Progress Report: Lace Scarf and Life Upheaval

Twenty-eight inches of lace scarf; that's all I've done knitting-wise in forever. I'm bored with it and I've decided that when my ball of Kraemer Sterling Silk and Silver runs out, the scarf is finished. What is the shortest length you think a scarf can be and still legitimately be considered a scarf?

I've been remiss in my knitting and blogging duties because I've had a Life Upheaval. My oldest child, Darling Daughter, went away to college for the first time last week. I spent three days curled into a ball of misery, trying to sleep the time away until she returns in October for a long weekend. Finally, I snapped out of it. After all, I still have a husband and son at home to take care of. Also, every time I spoke with DD she was bubbling over with excitement about her new friends, new professors, new classes and new location. How could I continue to be sad when her world was opening up for her? It was pure self-pity at that point and I have no patience with self-pity on a long-term basis.

Instead I've been reading the utterly delightful volume of essays which Fran's Delphi Books just published called A Place in the Shower Schedule by Roger Aylworth . It makes me laugh and get teary-eyed, sometimes at the same time. Roger Aylworth writes with great charm and self-deprecating humor about raising seven (!) children, owning "MAH TRUCK" (he captures my joy in my own gas-guzzling SUV perfectly), moving from one house to another, and various other experiences of every day life. I'd love to meet him in person because he must be great company.

So, any thoughts on the question of scarf length?

Promo and Prizes

As you may (or may not) know, I'm a publisher as well as an author. A small press publisher, true, but a publisher nonetheless. And this month Delphi Books has published a book I'm really proud of. It's called A Place in the Shower Schedule: 101 Favorite Columns by Roger H. Aylworth.

The book is a collection of humor columns written by a newspaperman for the Enterprise Recorder in Chico, CA. Roger is also the father of seven children - six sons and one daughter, and if I had to give you a quick description of his book, I'd say "think a male Erma Bombeck." The reviews that have come in to date are really good. For example, MormonTimes.com called it "A charming and easy read." And readers at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are praising it as well.

Anyway, if you or someone you know appreciates good, clean family oriented humor, please ask for the book at your favorite bookstore or public library.

Now on to the second half of this post. As some of you may recall, my LYS owner was saving sock yarn for me. The other day, I finally got down there and got the bag. Unfortunately, it's all the same yarn: Marks & Kattens Clown in a pretty blue and green on cream. I've pulled the winners' names - georg and Mary Campbell and Lana F. - and will be sending their yarn early next week.


LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST: Here's four balls of Noro that my LYS owner dropped in my bag before I left the store. She's not going to carry it anymore because it's so hard to get. But what do we care? It's FREE. And if you're interested in winning these four balls of Noro, send an email to FRAN at FRANBAKER dot COM with Noro in the subject line. Since the yarn is wool and more suited to fall and winter, I'll draw the winner's name on September 1 to sort of jumpstart the season.


Good luck!