What I made, by Sharon

Tarragon and Willow didn't interact much, but since he died last Friday she has become even more interactive with us. She's sitting on the couch, which she never did before, and helping with everything. Here she is helping my newly finished cardigan for my mother to dry: Now I'm knitting a quick charity jumper from leftovers. I love using up leftovers. This weekend we're going car camping, and I'm going to cast on a pair of socks for my dad to knit while we sit around a campfire. In reading, I finished  Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson.  It was fine, I guess. Loads of characters, lots of unnecessary details and an unsatisfying ending. Now I'm reading   a NetGalley review copy of  The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell . I'm loving it, even though it is time travel. It's also full of magic, so in my mind its more fantasy than time travel and for some reason I can deal with that! I'm about a third of the way through and looking forward to seeing...

 On Friday we said goodbye to Tarragon. He was the last of our OG cats - Princess Daisy, Ms Juniper and Lord Tarragon.  We then spent some serious time trying to get the house to smell less like pee. The last few months have been hard on the floors and the couch.  Other than than the weekend has had all the usual (running, friends, dinner with the folks) but it's all just a little bit sadder than usual. My house smells better, but feels rather empty. 

 In 2021 I made t he first lot of dishcloths . In January 2024 I made some more . They were all made of left over cotton from my weaving attempts. Some of them have worn out. Some are very tired. I suspect some are lost in our linen 'closet' (a single shelf in our laundry cupboard). So this year at Bendigo I bought some thicker cotton and, between other projects I've been making dishcloths. We use these to wash dishes, not to dry them, and we like quite a small one, knit tight, not a big floppy one. I made the Ballband Dishcloth pattern by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne And then the traditional corner to corner 'Gradma's Dishcloth'  Ravelry: Dishcloth Recipe pattern by Robin Wiest I probably shouldn't have bought two balls of yarn, I have quite a lot left over. Back into the stashbox until these wear out and I have another dishcloth frenzy!

I know every week is full of review books, but I said I was having a break. Instead I requested and received   Case Study: A Dystopian Novel about Absolute Empathy by Arsenii Moskvichoff . The description is in the title! It's not the best novel I've ever read, but an interesting thought experiment.  I'm also listening to  a time travel anthology from A mazon Originals  published " The Time Traveler's Passport ". Time travel stories are not always my favourite, but there was a John Scalzi story, so I requested it. I've listened to 5 or 6 of them, and its been really rewarding. Each story is very different - time machines, time loops, stolen time. Really original, even the one that I didn't love.  Now I'm finally reading    Shrines of Gaiety  by Kate Atkinson , before my library loan expires. I've only just started, so no opinions yet.  Next up is another review book  The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell , which might also have time...

  On Saturday we gathered to celebrate the Richmond Knitters 18th birthday. I've been a member since 2008, not long after they started although it felt very well established even then. I'm close to an OG member, although there are a solid group of longstanding members. It was a lovely day, with cake and friends. we played pass the parcel, with the biggest parcel I've ever seen - and the best prizes too. Thanks Sonia, the Richmond Knitter's founder and leader, for organising this and so many other things. We used this opportunity to choose the jumper for this years' Bendigo project ( Celeste by Petite Knit) and caught up with friends from near and far - including Nat, who came from Tasmania for the day. Then Sunday we had afternoon tea to celebrate Isabella, my niece's 18th birthday. She is such a delightful human being, and it's always delightful to get together for such joyful reasons.   

 I normally work from home on a Wednesday, but this week our new manager started today, so I worked from home yesterday and now everything feels a bit off kilter. I finished  Annie Bot by Sierra Greer . It was a very powerful and compelling read, focussing on misogyny, freedom, personhood and a whole lot more. Then I decided to get  Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson  from the library. Which I did, and I got it as far as Adobe Digital Editions, but it wouldn't actually open on my Kobo. I'll keep working on it. In the meantime, I'm reading the final of John Birmingham's silly action romance books  The Bjorn Identity  . It's enjoyable, silly and low impact. In listening I requested a time travel anthology from NetGalley  The Time Traveler's Passport.  I don't always love time travel, but there was a John Scalzi story I wanted to listen to. I actually really enjoyed the R.F. Kaung story, which is interesting, since I don't love her books. I've got t...