A Break and an FO

I took a time out from the Spidery Tank to knit a Butterfly Hat for my stepmother. As usual when I try to do two projects at once, I just put one aside and knit the other until it was finished. I knit the bulk of it yesterday watching a couple of Doctor Who repeats and, then, playing a game of Scrabble with the family. The pattern said that a repeat could be added. I think that unless you had an above-average head size, you would end up with a slouchy, large hat if you added another repeat. I'm back to the Spidery Tank today (unless I take another time out for another hat).

Yesterday morning was spent on the bikes on the Silver Comet Trail. It was very cool here, and I ended up wearing long sleeves. There were a lot of people on the trail to be so cool and so early on a Sunday morning, but there wasn't much wildlife. We haven't seen a deer this year which is quite unusual. I haven't seen the large red fox that was on the trail earlier this week again. The squirrels are there in abundance and still seem more than happy to try and throw themselves under any passing bicycle. It is quite a feat trying NOT to hit them. I think they all just love a good game of chicken. After the ride, we met some old friends who are visiting for China. We had a great time catching up over lunch and seeing how much their kids have grown. They head back at the end of the week and then will be quarantined in their home for a week so that China can make sure they didn't catch swine flu.

Oh, I almost forgot my book report. I finished The Divide. It was okay. It had a few plot holes as in most mass novels everything seems to bizarrely work out in the end. I'm reading a Mary Higgins Clark book now at the recommendation of a friend. It is quite typical. It is interesting enough for a light summer read. We all have our guilty pleasures as far as movies and books, but I find that she isn't one of mine. I enjoy the ongoing character-based mysteries by Kathy Reich and Patricia Cornwell more. I also skimmed through Knitting in Plain English. It has a lot of good techniques and tips that I have forgotten about. It also includes specific tips and common pitfalls that most tradition learn-to-knit books don't include. Most of the directions are very specific and very detailed in a way a non-knitter/beginning knitter can understand. There are black and write illustrations of techniques. There is a lot of advice on matching yarns to projects, reading patterns, etc. However, it is very text-heavy (which some people won't like) and the patterns are a bit out of fashion/old-fashion. Also, she is quite opinionated about that does come through in her writing.