Saturday, November 12, 2022

Bookshelves, knitting famous and otherwise

I love to squint at the bookshelves I see in people's Zooming and blog posts, so here are a few of my go-to books 




There are a lot more, but this is part of the art and nature collection, or random accumulation.

And a word on favor of jigsaw puzzling. I'm amazed to find how calming it's being. I'm sleeping better, dreaming more interesting narratives, just generally doing  better.


I think there's a connection. I do them in short intervals, waiting for the microwave, taking a screen break, resting my knitting shoulders. It's a quiet thread running through the day. Just setting one piece in place now and then is so good for my mood. I'm surprised, never having been interested before in puzzling.  

Speaking of knitting, here's a famous knitter
Well, actor knitting.
Quite a few actors do crafts while waiting on the movie set. I know about Audrey Hepburn, the other Hepburn (!) and do you know any others? 

I mean knitting off screen, not acting knitting, like that actor on Monarch of the Glen hopelessly stabbing needles about trying to act as a knitter. There were a couple of Miss Marple actors who really could knit in the part, too.

I remember Rosey Grier, linebacker, doing needlepoint on a talk TV show way back. Eleanor Roosevelt often knitted at meetings, including the ones where she was ushering the UN into existence.

And nearer home, my current Sock Ministry sock in progress


Happy day everyone, Dems took the Arizona Senate seat. Only one seat from holding the Senate with two seats still undecided. 

And Putin's survival chances, after the retreat from Kherson, are up against a watermelon right now, echoing Truss's inability to outlast a lettuce.

Enjoy small,  jigsaw pieces, and large, Senate seats and liberated cities, victories today.



32 comments:

  1. that variegated yarn sure yields a pleasing end product!

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    1. It's interesting. And impossible to guess ahead how it will go.

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  2. Lots of interesting book! I remember Rosey Grier doing needlepoint.Up against a watermelon, I love it!

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    1. Those enormous hands, doing tiny stitches. I loved him. Walking the walk. Of course few people are foolish enough to make fun of a linebacker!

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  3. One of the first things I do when visiting someone's home for the first time is check out the books they have. I used to have bookcases of books but when we moved out here I we got rid of probably 75%. No longer felt the need to keep books I read 20, 30, 40 years ago. And, of course, most of my craft and design books got ruined when the house flooded after Harvey. Fortunately my bird, butterfly, wildflower, tree, caterpillar, etc identifying books were higher up. I quit buying books when we moved out here as well. The library is very close.

    Good to see the dems securing more and more spots as the votes get counted.

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  4. Who wouldn't love to see Putin taken down because of his war against Ukraine?

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    1. Among other things. I hope I live to see him doing time in a penal colony.

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  5. Have you seen this little guy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDZabQ9P4Cc
    I love him so much.
    Yes. I hate it when people are pretending to knit or crochet in films and on TV who obviously have no idea what they're doing. It's distracting.
    I think I would have known whose book collection that is without even being told. Just as you could probably identify me from my books.

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    1. No link function in blogger comments (security and anti spam) and there's no cut and paste on my devices. Can you give a name maybe so I can find him?

      Yes, books are like a portrait of the owner, for better or worse!

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    2. Jonah Larson from La Crosse, Wisconsin - a lovely kid

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    3. Oh, I know him! I've seen a few clips of his crochet achievements. Sweet kid.

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  6. I am sure many of those books are well loved and looked at more than once, Boud.

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    1. Many times, B. Others have been donated long ago.

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  7. Last Olympics there was a swimming, I think, who knitted and crochet. Set the social media world ablaze. Apparently he now has a channel that promotes it.

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  8. You made your brain happy doing jigsaw puzzles. Great news there.
    I start my day with the jigsaw puzzles online. I think doing one little by little in person is a good idea.

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    1. I agree. Handling the pieces is a little pleasure.

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  9. I think when doing puzzles of any sort we focus that part of our brain and the rest just has a little rest. That is what makes them so relaxing. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

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    1. I like it. I certainly don't obsess and worry while I'm puzzling for a few minutes.

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  10. I sit and look at the puzzles on the tables once or twice a week. I look for pieces that would fit other interesting pieces. Haven't found one yet, though I am a hero for realizing one very complex puzzle was crooked and had an extra piece in one side. I didn't find it; someone else did, but I counted and found the problem. The old accountant in me.

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    1. I stand over the puzzle because I recognize pieces better that way. Just a couple in place and I'm happy!

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  11. Books and bookshelves! My brother's basement and my father's apartment were wall to wall bookshelves. Not so in our tiny house but I do have an old crate with all of my favorite poetry and ID books for plants.

    My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet. Both seem to evade me, but I like puzzles, especially those that are 3D.

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    1. I think I get most use out of my little paperbacks about plants and fungi and birds and others. I bless the writers.

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  12. Jigsaw-ing is so engrossing I can forget everything else while I concentrate on it. And, as you say, the joy of finding a piece - and when you have two bits that you realise go together. Wonderful!

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  13. I can’t knit but love watching others. I was watching YouTube and their was a short interview with Julia Roberts and her knitting. The interview was with Jane Pauley and was so good!

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    1. I wonder if Roberts knitted at work. I believe there are long intervals of waiting on movie sets, handy for making things.

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  14. The acting knitters are so obvious in their awkwardness with the needles. Great news about the benefit of the puzzling!

    I watched last night as another senate seat went to the Dems. Patience is called for this year again!

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    1. It's been a continuing victory over bad ideas, best midterms in decades.

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  15. I understand the senate is secure now

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    1. It will be when we hold Georgia, and are able to ignore Manchin and sinema's shenanigans.

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  16. I, too, love peeking at bookshelves (I spied one of my favourites about Annemieke Mein and suspect I might have steered you in her direction). My shelves are much less weighty right now after donating 23 books to the library book sale. I realized I hadn't opened any of them in a number of years and always tend to choose my favourites to refer to. Somehow I doubt I will miss my donations!
    I'm hopeful Resident Chef will do jigsaws this winter so I can wander past and add a piece or two here and there. Once he's done with the ones he has he donates them to the little lending library we have in our building. Someone (or perhaps more than one person) is obviously an avid puzzler here because there's often puzzles left for anyone to take.
    As for famous people who knit - I believe Julia Roberts does.

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    1. Yes, you were the person who introduced me to her work.

      I'm getting the benefit of our public library puzzle lending section, very happy with it. I have an option on borrowing puzzles informally from another library, but they're 1,000 piecers, a bit more than I'm up for.

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