Finished Friday

Yep, I finished another pair of socks. These are the same pattern as I posted last Friday. They are all the same yarn and color though the cell camera just doesn’t capture them the same. They are now in the donations bag.

There was enough of that yarn left over to make these cute booties on the KB fine-gauge baby bootie loom. Two-by-two cuff, German rows heel, drawstring toe.

Then I started missing making the dolls so I made another. I made him a little longer in the legs and arms than I usually do. I think I like that better. My biggest mistake was not stuffing the whole doll and then sewing closed. I tied the neck first but that makes the head too wrinkly. Note to self: don’t do that next time.

The basic instruction for these dolls are in this tutorial:

How was your week? Have a great weekend and Happy Labor Day!

Review: Seeking Sarah by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Seeking Sarah by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jerry Springer eat your heart out! Oh, the drama!

Okay, I didn’t mean to start with that. There were things about this book I liked. I love that we have a diverse character, though the cover picture doesn’t give that impression. On the other hand, the blurb grabbed me about a young woman that wants to find her mother who she previously thought had died.

What seems to be set up to be an exciting adventure learning why mom left, and possibly reconnecting, the main character, Brooke, is hooking/breaking up with a guy that shouldn’t even get a female. Even in the process of getting to know her mom, she takes every opportunity to jump to conclusions to be angry. I guess my way would have solved Brookes problems within minutes and there wouldn’t be a book but a short story.

I was lucky to get to read this book from Netgalley. I’d love to see what others think of this novel. It is different.

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Monday Movies/TV

Pixaby.com

As we are finishing the last couple episodes of The 100, I was trying to think of other shows I’ve watched and haven’t shared I’m sad to see the end of The 100 coming in the seventh season coming up on The CW. But I refuse to watch it with the wait between episodes and putting up with commercials. So I’ll wait until Netflix finally gets that last season.

I couldn’t remember what I had watched but I finally figured out that if I click on my profile picture on Netflix, then go to account and viewing activity, I found a list I could download and go through.

 

We watched Crazyhead. It was fun, different.

The show Typewriter was fun though a bit for a younger audience.

You all probably watched this long ago, but I finally got around to it and found it entertaining, Silence!

All of these were from my Netflix list. I’ll go through my other lists soon. Now I am wishing I would have kept a paper copy of my shows.

 

 

 

Review: Emily, Gone by Bette Lee Crosby

Emily, Gone by Bette Lee Crosby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bette Lee Crosby writes good stories. This did not disappoint.

At least this mystery wasn’t about murder. I knew that could be done. Still, it is about a kidnapping. It was interesting to see the crime from all sides. The characters are well developed. They keep you reading to see what each person was going through, how would they solve their personal problems. The book showed how love could make their choices harder, or drive them mad in trying to live with it all. Still, it was a hard book to put down.

Though a spiritual path is evident, it isn’t overdone. The characters believe a certain way and it is part of their journey.

By the way, this was free through Kindle Unlimited. Though I like reading Ms. Crosby’s work it is usually more expensive than I can afford, so I am glad they made this one available this way.

As a genre, I think that this could be called a cozy mystery sans murder. I think women may find it better than men, though the men in this book are strong and level headed. But the stories are more about birth and baby loss, so it might be hard for those who have lived through this kind of circumstance.

Otherwise, try it, you might like it!

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Preposition

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “preposition” Start your post with any preposition. Bonus points if you end with one too. Enjoy! Thanks, Linda!

“For the last time!” He shouted. “I am not the enemy!”

But she didn’t believe it. He killed the man she loved. He had kept her from doing the things her heart tried to accomplish. He said he was doing it for her own good. That he loved her, trying to protect her. Love only works when it is using free-will. No one can force love. Protection isn’t always love. It is often a way to keep one in a cage.

Kept under the floor protected Octavia. Bellamy took care of his sister until he didn’t and that was when their mother was put to space to die for the sin of having more than one child.

On Earth, Octavia becomes a ninja for revenge. Still, Bellamy shouts, “Get inside!”

~~~~~~~~~

We are on season 4 of The 100. We are all loving this show! Yesterday I shared the season 1 trailer. Here is the Season 2 trailer.

 

 

Finished Friday

This week started with a pair of unmatched socks. I didn’t realize it until I took the picture. I kept rearranging until they ‘looked’ matched. But one cuff was two inches longer than the other.

So I tried to think how I could donate, with clear conscience, to my charity. I couldn’t. I thought maybe I should keep them for myself. Nah. So I went through all the yarn hoping to find more of the same color. So lucky to find more. Now the challenge was to make another perfectly unmatched pair.

I did it!

These are the same colors. The cell didn’t photograph these very well. Sorry.

Now I can donate happily! And I think I have enough leftover for one more pair!

These are on the KB Sock 2 loom. It is a larger gauge which makes it great for single strand worsted weight yarn.

The pattern is found in the package. I revised a bit to something like this:

Two-by-two brim (2″ and 4″ respectively) an inch of flat stitch, then heel, then 6 1/2″ e-wrap, then toe.

I love making socks!

Things We’ve Watched Thursday

I know it’s been a while since I caught you up on our latest binges. Now that C’s shoulder is healing, and Kali has become a dog who eats instead of one who seemed destined for death or at least well into a bulimic situation. So I have a bit more energy to tell about other parts of my life. Bingeing has kept us all sane as we heal. Here are some of the shows we’ve enjoyed.

Right now my husband is catching up with my brother, son, and I on The 100. I’m watching with him as I love rewatching good shows. I think it helps my writing to see how shows are put together.

I caught up with Orange Is the New Black. OMG! Get out your Kleenex. I fear the people who need to learn what the show was trying to teach probably won’t watch it. Meanwhile, those of us who understand and have learned empathy for others will find ourselves crying out loud. I actually had to leave the room and go cathartic release to C. I don’t often cry like that but I did when Poussey died way back when. If you haven’t please watch.

Occasionally, I watch stuff I know the rest don’t want to watch in-between group watchings. Ozark is one of those I can take or leave an the guys don’t seem to care either.

A fun light watch is Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

A while back we finished all of Stranger Things. LOVED IT!

That’s all the ones I can think of right now. I’ll find others soon! Happy pain-relieving distractions and writer studies!

One-liner Wednesday

In the heat of Summer, rainy days are best!

 

One-liner Wednesdays is a blogging challenge presented by Linda G. Hill. Thanks for the fun!

Review: Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can I give this book ten stars? I loved it so much that from 60% I couldn’t get up to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, turn off the fan (I was getting cold!). I barely moved! I was so immersed in this book!

As a writer, unpublished, I hear that a book needs lots of tension. I didn’t feel that in this book, at all! All I can see is that I loved the characters, right from the start and adopted them into my heart. Then I didn’t want to leave their world.

I usually don’t read books with the main character male. Especially a teen. Since I entered my sixties I go for strong fems by fem authors. That is because most of my life I was subjected to only males by males and I want to see more people like me in books and movies. All I heard growing up when I asked about that, was that boys needed encouragement to read. Then why I would ask as an adult, did those non-readers, lower grading people get better jobs? Why did the world circulate around the males?

But this book didn’t center on a male of privilege. This seventeen-year-old had none of the usual adolescent angst. When would that girl give it up to me; didn’t seem to be on his radar. Rather he was more anxious about his family where he felt he didn’t belong, or how he didn’t even feel he fit in his skin. He only seemed to have one friend and that one is leaving as we meet this guy. And he is sweet to a little kitten. Heart won over!

Then our protagonist befriends an elderly blind woman. Both characters are so well built that they feel like family members to the reader.

The author, Catherine Ryan Hyde, is a genius! She keeps the reader engaged. I should mention, she is the author of Pay It Forward. I loved that book, too, and the movie. Well, I love the concept but it was an extreme tear-jerker. This one was more heart-warming (fewer tears more cheering the characters on) with a similar message of how positive life can be by being kind and caring for other people. I may need to actually buy this book and study it!

By the way, I got this book through Kindle Unlimited along with the Whispersynched Audible. The narrators brought the book to life.– I just looked up the book on Audible and it seems there is only one narrator! Michael Crouch. That was a surprise! I don’t normally like male voices doing females. But Mr. Crouch did an amazing job! I actually thought there were about three narrators acting it out! Wow!

Maybe this should be required reading for the world?!!! I highly recommend it! In case you haven’t noticed.

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Review: The Walking Dead Vol. 7: The Calm Before by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead Vol. 7: The Calm Before by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, the title of this one tells it all. The Calm Before… Very little tension, often boring.

A lot happens including birth and suicide. Very different than what happened on the show. I rarely say this about books. But the show is so much better! Still, I love seeing the original and how it all happened ‘for reals’.

I’ve been reading these graphic novels through Kindle Unlimited. And I love the Kindle version better than the paper because I can double-tap the frame and enlarge it so I can see the artwork and fonts better. AND if the font still isn’t large enough I can reverse pinch it.

Can’t wait for the next one!

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