A Little Light Reading

These are most of the fantasy/sci-fi books that I pulled out of the attic. Yes, I’ve read them all! And there’s more that I haven’t read yet still waiting in the wings. I buys ’em when I sees ’em because you never know if they’ll still be available a year from now when you want to finish a series. Some folks like mysteries, some like political thrillers, some even like romances, but I’ve always loved fantasy and science-fiction for my escape reading pleasure. Harry Potter for grownups. (OK, I read him too. Who doesn’t?) However they do add up over the years and I’m never quite sure what to do with them when I’m done. Sometimes I like to read them over again. But mostly once is enough unless it was so long ago that I’ve forgotten the story. Recently I haven’t been reading them very quickly because I’ve found other things to occupy me such as blogs and podcasts. It’s all definitely put a dent into my actual hold-in-the-hand book-reading time. Who knew the real world — OK, the cyber-world — would become more interesting to me than the fantasy one?

In between stacking books in author’s piles, I’ve been spinning and plying up a storm on my moorit merino. At least I think it’s merino. It’s definitely moorit. This is the result:


Around 200 grams of 2-ply laceweight yarn. It’s not terribly even in grist or twist and it’s rather more textured than I expected, but it’s pretty fine (finer than commercial sock yarn) and hopefully will bloom and relax a bit when I skein and wash it. I blame some of the unevenness on the fact that it was spun in many different circumstances including my VW van, campsites from here to Alberta and back, my back deck and the living room over a period of nearly 2 months. Plus it isn’t the best quality stuff and is full of prickly chaff and nepps but the price reflected that at less than $13 per lb. I’m quite happy with the results and plan to make yet another shawl with it. Maybe I’ll design one myself unless I fall in love with somebody else’s first.

It smells all fresh and woodsy outside today. It’s been raining but not steadily, though it looks like it’s socked in pretty well now. It was like camping this morning when my clothes were decidedly damp after sitting all night on the trunk under the wide open window in our bedroom. At least sleeping is more pleasant when you are shoving blankets off because you’re too hot and then pulling them up again in the middle of the night when it cools down. I can live with a bit of humidity to enjoy the much more livable 18 C. I’m not a desert flower. The weather report calls for unsettled weather for the foreseeable future so it looks like summer is on vacation for now.