November came and went quickly with a quaint by lovely feast at my sister and her husband's house. Every immediate family member lives in a different state so getting together is usually quite difficult. The big gathering of most of the clan is always at Christmas. Usually all of the kids go to the parents' house but the lack of off-time from work for the youngest meant the holiday gathering was to be held in Tampa, Florida. (Ah, yes. Puts a different spin on the idea of a white Christmas, doesn't it?) It was wicked hot while down there (apparently the hottest winter Tampa has seen in many years... lucky me!) but I had a wonderful time catching up and laughing with everyone. My family was very gracious with the gifts and my mother, a fellow knitter, bought me a blocking board (yippie!) and knitted me a gorgeous basket-weave, lap blanket! Such a wonderful heirloom to have!
Since getting back to Atlanta and having another week off from teaching, I've been knitting and reading (or listening to audiobooks) non-stop! I've gone through some fantastic reads (children's literature) which have included The Looking Glass Wars Series by Frank Beddor which is the "real" story behind the book Alice in Wonderland
as well as The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.
This story is about a djinni summoned by a young boy studying to become a magician who is trying to get back at an older magician who embarrassed him. The book is told a good bit from the djinni's POV and he is hysterical! I've actually been doing the audiobook version of this and am obsessed with the narrator. I've done many books on tape and the reading of this book may very well be the best reading I have ever listened to. I highly recommend the audio version if you plan to get this book!!!! ( I can't wait to tackle the other two books in the series!) FYI: Don't let the cover discourage you from reading this book. The cover is the only scary thing about this book. :)
The main knitting project I am currently working on is my Baby Cables Sweater. Such a well-written pattern by villapeikko on Ravelry! It's knitting up quickly and, as you can see from the pic, I am really enjoying it. :)
Good Health, Good Cheer, and Good Karma your way,
r