whirlwind

At least, that's how life has felt these last few weeks.

I started a new job at the local public library which I am LOVING. It just reminded me of all the reasons I became a librarian in the first place. All the little puzzles you get to solve all day long. Makes me wonder why I'm so abysmal at crosswords but relish the problems I get to solve at work. It's probably because somehow I link crosswords with maths. I know, I know - weird and inexplicable. Anyhow, work is good - better than good, really but BUSY and with long hours I'm not quite used to yet. A couple of ladies there seem to have got it in for me, but I think any antagonism stems from their own insecurities rather than anything I've done, so I'm doing my best to ignore the cattiness. How is that last sentence for blog-discretion! So much I want to say but I won't. I've already vented to my husband so most of the steam has dissipated by now. And there's a knitting group at work too, so it can't be all bad, can it?

I've been knitting like a demon, too. The lack of a real summer has really helped in that respect - apart from knitting a few cotton projects there hasn't been any real change in my knitting schedule to accomodate hot, hot weather 'cos there hasn't been any bloody hot, hot weather or if there has I've been working and closeted in a library while it's been going on.

I'm still trying to piece together a good synopsis for the book to send it off to the first of what I'm sure will be a long line of rejections. How's that for Scottish optimism? It WILL be published, it WILL.

The black Debbie Bliss cardie is finished and has been worn lots. The log cabin blanket is still on the needles - hopefully to be finished sometime soon. A pair of little anklets for lazy Sundays in some of the handyed yarn Rhia and I made at Easter have been pinched by my lovely daughter but I'll take pic's of a few things for next post. I've been getting lots of knitting books brought in as requests from all over Fife since I can do it for free so I'm kind of overloaded with the thought of what I could make when this elastic first paycheck finally arrives. I did do a little cream shrug for Rhia to wear to my niece's wedding up in Inverness a couple of weekends ago. It was in Sirdar Bamboo which was lovely to work with and made up into a fabric with a lovely softness and sheen. Only thing was the beautiful dress she wore had little crystals on it which caught and shredded the shrug to pieces. Never mind, she liked it and wore it the whole wedding day so I can't really complain. She'll be a teenager soon enough and probably won't wear anything I knit so I'll make the most of it for now. I'm going to make up a pattern for a little knitted waistcoat for her to wear this Autumn to school. I'm thinking quite tailored with a little bar on the back with great vintage buttons. We have an enormous stash of those thanks to a lovely lady who passed on kilos of buttons and other assorted 'things' to us. Actually, that's another thing I'll take pic's of for next time.

Oh, and I've been reading and re-reading lots lately, too. Here's a few recommendations for you.

Louise Welsh - Tambourlaine Must Die and The Cutting Room. Both utterly compelling just in completely different ways. I think I'd read her reworking of the phone book, she's just that good. And I don't ever read female authors.

M. Y. Alam - Kilo. This was a re-read for me and I'm going to buy it for my birthday but it was just as fanatastic third-time round. Moving and gripping and funny and just plain well-written.

Joseph Roth - Job. The quality of prose in this book is just mind-blowing. Simple and graceful and haunting.

Anyhow. Back soon. Next time with pictures.