifically, a Gryffindor scarf and a Slytherin scarf. There are a few different patterns out there, so I asked which type he wanted. He chose, I bought the yarn, and started knitting away. Scarves are usually pretty easy.

This one is easy, yes, but time consuming, and LONG. My husband is out of town for several days, and I thought this would give me lots of time to put into knitting. Gaaa! I think there's a spell on my needles, or something. I've been knitting, all told over the past few days, for HOURS AND HOURS and the scarf seems to grow only incrementally - soooo slowly. And it's only half way done. Gaaa! What was I thinking??

And notice the green and silver yarn in the corner? That's for the Slytherin scarf, yet to be cast-on. I say again, GAAA!

 

 

I've knitted things from movies and books and TV shows before, usually as gifts. Some have been specific requests, like the Jayne Cob hat I made for my son (from the TV show, Firefly). You can see him wearing it in this post - scroll down to the end.

 

I also made some fingerless mitts fashioned after the ones Johnny Depp wore in the movie, Sweeney Todd, for my daughter's boyfriend. He loves them and wants another pair because these are about to wear out (they are 2 or 3 years old by now and he wears them all the time in winter). The problem with that is I sort of cobbled the pattern together and customized it for his (large) hands, but now can't find my notes. So I have to go through the process of cobbling together and customizing all over to make new ones. Gaaa!

 

And here are some mittens I made from the excellent book, Code Name Verity, for a friend.

 

I would someday like to knit the fingerless mitts Hermione wears in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 for myself (click the image to see it larger):

 

 

And then, there are the Beowulf socks I intend to make for my son someday - they have the first page of Beowulf written on them. I made the yarn already, but the pattern is a bit daunting, so I'm nervous about starting.

 

So there is no end to the inspiration that can be found in literary, film, and television sources - and the requests that may come your way if you are a knitter. My only advice to you is, STAY AWAY FROM THESE BLEEDING SCARVES. If you must, knit one of the other styles that can be found. You'll be glad you did.



Sale!

Two of my books are on sale now through Dec. 5th at Smashwords.com! Rose of Par Kluhnd  and The Witch of Starmont are both 35% off at checkout with special coupons.

Rose of Par Kluhnd 35% off coupon code - JN25U

The Witch of Starmont 35% off coupon code - JL79C

Use these codes at checkout now until Dec. 5th to save 35% on these books, only at Smashwords.com!

Herbs hanging to dry, and a little black kitten playing

We've had a couple of frosty nights, so I've gathered herbs from the garden to dry. It's too cold to hang them on my special drying rack in the garage, so I've hung these from the light in the dining room. It'll be warmer there and they'll dry more quickly. I've got a couple of varieties of tulsi, some parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sweet marjoram. Yesterday when they were freshly cut, the room smelled so good!:

 

 

And here is a little black kitten. He's always on the move:

 

 

He belongs to my daughter, but he comes over for visits sometimes: 

 

 

 

I wish more people would spay and neuter their pets, then my daughter wouldn't have to pick up so many abandoned kittens : )

Contact and quotes

I've been rereading the book, Contact, by Carl Sagan. At the beginning of chapters and various sections of the book there are all sorts of quotes. Here is the quote presaging chapter 10:

Do we, holding that the gods exist, deceive ourselves with insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world? - Euripides, Hecuba

I recently received the blue ray version of the movie, Contact, for my birthday. I watched it three times in two days.

And here is my favorite quote from the book itself:

She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

Carl Sagan was on to something.

Another book signing coming up!

I'll be signing books at the Countryside Conservancy's Howe Meadow farmer's market in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Saturday, August 18th from 9 AM to Noon.

I'll be bringing my drop spindles again and hopefully some of my Japanese indigo-dyed fiber to spin. If you're in the area, drop by, the market is terrific! I'll be buying up a lot of what's for sale, as usual : )

Discounted books in July!

Smashwords is having its sitewide discountpalooza in July and I've signed up with two of my ebooks - Rose of Par Kluhnd and The Witch of Starmont will be half-price for all of July with the coupon code that will be provided on the books' pages.

"What is Smashwords," you say?  It's a place where you can buy ebooks, all of them conveniently downloadable in any format you need for any and all of your ereading devices.

Here are the links to my books on Smashwords - My Twelfth Christmas will remain at its regular price (which is already very low at just 99 cents).

Rose of Par Kluhnd: A Fairy Tale

The Witch of Starmont

My Twelfth Christmas

The discount starts in July - be sure to enter the coupon code at checkout. The code will be provided on the book's page near the price starting July 1st and ending at the close of the day on July 31st.

Successful book signing at the indoor farmer's market

My book signing at the indoor farmer's market yesterday was fun. I brought my drop-spindle along with a finished skein of yarn to show anyone who was interested in my spinning.

I ended up selling not only several books, but my finished skein of yarn, too! I also got to eat a warm breakfast pie from the Gaelic Imports table, and I brought home some ground bison from the man who sells pasture-raised, grass-fed bison, and made a big pot of bison chili for dinner last night. Yum!

I love farmer's markets!

A coupon for The Witch of Starmont!

I finally put The Witch of Starmont up at Smashwords.com, and it is currently undergoing approval for inclusion into the Apple, Sony, Diesel, and Kobo ebook catalogues. If it passes muster, The Witch of Starmont will become available at these major ebook sellers, too.

Before now, it was availble only at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but, as of right now, you can  purchase it through Smashwords and download versions compatible with just about any ereader device! And to celebrate, I have a half-off coupon for you to use at Smashwords!

Here is the 50% - off Smashwords coupon code for The Witch of Starmont:

DK36X

It's for use only at Smashwords, and only for The Witch of Starmont. Use it at checkout and pay only $0.99!

The coupon is good through this Sunday, April 29th, so hurry to get your half-price ebook!  

I might start writing again...

I've been thinking about plots lately. I may just get up the nerve to start writing again. Maybe even a sequel to Rose of Par Kluhnd, or perhaps I'll dust off and finish that ghost story I started but never finished...

Some unusual things are sprouting this spring

I'm not sure where I got these seeds...

New beginnings

Here are some of the things I will plant in the garden this year:

 

I started these in a starter tray about a month ago and transferred them to individual pots today. There are about nine varieties of heirloom tomatoes here, and two types of peppers. They'll stay under grow lights until I'm ready to plant.

A little bear for my grandniece, who will be born in March

I just finished making this little bear with handspun yarns. It's for my little grandniece who will be born in March.

Let's just say that I'm a better spinner than I am a knitter. At least she and her mother will be able to tell that it was handmade, and with love in every stitch, if not a terrible amount of skill ;-)

The bear's body and sweater are made with alpaca yarn, the scarf is Bluefaced Leicester wool, and the face was stitched with yak yarn.