Weekly dash

Home from Mom's today. She is much better, we even got out to the market. Wore her out, but she was so happy to have an outing. One of the things that worries me is that she'll have a hard time getting back into her routine after so much inactivity. Thanks for all the kind thoughts.

No knitting to post this week, I was too involved with a really great book, The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. Here's the synopsis from the dust jacket:

In the late 17th century, famed pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with the dust of 100 dogs, dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body—with her memories intact. Now she's a contemporary American teenager, and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

An original and clever concept, skillfully executed in the stories of Emer and Saffron, the two human anchor points in a centuries long bridge of canine life. There's no shortage of gritty action in Emer's story, culminating in her life of piracy on the high seas. There's no shortage of wry humor in the mix of maturity and teenage angst in Saffron's character as she tolerates and endures life in today's lacklustre world, a life that holds her captive until the day she can break free. Add in the occasional words of wisdom from the dogs... well, they've always been smarter than humans anyway, right?

Overall this comes under the heading of a fun read, but it's not mindless fun. The characters are very real and fully developed, the definitions of good guys and bad guys are deliciously blurry. Just like in real life, people you love tick you off sometimes, and even the worst of us deserve a little sympathy sometimes.

I usually run screaming from folks making book recommendations, and very seldom make them myself. This book is worth breaking the rules. I really enjoyed this book and hope you will too. Amy, you've hit it out of the park (I finally give into the temptation to include a Pirate reference, and it's a Pittsburgh Pirates reference), and I look forward to reading a lot more of your work.

Check out the Homespun Yarn Party! 30 Vendors listed as of this post, free craft lessons, prizes and presents, charity crafting and, weather-permitting, a sit and spin/crochet/knit area out on the deck. Sounds like a great event, I wish I could attend. If you're in the Savage, MD area you should go, visit the website for details and location. And if you can't make it, enter the contest!

Help celebrate a double-versary at Mistress Stash Enhancer's blog. Three years blogging and twice as long knitting. Drop by with a congratulatory howdy and be entered for a mystery fibery prize.

Have you ever drop-kicked a kid across the store just to get his mom's attention off that yarn you really, really, rrrreeeaaaallllyyy want? If so, tell the Yarn Floozies about it and you might win some yarn to keep you company while you take those sensitivity training classes.

It sometimes seems as if destashing is as much a part of craftng as casting on. Right now Unraveled is having a major fabric and yarn destash as well as a nice giveaway. Several ways to enter, so get over there check it out.

LATE EDIT: Over at love and peas there's a casting call for fashionistas. Logan has poured a lot of effort into creating a sweater design, but she hates it. Rather than getting rip-roaring drunk, she's opened up her soul to the world, asking for honest opinions on the sweater. I think it's amazing but in need of just a few tweaks. Let her know how you feel. There's a prize involved, btw.