7QT: Ode to a Steam Iron, Outlander Talk, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

Today I am all over the place--we've had a rough week with the girls health-wise, we realized that Boo in particular is struggling a lot with the camp schedule, and Piglet is anxious about starting his new school in the fall.  So it has been a barrel of laughs this week.  We're off to the pediatrician this morning to discuss what to do next for the girls, camp is over after next week, and Piglet starts school on September 3, so hopefully everything will even out soon.

With the lack of anything substantive to share, I present: silly quick takes.  Linking with Jen, like we do.

--1--

When my husband and I married, he had a functional, if clunky, iron.  It was a little prone to temperature fluctuations, and would occasionally leave mineral deposits on clothing, but it worked for every day ironing (of which there is very little in this house, frankly).  It also lives on the 3rd floor with a bolted-to-the-wall ironing board.  When Boo's godmother lived with us, in the summer and fall of 2011, she brought another iron and then left it when she rejoined her husband overseas.  I started using it for my sewing, and it was a fine iron--good heat, good steam, just a little prone to tipping over.  And tip it did.  Many times. Because I sew in my kitchen, and all the outlets are behind one side of the table, finding a set up for the iron and the sewing machine has proved tricky, because my preferred set up means constantly stepping over cords.  Sometime in May, one of the kids tripped on the cord and the iron went flying.  (No one was hurt, thankfully).  The plastic assembly that held the steam function completely fell off, and while the iron still held a good temperature, it no longer had a steam function, and the iron seemed to be running a little hotter than I like.  I bought an iron on sale from Joann shortly after that happened, but it was a dud and I had to send it back, so I've been sewing these last months with the gimpy iron.  Finally I decided it was time to bite the bullet and replace it.  The new one is great.  It has a great solid base so it doesn't tip as easily, it has good steam, good heat, a shut-off function, an extra long cord, and a teflon-coated ironing surface.  Brilliant.  My last two makes (sneak peek below) have been much easier to put together with a nice steamy iron.

--2--

Let's pause for a moment of silence for the awesomeness that is Episode One of Outlander.  I've watched it twice now, and it definitely improved on a second viewing (although the first time through was pretty great).  There are a few minor changes from the book (noticeable to me mostly because I just re-read the book and the little details are fresh in my mind), but I really liked the extra time spent establishing Frank and Claire's relationship and marriage.

Taking the time to show us Frank and Claire's relationship drives home the theme of the first half of the book, which is Claire's determination to escape back to the 20th century, and also her increasingly divided loyalties.  The casting is superb, and I'm appreciating the period details and wonderful soundtrack by Bear McCreary.  The music for the Samhaim dance of the Druids is sublime.

--3--

While we're on the subject of man-crushes in Outlander, let me present: Graham McTavish.  As Dougal McKenzie, the war chieftan of the Clan McKenzie, Graham brings so much to the table.  I've always been intrigued by Dougal (even more so since reading MOBY), and Graham really inhabits the character for me (shiny bald pate not withstanding; in the books, Dougal is described as a redhead).  He has a lot of ulterior motives, and his actions often reflect things unseen, but he is loyal, if wily.  Plus, hello, tall.

--4--

And as long as we're talking actors, let's talk about Tobias Menzies, shall we?  I've seen him in several things now, and he never disappoints.  He played the Home Secretary in a later season of MI:5 (no spoilers!), and I liked his tortured Brutus in Rome.  I didn't love his character in Game of Thrones (although it appears to be the role for which he is best known, at least at the moment), but he did do a bang-up job making Edmure Tully a character you love to hate.  He had a minor role in season one of Foyle's War, and I just finishing watching his excellent performance in Forget Me Not.  Let's talk about that film for a sec, because it is really worth a watch.  It is an indie film, and has echoes of Remember Me and Before Sunrise in the telling, but the acting is wonderful, and the twists and turns unexpected and fresh.  Tobias brings a rich complexity to the character of Will, and while there are some hokey musical moments, for the most part, I really enjoyed it.

--5--

Now for an edition of Ripley's Believe It or Not!  My husband has been reading Patrick Leigh Furmor lately; he was an Englishman who wrote of his travels in the early part of the 20th century, and in his memoir of northern Greece, he notes that villagers would take the cut end of a cucumber (the part normally discarded) and stick it to the middle of their foreheads, providing an instant cooling sensation.  Pre-modern air conditioning!  I tried it, and it really works!  I don't know if it would work as well on room temperature cukes, as we keep ours in the fridge to keep them from spoiling, but every time I cut a cuke lately, I stick the end on my forehead and enjoy the instant chill.

--6--

My mom and I Face-timed earlier this week because I've been having issues with the bobbin tension on my machine and she thought it would be easier to talk it through with video than over e-mail or the phone.  We tried a few things, I learned a few new things about my machine (I now know how to pop the entire foot plate off and clean underneath, and boy did it need doing!) and it turned out to be that the tension on the bobbin itself was too loose.  All better now.  I need to find a reputable Bernina service place to have the machine looked at because it has been a long time since it was serviced, and it sat unused for almost a decade before I started sewing in earnest last fall/winter.

But here's a sneak peek of my latest makes:



Another button-down Portrait blouse!  I still have to work the buttonholes and add the buttons (they are a pale peach that coordinate with one of the smaller flower colors) and I made a goofus mistake on the facing, but it worked out in the end, I think.  I'll post more about construction when I show the finished blouse.  The skirt is the wrap Miette from Tilly and the Buttons, and I think this will be a great skirt.  I'm letting it hang for a few days before I hem it because it is cut almost on the bias, and I need to work the pass-through button holes to make the wrap part work properly.  I'll talk more about it when it is finished.

--7--



Mushroom sweater progress!  I'm nearly finished the sleeve (shaping the cap at the final decreases before binding off).  I usually find sleeves to be very tedious, with all the increases and decreases, but this one wasn't too bad.  I'm hoping the second sleeve goes quickly too.

Odds and Ends, Vol. 12

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I think anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time knows that we struggle with whether or not the city is ultimately the best place for our family.  We love many aspects of city life, and there are many ways in which our family life would radically change were we to decamp to the country, not all of them good for our kids.  With that in mind, I found this article to be particularly thought-provoking.   It is an interesting book review on the changes wrought in Lancaster County and in rural life in general over time.  We recently spent a day in Lancaster, visiting some friends, and the place has its allure, and I completely understand why those fleeing the hardships of urban life would find it appealing.  It is tempting, however, to bring urban sensibilities to the farm, and it is not fair to do so.  We urban dwellers must consider ourselves outlanders when we leave the city, and to keep our own counsel, for just as we would bristle at a farmer telling an urbanite how to go about things, so the farmer has the right to feel put upon by city folk doing the same.  From the article:

"Although the problems facing rural communities like Lancaster have serious economic causes, I argue that their root is primary cultural. In the twentieth century, the city has replaced the country as the focus of American culture, and ruralites wanting growth and progress have looked to urban models. As American society has moved further from its agrarian roots, ruralness has come to be associated with the past, with a simpler time of peace and plenty when harmony prevailed.

This idea of the city-as-future and the country-as-past has aggravated the troubles of rural America since the Second World War. When urbanites see a rural community as an attractive lost Arcadia, their money can serve as a wedge for their ideas and force ruralites to accommodate their desire for peace, quiet, and recreation. Farmers and other rural residents needing to make a living are often forced to the opposite extreme, advocating progress at any cost; while ruralites who want to preserve farmland and other open space from development may be seen by their neighbors as catering to urban fantasies or as “living in the past.”

Americans’ failure to envision a model for rural progress—a present and a future that preserve the essential character of a rural place—has allowed the city to turn the country into a kind of economic and cultural colony."

Newly unearthed photos from the National Geographic archive.  Plus a few more.

10 Things No One Tells You About Marriage Beforehand (but they should!)  This is an excellent little exposition on how our culture's messages about marriage are thoroughly mixed up and also explains a better way to approach the marriage relationship.

Dwija talks about how hard it really is to be a stay-at-home mother, especially at the beginning.  Preach it, sista.

I'm not sure what I find most disturbing about this article: the fact that a two year old is asking Siri what an ear infection is instead of asking his father, or that the father is directing the pediatrician's questions about the child's malady to the child instead of being tuned in enough to the child's symptoms and illness to answer them himself.  The child is two.  In any case, a good reminder to leave the mobile device in the purse, on the counter, somewhere out of reach when spending time with kids.  Because, man.  Those dopamine receptors.  No respecter of persons.

Kara Tippetts is dying of cancer, but is making the most of the time she has left.  May we all face our ends with such serenity, such grace, such fortitude.

Brilliant entertainer Robin Williams is dead of apparent suicide; his demons got the best of him, and I'm sad for the suffering and mental illness he endured for most of his life.  I found this little response to the news timely and useful.

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Mat. Anna put me onto the Shorpy historical photo archive--so wonderful!!

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I'm only going to link a few articles here from this website, but please read the whole series (links at the bottom of the page).  It is a fascinating look at the garment industry from an insider, specifically addressing the problems of fitting and sizing, a topic that I think you'll agree affects all of us.  She talks about why vanity sizing is a myth (and I really do buy her argument), and why sizing is so frustrating to most people.  She offers some ideas to help, but we consumers also have a part to play--we need to be honest with ourselves about our measurements, and to have more realistic expectations from the garment industry as to what can be offered given demographics, economic reality, price issues, and so on. From one of the articles: 

"What it really boils down to is consumer expectation that they should be able to walk into any store, anywhere and pick out a medium and expect it to fit them but that’s just not reasonable. Particularly when many consumers are reluctant to pay the customary price points of that market. For example, it’s unreasonable for the average Wal-Mart customer -who only wants to pay Wal-Mart prices- to walk into Talbot’s and expect a Talbot’s medium to fit them and their pricing expectations so it’s unreasonable to expect every manufacturer to fit the full range of human size possibilities too. With companies free to fit “their” customer, you have more possibilities of locating a size that fits you than if sizes were standardized."

In short: not every retailer can or should serve everyone.  (For more information, please read this brief article on why J.Crew is offering XXXS clothing line)

I wrote earlier this week about modern retailing, and the problems of finding quality goods at a reasonable (note, I did not say "cheap") price.  I think for those of us who love vintage clothing or second hand furniture, shopping can become a bit of a problem.  With most other retailing, there is a sort of assembly line quality to it, and the almost sure knowledge that something similar (or possibly better) will come along if you don't buy it now. With vintage, the unique nature and rarity of it can inspire impulsive purchases, or even just ill-considered purchases.  I've been guilty, guilty, guilty of this, and I'm working to reexamine my shopping habits, particularly online, as I'm noticing that I've increasingly used it to self-soothe during times of stress.  At the end of the day, they are just things, and things are ephermeral.  We can't take them with us, so to speak.  Emileigh wrote an excellent post on the topic last week.

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This is kind of cool: an artist's installation of a corner shop, all made of felt.

Putting on new perspecticles about the blessings in our lives (I go back and forth about Glennon Melton, but this one is worth a read; besides, she uses one of my favorite quotes: Beware of all enterprises which require new clothes.")

How to eat well on a food stamp diet. (includes a free full color downloadable cookbook).  I love projects like this--each meal is under $5, full of healthy nutritious ingredients, with easy substitutions for what is available, on sale, and reasonable to prepare.

Diligence, hard work, and a willingness to put up with hardship and scorn of the surrounding community are the ways out of poverty, but in the current cultural and political landscape, it is hard to effectively convey that message.

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The news from the Middle East is fairly horrific these days, especially for Christians.  I'm not always sure where to go with any of it--the wholesale slaughter of ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria has left me bewildered and fearful for the future.  Molly Sabourin provides a thoughtful response, as usual.

On a lighter note, Shana gives great tips for making a kid-friendly space in the back yard, and (most importantly, in my opinion) leaving them to it.

I've always said that crafting is as good as therapy (although probably not cheaper, once you factor in supplies). Turns out, it is true!

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A history of working class gardens in England.  I find this brief overview to be quite fascinating, particularly in light of several documentaries I watched recently on some grand estates in England, including Hampton Court, Althorp and Chatsworth.

If you are J-type personality like me (on the Myers-Briggs scale, this means someone who likes routines, closure, plans, control, etc), then you might find your to-do list can sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful, particularly those sorts of items that never seem to be "finished" or recur regularly.  I'm still thinking about Tasha Miller Griffith's novel approach to the infinite to-do list.

I didn't realize this until recently, but pink peppercorns are related to tree nuts like cashews, so if you have a serious tree nut allergy (and I do!), please avoid them!  They show up in fancy peppercorn mixes, and chefs often use them in nicer restaurants.  I've often had "x-factor" reactions, where I reacted to something I ate but had no idea what the culprit could be, even when I'd made or vetted the food myself.  I'm now wondering how often it was something like a pink peppercorn.  

Interesting: Carlo's Law of Metaphysics.

I'm quite fascinated by Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory, and a recent thread on Rod Dreher's blog prompted a comment by Haidt himself, which then led off into a series of questions about the arts.  I'm still thinking about it.

Does language shape how we view the world?  This post neatly ties together several of my interests, including time, cultures, language, and history.  I do think that language has a direct impact on our thinking, mostly in that when we have more words to express our complex inner lives, or to describe our world, we can make better sense both inwardly and outwardly.  I have several phrases I can only use in Russian, because they don't translate.  Ditto for a few Dutch phrases I grew up with.  Yes, I can more or less explain what they mean in English, but the words in the original have a richness, a savory character on the tongue that feeds something deep in me.

The future of modern Islam and American Laïcité  (this article is interesting because it is written by a second generation immigrant and follower of Islam, but really, you could insert almost any religion into the framework he describes).

In light of my recent fascination with all things related to the Great War, I was pleased to find this little gem in my newsfeed recently.  It is a photographic history of solider's kits from 1066 to the present.  The presentation is wonderful, and the progression fascinating.

  Solider's Kit from Battle of Somme.  Image via

And in related Great War remembrances, poppies to remember the fallen at the Tower of London.   (Incidentely, I highly recommend the documentary on the Secrets of the Tower).

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Also: Was the Great War the last Crusade?  Philip Jenkins thinks so.  From the review:

"The Allied and Central powers depicted themselves as uniquely chosen by God to fulfill a civilizational and religious mission; demonized their enemies as Antichrist or Satan; portrayed the war as a Manichean struggle between good and evil; and promised world redemption if they and their allies triumphed, and nothing but human bondage and misery if their enemies prevailed.

Apocalypticism, encouraged by the war’s length, widening scope, and destructiveness, appeared in wartime novels and movies, animated radical political movements, and fueled end-time speculation made even more plausible among fervent premillennialists by the British army’s victory in Palestine—at biblical Armageddon, no less—and by the Balfour Declaration’s promise of a homeland for the Jews. This was a war of prophetic fulfillment."

Talking Tuesday: Craftsmanship and Modern Low Price Culture

As I've mentioned a time or two recently, I'm reading Ellen Ruppell Shell's Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, and I'm currently about half-way through.   She begins by describing the history of modern retailing, starting in the mid-19th century, and I found that whole section fascinating.  She then moves through a rather tedious section about the economics of retailing and consumerism, and the chapter I just finished deals with the various ways that the supply line for most modern retailing is compromised by low price pressures.  

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I think one valuable aspect of the book so far is that Ruppell Shell points out the many ways in which discount culture applies down the retail food chain, and ultimately does not benefit the consumer or the general economy.  Yes, we can get that wooden dining and two chairs table at IKEA for $69.99, but we are probably going to have to drive a significant distance to purchase it, spend countless time assembling it, possibly making a return trip to the store for missing parts, and it will probably fall apart in a few years' time.  But therein lies the rub: to get a truly quality piece from a craftsman (Amish furniture comes to mind), one that will last a generation, is to put out a significant sum of money, and one which not everyone can afford to do.  

There is also the problem that so many goods in our economy (fast fashion in particular) that are not made to last.  Shoes are meant to wear out in a season, and there aren't very many cobblers who can affordably repair cheaply-made shoes.  If you have to pay more than the shoes are worth to have them repaired (assuming you can find a cobbler to do so in the first place), it is worth it?  A pair of boots I bought this winter for around $60 needed some repairs to them by the end of the season.  Since I'd bought them in January, I was a little put out that the soles needed significant repair, as did the heel caps.  I took them to a well-regarded cobbler who quoted me a repair price that was nearly twice what I'd paid.  I balked, and he smirked at me and said, "Just buy new ones."  I wasn't willing to give up that easily, since the boots were a style that was hard to find, and I've have hard-to-fit feet and legs for tall boots, so I went down the street to another cobbler I've used before, and they quoted me a price that was about what I'd paid for the boots.  I swallowed my irk and paid it, figuring that whatever repairs they made would probably hold up longer, and I'd get another few seasons of wear out of them, plus I'd prevent the waste of sending a pair of boots to the landfill while purchasing another pair equally likely to fall apart.  I could have bought boots at a higher price point to begin with, and perhaps saved myself some trouble, but these days, higher price in fashion is no guarantee of quality, so I might have ended up having to repair a more expensive pair of boots anyway, and then would have been out even more money.  This is the crux of the problem: in current retailing, there is the ultra-expensive, ultra-high quality, available only to a select few wealthy people, and then there is everything else, designed to break, fall apart, unable to be repaired at any price.  As a consumer, it is hugely difficult to suss out quality because of how much pricing distorts the general picture and mid-range quality consumer goods have basically gone the way of the horse and buggy.

Some of it is our own attitude toward spending and pricing, and some of it is basic pennies and dollars (which actually are coming from the whole discount culture problem in the first place).  Catch, meet 22.

I'm finding more to like as I go along, but I'm still waiting for prescription for the deep cultural problems she describes so well.  I thought the passage below encapsulated a lot of the first half of the book.  

"Those who regard craft as a euphemism for elitism overlook the fact that craftsmanship need not be precious or effete; it can be practical, simple, an everyday thing: a well-made table, a sturdy chair, a butcher or tailor or travel agent who knows his or her business.  A bricklayer or carpenter or teacher, a musician or salesperson, a writer or computer code--any and all can be craftsmen.  Craftsmanship cements a relationship of trust between buyer and seller, worker and employer, and expects something of both.  It is about caring about the work and its application.  It is what distinguishes the work of humans from the work of machines, and it is everything that IKEA and other discounters are not.  

Craftsmen aren't led to a "glorious future" paved with ever lower prices for "the many."  They rely on their own skill, commitment, and judgement, and take pride and satisfaction in the work itself.  But to raise the issue of craft in the postindustrial age is to risk scorn.  Our knowledge-based service economy demands razor-sharp wits, finely tuned synapses, quick reflexes, and, most of all, drive.  We are warned that workers in the developing world are rapidly outpacing us.  They are smarter, more dedicated, and more focused.  They can program computers, write legal briefs, and diagnose disease expertly, quickly, and at an unbeatable low price.  We must work smarter and quicker, which is to say, cheaper."

~Ellen Ruppell Shell, 

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture 

New York: Penguin, 2009, 

pg. 141, emphasis mine.

Five Favorites: Birthday Round Up Edition

My birthday (35, in case you were wondering) was on the 22nd of July, and I received many lovely gifts from my family this year.  I also purchased a few things recently since the sales are good at this time of the year, and I have narrowed down my sewing and knitting projects into a specific list (I'll probably have a post on my fall and winter sewing plans soon).  

 --1--

Cool jewelry.  I received several pieces of jewelry for my birthday, including this great clock necklace, which came with a bonus pipe charm in the box.  

I thought it looked like something from Sherlock Holmes and have worn it several times already.  

A Luxulite brooch!  I love these--so fun, so bright.  I also had a Modcloth account credit that I used to purchase a fun retro camera necklace.  I've worn it a few times already, and one night during prayers, I was holding Birdie, and she was fingering the necklace, and then she leaned in and whispered, "Cheese!"  It was hilarious.  I couldn't stop laughing.

 --2--

Great fabric.  I got two fabric lengths, both vintage, both lovely.  The first is a super soft, super drapey 80s rayon fabric, that I think will be enough to get a blouse out of; I have a 1950s pattern in mind to try with it, but I've heard rayon is a bit tricky to work with, so I'm going to wait until I have a bit more time and mental space to deal with it (plus I need to muslin the pattern first).  The other is a vintage percale (I had thought it was feedsack, but after feeling it, I'm pretty sure it is a percale), and there is enough for a blouse.  I'll probably make a button-down Portrait blouse or perhaps a long sleeve Balcarra.

--3--

Sewing supplies.  My sister gave me a bottle of antique buttons, in which there were some very cool carved ones.  She also gave me a pair of embroidery scissors (nippers!) that I intend to wear on a chain around my neck to use to clip thread while sewing.  

My husband gave me a French curve, which I'm super excited about, as I'm starting to gain confidence when I fiddle with patterns, and having the French curve would help my pattern fixes to come out more evenly.

--4--

Accessories!!  My parents gave me a pair of navy blue Salt Water sandals, and I love them.  It took a day to stretch them enough to be comfortable, but now they are perfect.  I prefer slip-on style shoes, but I've figured out where to buckle them so I can slide them on and off without undoing the buckle.  These are the perfect casual summer sandal.  My youngest sister gave me a pair of vintage-style sunglasses, also much appreciated as my kids tend to destroy whatever sunglasses happen to fall into their paths.  I do try to keep them up out of reach, they still manage to get a pair or two every year.

--5--

Patterns!  (and a bit more fabric): This isn't technically a birthday present, but this time of year we have a bit more room in the budget for discretionary purchases, so I bought some patterns I've had my eye on for a while, including the Emery dress pattern, the Hollyburn skirt, and the Balcarra blouse pattern (which I got with a sale code from Lladybird).  I also bought some fabric I've had in mind for several projects, including some Shetland flannel and some novelty print quilting cotton.  Since my beloved wool pencil skirts from two winters ago are still too small (and I've given up hope of fitting back into them), I have in mind to try Gertie's pencil skirt pattern with the flannel.  I also plan to make an Emery and Hollyburn with the novelty prints (watch this space!)

Go see Heather for more Five Favorites!

Yarn Along: A Tale of Two Knits

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along today; please keep Ginny and her family in your prayers, as well as the family of her best friend Sarah, who passed away last week.

It's been a while since I updated on my knitting, mostly because I've not done a lot of sustained knitting this summer.  High heat and humidity = no tolerance for wool between my fingers.  But we've had a little break in the weather recently, so I made some good progress made on the mushroom sweater, and during our family reunion two weeks ago, I got started on a little project with lace weight yarn.

So, the mushroom sweater.  I finished the other front side piece, and now am working on one of the sleeves.  The pattern makes it fairly easy to remember the increases (since they are in fourths and the pattern is four rows wide), so that is nice at least.  I'm a little nervous about the button band, but hopefully it will all work out okay.

The other little project I started is a lacy bow headband.  I've been wanting to experiment with fingering weight yarn for a while, but was hesitant to commit to a larger project on the (likely) chance that the weight of the yarn would drive me bonkers.  This pattern showed up in my inbox as a promotional offer earlier this summer, and it seemed like the perfect project to try it out, as well as being something small that I could tote along with me on our various travels.  

There were two problems right off the bat, namely that the yarn came in a twisted skein rather than a wound one, so I had to wind the yarn, and I made a mosh of it.  I'm hoping I don't need the whole skein for this headband, as there is a bit of yarn that I lost in the process of winding.  I did get a decent size ball, but oh, the pain of it.  The second problem was in the beginning of the pattern, which was fiendish in terms of the increases.  I redid the first six rows about four times before I got it.  Now that I'm past the initial increases, it isn't too bad.  I just have to keep the pattern in front of me and a pen to mark my rows as I do them.  I also don't mind the fine yarn--not quite enough that I'm ready to commit to a whole sweater in it, but I might be willing to try a project in something less than worsted soon.  I definitely have to give this project attention, so it isn't quite the mindless project I was hoping for, but I think I will wear it when done (and I have a sewing project in the hopper for the fall that will coordinate perfectly!)

***

In other news, I finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood (for some reason, abbreviated MOBY by Herself, so who am I to argue?)  It was a lovely read, but sad to finish, and I wandered about for a few days, looking for something new to read.  It was unfortunate that I also finished Season 3 of Game of Thrones (so shocking!) at the same time, so I was really bereft.  I rewatched the 2011 version of Jane Eyre this week (Fassbender never disappoints), and started watching Hex on YouTube (an older, slightly cheesy Gothic sci-fi series) so I have something to watch while I knit in the evening (I have to have something on, or I get sleepy)

 

But about MOBY.  I was quite pleased with the ending on this one, as I feel I can wait another four years for the continuation of the story, unlike Echo in the Bone, which really left us all hanging!!  I also liked that this one took less time on journeys to and fro and more on what happened when they arrived where they were going.  As much of the book took place in Revolutionary-era Philadelphia during the summer, it was an interesting parallel to read it during a modern Philly summer.  Her descriptions of the weather and the city during the summer were pretty much spot on.  Bonus treat for us wordsmiths: the only book I've ever read that used the word absqualating.  

I received the Collette Guide to Sewing Knits from my husband for my birthday, and have been poking through it the last few days.  I remain intimidated by knits, but might have to give the Bronte a try one of these days.  Preferably in a stable knit like ponte.

I also picked up Cheap again this week, and am pondering further the lessons of discount retailing.  After reading the latest chapter, I'm just upset about the ways that retailers psychologically manipulate us as customers.  I realize they have a business to run, and need to make money to survive, but the tricks feel cheap and I don't like feeling commodified.

And finally, some bloggy housekeeping: I cleaned up my labels this week, so posts should be easier to find by topic now.  When I migrated the stamping blog posts over here last year, a lot of labels came with it, and until recently, it was hard to delete labels from the master list.  I consolidated some of the original labels from early in this blog's history and got rid of all the stamping-specific labels (like "Thank You Cards") and just grouped most of the stamping posts under the label "Stamping-Cardmaking."  

Talking Tuesday: How to Apologize

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A few months ago, I ran across this article that talked about effective ways to apologize.  I thought that the script provided in the article was quite powerful, and we've been trying to make Piglet use it when he wrongs other people (the other kids are a little too young for it, although Boo might be able to "get it" soon).  Right now it is totally scripted on our part, but I'm hoping with time and practice that it will get more fluid and spontaneous.  We have to start somewhere, right?

Here is the script:

"I’m sorry for…

This is wrong because…

In the future, I will…

Will you forgive me?"

Simple, yet effective. I recommend to read the whole article, as there are many examples of how it works out for real kids.

Let's Talk About Books

Recently, Jessica at Chronically Vintage posted about her bibliophile habits, including a questionnaire, and I thought it would be fun to answer it here as well.  I don't think it would be overstating the matter to say that I regard books as friends.  It is hard for me to weed out certain books because I get attached, even to titles I only read once, or haven't finished yet.  Sometimes I can walk away with ease, but mostly, I like to keep my friends close.  And my friends are numerous.  I am usually reading about three or four books at once, and I read fast, so I need a lot of books to supply my appetites!  There are certain books I love to read over and over cough*Outlander*cough* but some that I just read once and put aside.  And then there are the books that I mean to re-read but never quite get around to them.

Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favourite reading snack? 

I generally don't like to snack while I read, as it interferes with my reading.  Oddly, I don't mind reading while eating a meal at the table, but I don't do this very often because I'm so often dining with my family.  If I do snack while reading, I like little nibbles like pretzels.

What is your favourite drink while reading? 

I don't drink a lot during the day as a general rule (I know, terrible), but I often have a mug of coffee that follows me around the house, so probably coffee if I'm going to have anything.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? 

Well.  I'm of two minds about this.  One of my main complaints about reading on a Kindle is having to deal with all the highlights left by others (I find it highly distracting), but at the same time, there are often things I want to remember for later.  When I was in school, I wrote in my textbooks all the time, but these days, my method is to either dog ear the page that has a significant passage in it and then go back later and copy it out in a notebook, or I note the page number and the beginning line in a small notebook (and perhaps a short note about why it struck me, as sometimes I don't remember why when I go back later) and refer back to it later.  I usually do this when I'm planning to use the material for an essay, blog post, or for my quote book.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open? 

I'm a bad one for turning books on their spines, but I also use bookmarks.  (My husband would disagree with me on this, as my definition of a bookmark is fairly lax--I basically use any flat piece of whatever is to hand, be it a band-aid wrapper or a tag off my yarn skein.)

Fiction, non-fiction, or both? 

I read both, but tend toward fiction.  I've always been a heavy fiction reader--my preferred genres are diverse, but I am a big fan of well-done historical fiction.  I tend to avoid "trendy" books--I've never been one to follow a crowd.  That said, I did get into the Twilight series as it came at a kind of critical personal juncture for me, and touched a nerve.  I still don't understand the appeal of the Hunger Games.  I read the first one for a book club, but had no interest in finishing the series.  Obviously, I've read a ton of non-fiction for my degrees, but not all of it was enjoyable.  When you read for a living, and are expected to read 3 books a week not of your choosing, sometimes you have to read for speed rather than pleasure.  I do enjoy research, however, and can devour whole stacks in a go when I'm into a topic.

Are you the kind of person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere? 

With small children around, I generally have to stop where ever I am on the page, because I get interrupted a lot, but when I'm reading at my leisure, usually at night, I try to get to a stopping point before putting it down.  Many of the books I read have paragraph breaks, or mid-chapter breaks (because I read doorstops), so I get to one of those before packing it in.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you? 

No, of course not!  I have been known to snort through my nose at an author's audacity or absurdity, and to argue out loud with a book, but I don't do physical violence to books.  That would be cruel.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away? 

Nope.  I generally try to get the gist of it from the context.  If my husband is around, I'll ask him, because he is a walking dictionary in several languages, and can usually break something down into Greek or Latin roots, but otherwise, I just move on.  Reading this way has given me a fairly good vocabulary, I think, but I often check the meaning of a word before I use it myself, just to ascertain that I've understood it correctly.

What are you currently reading? 

I'm finishing Written in My Own Heart's Blood, the eighth installment of the Outlander series, I'm stalled with Cheap, mostly because I'm annoyed with the author's lack of prescription and heavy use of technical talk in a mass marketed book.  I enjoyed the historical background section, but she kind of lost me about 1/3 in.  I mean to finish it though.  I did start Game of Thrones this spring, but I put it aside, as it just didn't grab me enough to stick with it.  I'm enjoying the HBO series very much, but I don't think I'll pursue the books.  A friend just recommended Pat Barker's Regeneration triology (based on my comments about the Great War on Wednesday), so I'm hoping to read that in the fall.  I have Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End in my amazon queue for the next time I  place an order, and I've been dipping into and out of Francis Spufford's Red Plenty since Christmas, as it is episodic and can be read in spurts.  Because it is a non-linear sort of story, it is hard to get invested in the characters, because each chapter is a new era, new scenario, new set of characters.  I also received Collette's Sewing with Knits book for my birthday, and will probably start reading it this week. I'm also eager for Gertie's Sewing Vintage Casual book to release in September so I can give that a go.  I've also had Peter King's Antimodern Condition sitting on my night table for a few months and mean to finish that before too long as well.  

What is the last book you bought? 

Well, I bought a bunch of books recently for the kids, but for myself, it would have to be Written In My Own Heart's Blood, and before that, The Language of Clothes (which I've yet to crack).

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one? 

See above!  I love to read several things at a time, mostly so I can read according to my mood and circumstance.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read? 

I like to read in bed at night, just before going to sleep, but I'll read almost anywhere, any time.  If I read during the day, I like to lay on the couch.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones? 

I love a series!  It is so sad to me to finish a book and not have anything to look forward to reading next.  A series means there is usually something else to read right away.  (When we went to Ireland in 2010, I read the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and when I finished it on the trip, I was so involved in the story and characters, I went right out to a bookshop in Dublin to find the next book in the triology!)

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over? 

For fiction, Diana Gabaldon, of course!  The Midwife by Jennifer Worth (the book upon which the series Call the Midwife is based), Master and Margarita by Bulgakov, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (the man will make you weep for the beauty of his prose), The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (I love me a complex main character), the Decker/Lazarus detective novels by Faye Kellerman (start at the beginning of the series with The Ritual Bath, as they are somewhat chronological), Mario Puzo's books (I'm especially fond of The Godfather, but I also liked his book on the Borgias), and Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series (starting with Gorky Park).  I'm a bit of a sucker for historical novels about the last tsar and his family (and in particular, those that feature stories where one or more of the children survived, spirited away to America or Britain under an assumed name, even though I know what really happened).

For classic literature, I really enjoyed Gogol's Dead Souls, although it has been about 15 years since I read it.  Such a wild and crazy adventure.  I also love Sherlock Holmes, and have read the complete stories several times over.  Tolstoy's Anna Karenina helped me to understand parts of Russian culture that seemed so strange when I lived there.  1984 is one of those novels I think everyone should read, if only to keep the specter of Big Brotherism at bay in general society.

I don't read a lot of memoirs, but Cheaper by the Dozen is also a delightful little tome on a family of 12 children in the early part of the 20th century, written by the three eldest children.  I've also read My Sergei by Ekaterina Gordeeva at least three or four times.  Even though I know what is coming, the ending guts me every time.  Slavenca Draculic tops my list for memoirs of communism, with her somewhat humorous book, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed.  Her follow up book, Cafe Europa, is quite a bit more sober.  I've read a bit of Nadezhda Mandelstam, and I think she is a very important author, and someone who should be read in order to understand what was lost in the Great Terror of the 1930s in Stalinist Russia.  I also need to read more Solzhenitsyn as I think he is another of those important authors whose works should be read and internalized.

For non-fiction, I can't say how many times I've referenced and recommended Jonathan Last's What to Expect When No One is Expecting, and I found Nicholas Carr's The Shallows and Rose George's The Big Necessity thought-provoking.  Seeing Like a State was one of the best books I read in graduate school, as it helped me to understand some of the folly of central planning, big government thinking, and other ways that the modern state has failed.  I thoroughly enjoyed Charles Murray's Coming Apart (I mean to read Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam as a kind of follow up when I whittle down my in progress stack a bit).  I also liked Fast Food Nation, Crunchy Cons, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, and Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I love Peter Menzel's work, and his photoessays on global consumption are fascinating and eye-opening (Material World is about what people around the world have in their homes, and Hungry Planet is about what people around the world eat in a week's time)  John Thompson's Russia and the Soviet Union (vol. 4) is a bit dated, but a nice primer on Russian and Soviet history.  I also loved David Remnick's Lenin's Tomb.  Fascinating stuff.  Resurrection (his 1990s era follow up book) is okay, but not nearly as meaty as the first book.  I think it is harder to assess the legacy of the 1990s in the wake of the collapse of communism whilst in the middle of the crisis.   For a history of how history is impacted by disease, it doesn't get better than William McNeill's Plagues and Peoples.  A Short History of Byzantium by John Julian Norwich is a nice primer on the Eastern Empire, and Suzanne Massie's Land of the Firebird is a wonderful cultural history of Russia (and much more accessible than Orlando Figes' weighty tome on the subject)

I also have a list of books I've read on 1940s fashion in the last couple of years, but they were mostly just to shore up the knowledge in my head, and useful for putting outfits together and understanding how people dressed at the time.  

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author's last name, etc.)

I discussed that a bit with this post, but our books are organized first by genre (history, philosophy, popular fiction, poetry, classic literature, foreign languages, theology, general non-fiction, plays, lives of saints, parenting books, science, children's books, liturgical reference works, general reference works, coffee table picture books). Within each section, books are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, unless there is no author (in the case of several books about saints) in which case it is by first letter of the title. The children's books are just stacked in a mish-mosh of titles between two bookshelves because they are constantly pulling out books and putting them back willy-nilly. It isn't worth the effort to keep them organized except by size. (I tend to stack the tall books to the left and work my way down to the board books). The parenting books are also just stacked according to topic rather than author.

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As you can see, I could talk about books all day long and still not exhaust the subject.  Books energize me; the ideas and stories contained within are my bread and butter, my mental sustenance.