sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

October 28, 2021


final october unraveling
posted by soe 1:30 am

Final October Unraveling

No, the shawl isn’t done. But, honestly, I’m a little tired of showing you three rows here and three rows there, and so I’m showing you the potential second sock I might make next.

The book is a modernized comic/graphic novel interpretation of Nancy Drew by Kelly Thompson, Jenn St-Onge, Triona Farrell, and Ariana Maher. I enjoyed the first issue/chapter and am looking forward to polishing it off quickly. Oh, and it also features the Hardy boys.

Head over to As Kat Knits to see this week’s reading and crafting roundup.

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October 27, 2021


midweek music: ‘don’t lose my number’
posted by soe 1:19 am

For whatever reason, Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number” has been an earworm for the past couple weeks, so now I’m sharing it with you in the hopes of it moving on to a new home for a bit.

Category: arts. There is/are 2 Comments.

October 26, 2021


top ten bookish halloween costumes
posted by soe 1:48 am

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl invites us to share a Halloween-themed list. I thought I’d share ten bookish characters who might be fun to dress up as, since you’ve still got most of a week to put together your costumes:

  1. Phryne Fisher: 1920s society girl/detective from Kerry Fisher’s mystery series
  2. Pippi Longstocking: Swedish wild child and red-haired bad-ass from Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books
  3. Pippi and Her Pet

  4. Anne Shirley: Speaking of red-haired children, puffed sleeves are in fashion in this year and I can’t help but think of her every time I go to a clothing store.
  5. Dobby the House Elf: Fashion yourself some long ears and pair them with a bathsheet or two and mismatched socks. (The Harry Potter universe is a goldmine of Halloween ideas.)
  6. Max from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are: Add a tail to a union suit-style of pajamas and top the look off with a crown.
  7. Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson: Speaking of onesie-pj’s, pair this with an oversized violet coloring implement, and it won’t take someone long to guess. I’d probably replace the crayon with sidewalk chalk myself.
  8. Nancy Drew: Pair a sweater-set and skirt with a magnifying glass, and you’re all set. (Actually, if you can get your hands on a magnifying glass, you can probably get several years’ costumes out of the way: Sherlock Holmes (combine with a trench coat), Harriet the Spy (combine with a notebook), and Miss Jane Marple (combine with a shirt-waist dress and knitting project) immediately spring to mind.
  9. Arthur Dent from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Put on your bathrobe, grab a towel, and add a notebook on which you emblazon, in your most comforting font, “Don’t Panic!” Bonus points for carrying a cup of tea or getting the number “42” somewhere into your costume.
  10. The Cat in the Hat: Make a red and white striped stovepipe hat out of construction paper, tie a jaunty red bow around your neck and fashion yourself some cat ears and a tail.
  11. Princess Magnolia from Shannon and Dean Hale’s The Princess in Black series: Combine a black top and leggings or a skirt, a black mask and cape, and a crown, and you’re ready to go. Bonus points for transforming your unicorn, Frimplepants, into your trusty steed, Blacky, by giving him a black mask, too.

Got any other bookish Halloween ideas?

Category: books. There is/are 7 Comments.

October 25, 2021


late october weekending
posted by soe 1:51 am

Dupont Sunset

The weekend started in Salt Lake, with Mexican food for supper on Friday and a trip up Emigration Canyon to a diner I’ve wanted to try for Saturday brunch (I had part of the leftovers on the plane and the other part for dessert tonight). We stopped at King’s English bookstore, where I picked up an emergency book for the plane ride home (I ended up not needing it, but only because I had it), and then I headed back east to Corey.

This morning there was a trip to the farmers market, and, later, to Virginia to return library materials and shop their Friends’ used book sale, where I picked up a bagful of books. On the way home, I stopped at the garden, the grocery store, and the drug store and chatted with my folks. Our cat sitter stopped by to return our keys and I spent the rest of the night curled up on the couch.

How was your weekend?

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October 24, 2021


sunday to-do list
posted by soe 2:32 pm

Okay, so apparently travel days aren’t great for my posting things when I think I am. Or maybe weekends. But especially weekend travel days.

Anyway, here’s what I was thinking I’d get to today when it was still yesterday (sort of):

  • Go to the farmers market
  • Return library books to Virginia (and check out the used book sale)
  • Visit my garden
  • Arrange to pay our cat sitter
  • Do a load of laundry
  • Procure (and prep if I’m feeling super ambitious) easy lunch foods for this week
  • Cuddle the cat
  • Sign up for #TBTBSanta before it’s too late
  • Buy Jenny’s Christmas present while it’s on sale
  • Knit at least three rows

Happy return-to-reality to me!

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October 23, 2021


heading home
posted by soe 1:17 am

Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll head east again, and Rudi will stay here to continue our work for another 10 days or so.

We’ve nearly filled three dumpsters full. We’ve found many of the things Rudi was hoping to, but not the thing his mom’s been asking about, which distresses me.

We’d originally hoped this trip would allow us to get the house emptied and on the market, but I’m less optimistic that’s goong to happen than at the outset. But maybe one more trip after this.

And that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Category: travel. There is/are 2 Comments.