Ender's Game and New Patterns

Since they finally made an Ender's Game movie, I decided I had to read the book before the movie came out. I made it through the book in a few days, while taking some breaks to work on a sweater collar. Size US 1 needles and repeating cables - I really hope I love this sweater when it's done.

I honestly avoided this book because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. I was glad to find it well-written. It is a very interesting commentary on the human mind, manipulation, and ethics. I was also impressed with the foresight Orson Scott Card had in terms of technology, since this was originally written in the late 1970s. In the end, I wasn't surprised by the "twist," which I had already guessed at, but I am definitely looking forward to the movie adaptation. I know people tend to have very strong opinions about this book, and I'd love to hear yours.

I've also been busy planning a series of classes, which I'll be teaching at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn this fall and spring. Classes include the basics of shawl design, working through my Nimue Wrap pattern to learn chart reading and cables, and some other basics. I designed some cozy mitts and a simple slouchy hat for the classes, but these patterns are also available on Ravelry.

Who wants to take a class with me?

Book Review: Promise Not To Tell

As I sat down to write this book review, I realized there is one thing I will miss about commuting for work: seeing what other people are reading. I would always look around at other commuters' books, and if something caught my eye, I would write it down. This book is the last one that I found this way.

Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon is described as a cross between a mystery-thriller and a ghost-story. It is the story of a nurse who is forced to deal with stories of death and betrayal from her childhood when she returns home to care for her ailing mother.

As someone who has read her fair share of horror novels, I did not find this story to be particularly scary. But I enjoyed the plot twists, which were definitely unpredictable. It's a fun, short read, but probably not a book that I would re-read. If you've read it, what did you think?

The second book in the photo is A Mesa Voadora by Luis Fernando Verissimo, a well-known Brazilian writer. I've pledged to read more in my native tongue to keep my vocabulary from degrading. Sometimes I forget it has already been 11 years since I moved here! This book is a compilation of real-life anecdotes centered around food, eating, and comedy. I enjoyed it, but the funniest chapter was the first one.

Now that I won't be seeing new books while commuting to work anymore, I need suggestions! What should I read?

Brooksby Farm

For my birthday, I had Nate take me apple-picking. I moved to New England 11 years ago, but somehow completely missed out on this Fall tradition.

Brooksby Farm is a short drive from our home. Not only do they have apple-picking, they also have strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and peaches. I can't wait to go back next year and pick all of those!

They also have a very adorable and delicious farm shop, with fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and fresh baked goods. Of course we tried the apple cider donuts.

The Big News

Here we are, almost two months later to the day. The last couple of months were a roller coaster for me, which included turning 30, and leaving my job to run Toil & Trouble full-time. I've been struggling with how to write this post for a few weeks because it seemed like there was too much to say and too much to explain. I didn't manage to find the right words, so instead I decided to go for this super-abridged version.

So come out to the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl and support this newly self-employed fiberista. I'll be having a trunk show at Black Sheep Knitting Co. on Saturday, October 5th from 9 am to 5 pm. Hope to see you there!