- 80. The Sleeping Beauty – Mercedes Lackey
- 79. Lonely Planet Scotland
- 78. The Big Over Easy – Jasper Fforde
- 77. The Snow Queen – Mercedes Lackey
- 76. Someplace to be Flying – Charles de Lint
- 75. Silver Borne – Patricia Briggs
- 74. Falling Free – Lois McMaster Bujold
- 73. Beauty and the Werewolf – Mercedes Lackey
- 72. Fortune’s Fool – Mercedes Lackey
- 71. Cherries in Winter – Suzan Colon
- 70. Legacies – Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
- 69. Jane and the Man of the Cloth – Stephanie Barron
- 68. Blood Red – Mercedes Lackey
- 67. Comfort Me with Apples – Ruth Reichl
- 66. The Sandman: Overture – Neil Gaiman, et al
- 65. Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
- 64. Foxglove Summer – Ben Aaronovitch
- 63. Appendix to the I Hate to Cook Book – Peg Bracken
- 62. The Innkeeper’s Song – Peter Beagle
- 61. The Rough Guide to Iceland
- 60. The Ragwitch – Garth Nix
- 59. Changing the World – ed. Mercedes Lackey
- 58. Shadows – Robin McKinley
- 57. Tender – Nigel Slater
- 56. Gifts – Ursula K. LeGuin
- 55. A Distant Mirror – Barbara W. Tuchman
- 54. The Raven Ring – Patricia C. Wrede
- 53. The Devil’s Novice – Ellis Peters
- 52. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet – Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
- 51. Saving Mars – Cidney Swanson
- 50. Valor’s Trial – Tanya Huff
- 49. Pendragon – Stephen R. Lawhead
- 48. Tapping the Dream Tree – Charles de Lint
- 47. Amphigorey Again – Edward Gorey
- 46. Amphigorey Too – Edward Gorey
- 45. Bone Crossed – Patricia Briggs
- 44. Dawn of the Dreadfuls – Steve Hockensmith
- 43. The Dream Thieves – Maggie Stiefvater
- 42. Amphigorey – Edward Gorey
- 41. The Sanctuary Sparrow – Ellis Peters
- 40. Dead Reckoning – Charlaine Harris
- 39. Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard – Nigel Slater
- 38. Smoke and Ashes – Tanya Huff
- 37. The Keeping Place – Isobelle Carmody
- 36. The Heart of Valor – Tanya Huff
- 35. The Mistresses of Cliveden – Natalie Livingstone
- 34. The Spirit Ring Lois McMaster Bujold
- 33. Nordic Gods and Heroes – Padraic Colum
- 32. Spinners – Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen
- 31. Broken Homes – Ben Aaronovitch
- 30. Whispers Underground – Ben Aaronovitch
- 29. Sugar and Other Stories – A. S. Byatt
- 28. April Lady – Georgette Heyer
- 27. The Sweet Life in Paris – David Lebovitz
- 26. Caught in Crystal – Patricia C. Wrede
- 25. River Secrets – Shannon Hale
- 24. Curtsies and Conspiracies – Gail Carriger
- 23. Stars of Darkover – ed. Deborah J. Ross and Elisabeth Waters
- 22. Phoenix and Ashes – Mercedes Lackey
- 21. Arthur – Stephen R. Lawhead
- 20. The Book of Life – Deborah Harkness
- 19. Summers at Castle Auburn – Sharon Shinn
- 18. Song for the Basilisk – Patricia A. McKillip
- 17. Sounds and Sweet Airs – Anna Beer
- 16. Moon Over Soho – Ben Aaronovitch
- 15. To Hold the Bridge – Garth Nix
- 14. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Cathrynne M. Valente
- 13. Duty and Desire – Pamela Aidan
- 12. Talking to Dragons – Patricia C. Wrede
- 11. The Virgin in the Ice – Ellis Peters
- 10. Steadfast – Mercedes Lackey
- 9. Fables Volume 16: Super Team – Bill Willingham, et al
- 8. Brothers in Arms – Lois McMaster Bujold
- 7. The Moon and the Face Patricia A. McKillip
- 6. Shadow of Night – Deborah Harkness
- 5. Worlds Elsewhere – Andrew Dickson
- 4. Merlin – Stephen R. Lawhead
- 3. Smoke and Mirrors -Tanya Huff
- 2. Damia’s Children – Anne McCaffrey
- 1. The Harp of Imach Thyssel – Patricia C. Wrede
I actually completed everything I started this year, and managed to get up to 80 books. A pretty good year, I’d say.
Month: December 2016
Knitting Notes
Just in time to end out the year, here’s the final dispensation of the Tess’ Designer Yarns Twinkle Toes in Cornflower blue.
And, since I finished that relatively early in the evening last night, I cast on one of my planned 2017 projects. This is Blank Canvas by Ysolda Teague, using the Fibre Company Knightsbridge yarn in Burgundy that I frogged from the February Lady sweater earlier this year. This is a much more basic sweater pattern that I think I’d actually wear, and I really do love this yarn, so I would like to make something I’ll use out of it.
Winter
My current working theory: the prettier it is when you wake up, the nastier it’ll be to clean up.
This was the day I did about 4200 steps mainly just cleaning up around the cars. Thank goodness I didn’t have to work today – my arms were like jelly when I was done.
2016 Cold Sheep
I gave up posting about Cold Sheep on Ravelry ages ago, since I wasn’t knitting much all summer, but I do still want to do a wrap up.
I started the year with 13028.10 yards and 648 grams (for yarn I didn’t know the yardage for) at the beginning of the year. I ended with 11145.20 yards and 588 grams. That is a net loss for the year. That did vary a bit over time, but I was good this year.
My major plan was to become more mindful of my spending, and I did accomplish that. My purchases this year were a big order at the beginning of the year to fill out several planned projects, souvenir yarn in London, yarn to make a blanket for my new niece, and just last week, I bought some minis to accent the base color yarn I already had for a hat I want to make. I think that trip was a great indicator of mindfulness. I went to Tess’, because I knew she had minis in the weight I needed. And since I was in the middle of finishing out the last skein of her sock yarn, I allowed myself to buy another one of those. So I got out of there having laid down a third of what I did the last time I went in.
I also added to the stash by frogging two projects I was not wearing, but still thought I could make something useful from the yarn. I’ve already reused one of those yarns, and the other will be part of a project I’ll be kicking off in the new year. So that was part of the increase, but it was an increase I could feel good about.
I’ll not officially do Cold Sheep next year, but I am going to continue to track my yardage – it’s a good way to keep myself honest.
2016 Finished Knitting Projects
Not bad, for a year of using up yarn, and then barely working on anything for most of the summer because it was just too darn hot.
Knitting Notes
Pattern: Marilinda Socks by Cookie A
Yarn: Tess’ Designer Yarns Twinkle Toes in the Cornflower Blue colorway
Needles: Size 2.5 DPNs
I wish I had more of an excuse to make more socks – I love Cookie A’s patterns. This one was on the slightly harder side, mostly just because the pattern had to do interesting things to make it all the way down to the foot, so you had to pay attention. But it was just so much fun to make. I definitely need to figure out a way to make more of her socks.
Still love this yarn. Bought myself another skein of it when I went in last week to get some mini of her superwash merino for the hat I’ll be making myself shortly.
Portland Harbor
A few pictures from my wander through the Old Port yesterday.
I was hoping for a few more Christmas decorations, but there didn’t seem to be as many outside displays as I remember in the past.
Sewing Notes
In “keeping myself occupied while using up my PTO at the end of the year” news, I made a bag for storing my shawls – mainly the Evenstar shawl. I’ve decided to store those in my sweater drawer, and I want an extra layer or protection for the ones I don’t wear often.
You can barely tell, but I’ve lined this in a contrasting yellow. (This is the second half of a matched set of fat quarters I bought a number of years ago.)
The North Wind and the Sea 