November Joy

Hello Gentle Readers. The past few days treated us to buttery warm November weather under bright blue skies. Our daughter, Kate, and granddaughter, Norah, visited from Friday to Monday and we enjoyed every minute. Saturday, Kate taught anatomy for a Yoga Studio's teacher training program. Norah brought her "bucket list of things to do at Grammy's house." One by one, we checked off items: hopscotch with eleven different variations, making M and M cookies, working puzzles, playing on the nearby playgrounds, and a round of miniature golf on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The little girl hit a "hole in one" three times, leaving her grandfather and I in the dust. She brought her learn-to-knit project (a small square that can be sewed into a doughnut) that we began in September so we knit a few rows together. Kate also helps her at home when time allows. The weather was so glorious that she cartwheeled through bubbles blown by Kate and I. It's amazing how much fun can be had in just a few days.

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. The only knitting I worked on this week were the mitts in the photo. They are a holiday gift for my eldest grandson's girl friend. She likes gray so she fits right into the family. The mitts, knit in broken rib, are fun, easy, and quick. I used the same pattern a few weeks ago for another gift. One 250 yard skein of DK weight yarn is enough for two pairs. 

Next up is a hat for Norah. In October, my LYS gave a portion of profits from the sales of pink yarn to the Susan B. Komen Foundation. They were doing this in honor of an employee who was treated for breast cancer. I wanted to participate and bought this skein to knit a hat for Norah. While she was here, I measured her head so I am ready for the next small project. She wants a pom-pom.

I am listening to Tata by Valérie Perrin who wrote Fresh Water for Flowers. One reviewer calls this novel a family saga which is an apt descriptor. The premise of the story is intriguing. A young woman learns her aunt, that she thought had died three years previously, only just died. Agnes sets out to find out why her aunt, Colette Septembre, had her name placed on a gravestone and then lived the last three years of her life in seclusion. The plot has multiple story lines and the audiobook is long. I enjoyed Perrin's other novel but Tata needed better editing. There is more than one chapter with lengthy details that don't add to the story and make for a slow pace. In addition, I find the narrator slightly annoying although I do enjoy the French pronuncations of names and places. I plan to finish the novel to see how it ends. This long winding novel might be better for winter reading when one needs to be indoors on cold afternoons and evenings. In a physical book, a reader could also skim some of the non-essential details. 

I'm off to wrap up some crafted reindeer whose antlers might have been damaged in a backpack on the airlines and then to the post office. Wish the reindeer and me good luck.  Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Ravelry Link

Ava's Mitts