Summer Reading Recommendations

One Scheme of Happiness is looking for Summer Reading recommendations. And she's offering some cool knitting-related prizes.

I got there by way of Emily of Knitwhere.

Jess? Ruth? Mom? Any takers?

What did I recommend?

Well, here:

I'm a Comp. Lit. PhD student, so reading is my job. But when I think of relaxing summer reading, here are some books that come to mind:

1. Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman. A nice brick of historical fiction that is both gripping and very satisfying. That or I'm just a sucker for the Welsh.

2. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. A witty mystery novel about Lord Peter and Harriet. I have this novel on CD, and I was knitting and listening as an escape from all things academic. Thing is that in it Harriet is nostalgic for all things academic. Ironic? Highly enjoyable.

3. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. A great fantasy novel that is more about personality than magic with just a hint of mystery and turmoil. Kidnappings, learning new skills rapidly, drinking strange chocolately beverages, sexual tension. All good things.

Happy Reading!

Yarn Love

I couldn't make up my mind, so I splurged and bought all the "velvet" shades of Colinette Jitterbug. I love them! So beautiful. I will make many handsome gloves with them. Gloves like these:




Note to Ruth: I cast on for Laminaria last night. I couldn't resist. But I promise I am abiding by my original plan and only taking to LA the Lace Ribbon Scarf and one extra ball of white alpaca silk to start another one with in the off chance that I complete the first.

Laminaria!

Blossom Washcloth

It got so hot last weekend (this weekend has been cooler) that I was obliged to look into knitting something non-wool to keep my hands from sweating. I'd been wanting to try this washcloth pattern for a while, so I cast on. I finished it in class the next day. Believe I'll be making several more of these. The pattern is free and it's available here online.

I'm curious about the Knit Picks CotLin line – has anyone tried it out? Seems like a good washcloth option.

Rice and Beans

Sauté onions or shallots in olive oil, add one cup of rice, a few threads of saffron, a cube of chicken bullion. Add two cups of water. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with black beans, salsa, grated cheese, sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

All the deliciousness of a burrito, and you get to choose what you want in each bite. :)

Left Facing Bird

On the evening of Saturday April 5th, I got an email asking for poems and expressing the daring intention of creating an ambitious online poetry journal in a single Montana night.

Sure enough, it happened.

Pretty awesome. It's Left Facing Bird.

I'm there.

to whoever got to my blog by googling the phrase below

Click here.

You're scary.

A Salad for Spring

Boiled Yukon Gold and purple potatoes, barely blanched asparagus, cherry tomatoes, avocado and baby greens tossed in a mustard dressing and topped with shaved Parmesan.

A variation on this salad involved strawberries, asparagus, Manouri cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a vinaigrette with lots of black pepper.

Octopus 10

So, it's been up for a while, but I've had very little time to take a look. Or do anything else other than write papers.

Octopus 10 includes poems and translations by all these people:

Claire Hero, Jane Wong, CD Wright, Phil Cordelli, Demosthenes Agrafiotis translated by John Sakkis and Angelos Sakkis, Paul Fattaruso, Cecily Parks, Laura Sims, Ada Limon, Anthony Hawley, Karyna Mcglynn, Jessica Bozek, David Goldstein, Hillary Gravendyk, Christopher Salerno, Martha Ronk, Lewis Warsh, Geoff Bouvier, Jeff Downey, Matvei Yankelevich, Juliet Cook, Dorothea Lasky, Linh Dinh, Julie Doxsee, Greta Wrolstad, GC Waldrep, Vincent Zompa, Cesar Vallejo translated by Rachel Galvin, Jordan Davis, Sandra Simonds, Emily Kendal Frey, Will Oldham, Hiraide Takashi translated by Sawako Nakayasu, Caroline Knox, Bronwen Tate, Allison Titus, Erica Ehrenberg, Cynthia Cruz, Lara Glenum, Brett Price, Karen Volkman, Laura Mullen, Rob Schlegel, Sara Veglahn, Adam Clay, Nathan Bartel, Sandra Miller, Brenda Hillman, Robyn Schiff, Tomaz Salamun translated by Brian Henry, Steve Langan, Cate Peebles, Chad Reynolds, Sandy Florian, Dave Carillo, DA Powell, Dan Hoy, Daniel Coudriet, Craig Foltz, Laura Solomon, Eugen Jebeleanu translated by Matthew Zapruder & Radu Ioanid, Claire Becker, Jason Bredle, Jen Tynes, Cynthia Arrieu King, Peter Jay Shippy, KC Trommer, Stephanie Strickland, Susan Cronin, Stephanie Anderson, Michael Ives, Bethany Wright, Anne Marie Rooney, Shane MacRae, Michael Loughran, Karla Kelsey & Peter Yumi, Raymond Queneau translated by Rachel Galvin, Heather Green, Grace Egbert, Brenda Iijima.

If you are in a hurry to find my poems, I'm dot four over, five down.

It's a particular pleasure to be in a journal with C.D. Wright and Will Oldham.

And I managed to sneak in a poem which involves an octopus, which Octopus tends to avoid. I feel this is quite the feat.