Monday, November 9, 2015

Away From My Desk

   I’ll admit it: even though I’m not officially doing NaNoWriMo, I’ve been using it as an excuse to take a break from blogging, and I’m not ashamed. Not even a little bit. But I thought that, since there’s such a huge focus on writing this month, now might be the right time to take a break and post about some of the non-writing-related things I’ve been doing.

Knitting:
   I’m a slow knitter. And by that, I mean I’m a lazy knitter: I started a scarf back in October (or maybe in September) and it’s not even half-done yet. I love doing something that’s craftier and more outside my head, though, and it’s been wonderful to have a hobby that’s not related to writing in some way. What’s even more wonderful is watching season 11 of Supernatural while knitting a Harry Potter-themed scarf. (Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor, so obviously my scarf is red and gold.)

Becoming Art  yarns Theia Fingering. A hand-dyed yarn made of superwash merino, cashmere and silk. yum.:
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Watching sitcoms:
   One of my greatest ambitions in life is to write a book that’s as much like a sitcom as possible. For now, I just binge watch my favorites. At the moment they’re Malcolm in the Middle and Grounded for Life. I also adore Parks and Rec.


Discovering new artists:
   On Pinterest and Tumblr, as usual. I’ll have to cook up some new Artist Spotlight posts soon; there’s almost too much great work to share. Behold:
Watched the spiders on the wall by Alice B. Preston “Seven Peas in the Pod” by Margery Bailey. Illustrated by Alice Bolam Preston. Little, Brown, and Co, 1919. gpoy in my house (my god, there are so many spiders here!):
Alice B. Preston

John Austen

Discovering a new kind of lemonade:
    Rose lemonade! The brand I tried wasn’t very sweet at all, but still fizzy and delicious. Pair that with a strawberries n’ cream cupcake and I was set for the rest of the afternoon.

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Browsing bookstores:
   I have a confession to make—I’m one of those horrible people who will choose Amazon over my local independent bookstore almost every time. Mostly because I love being able to track down just about any book with a search engine.
   But I also love browsing, and since there’s a bookstore near the college where my younger sister takes a physics class, we decided to check it out. We ended up staying there at least an hour, and I even bought two books—How to Be a Heroine for me, and Jellicoe Road as an early Christmas present for her. The store also had shelves full of gorgeous moleskin notebooks and enough secondhand books to take up the whole upper floor. I’ll definitely be going back—probably to do Christmas shopping.

                                            

8 comments:

  1. Christmas shopping in bookstores is my most favourite thing!! And btw I am toootally jealous of your ability to knit! I used to know how to do the simplest stitch, but I haven't practiced in forever... I'd like to learn again, because I love keeping my hands busy while watching TV... but I don't know if I have the patience!!

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    1. Relearning how to knit is MUCH easier than learning it the first time, I promise! And I'm already itching to go back to the bookstore--can't wait for Christmas!

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  2. Ah, I've always wished I could knit. I should learn sometime. :P

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    1. It's a lot of fun, and once you learn the two basic stitches, knitting things like hats or even lace is a LOT easier than it sounds--I'm so glad to be getting back to it.

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  3. I've always thought knitting seemed such a pleasant and relaxing pastime, but the short attempt I gave resulted in too tight stitches and tension... But I do think about trying again sometimes... Gryffindor, eh? I'm Hufflepuff. ^^
    I've been curious about that "How to be a Heroine" book. You'll have to let me know if it's any good.

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    1. I'm a pretty tight knitter myself, so my projects always take twice as long to complete :) According to Pottermore I'm in Gryffindor, and it does fit me in some ways, though in others I actually do feel more like a Hufflepuff.
      How to Be a Heroine was amazing! Just an all around joy to read; I'd absolutely recommend it!

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  4. OMG YOU MAKE ME JEALOUS. My knitting skills are only sufficient to knit scarves for my stuffed toys. Bleh. I should love to see this Gryffindor scarf you've been teasing for a while :P And OMG ROSE LEMONADE AND CUPCAKES. Your life is too glorious :D

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    1. I've been thinking of posting a photo of the scarf once I've finished it, but at the rate I'm working on it...who know when that will be. It might be good motivation, though.
      The lemonade was delicious and the cupcake was divine; I don't eat out a lot, so it was a real treat :) Rose lemonade is something that everybody should try at least once, I think :)

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