Pan, Pam, and books

Because I'm all about bringing a little sunshine to your morning, I give you -- Little Bit Pan! He has not taken this off since the little faerie girls lent it to him. I'm going to sleep as Peter Pan! Couldn't you just eat him up!?

So, you may or may not have noticed that I haven't had much new stuff up in the shop these past 2 weeks. Well, I am spinning. Like. A. Fiend. It's just all sold already. Shops with big orders and then there's the fact that I'm spinning for Stitches East also, so there's very little to put up for sale. However, I'm going to put up a few every other week, I promise. I'm finally working on trickle down economics, yeah, so stay tuned!

I've knitted a ton too! I've got another FO that I'll get to in the next few days and yesterday I cast on for Little Bit's slip stich sweater. More on those soon.

Remeber a few weeks ago I asked for your book recommendations? Well, I've read several since then -- all 3 of the L.Lowery books -- so good, except I wanted them to be longer and deeper, not written for the teen set but you know...for me. Well written though, you know how there's some books that the language takes a front seat to the story and you sit agape at the skill (like anything by david foster wallace), and there's some books that the story is so good you overlook the shitty writing, and there's books like this, where the language dissapears behind the story. You hardley realize you're reading, it's just story. All 3 (the giver, gathering blue, the messenger are quick reads and if you know of a pre-teen/teen, hand 'em over!

Donna Tartt's Secret history was good. I mean, not a book that'll change your life or even stick with you for long after, but a good read, a really good read. It's one of those I stayed up late to finish but once it was done, it was done. You know? I just had to know how it ended, but once it did end, I didn't care anymore.

Ohhh, ohhh, I read The Life of Pi by Y. Martel. Hot damn! Read it! I loved it. Boy. Tiger. Lifeboat. What's not to love? It's the triumph of man, the triumph of animal, plus some ooey goooey parts!

Have you all read Lick my Sticks? Pam is so adorable. Look what she just made outta a yarn I sent her a while back! Cute! Only cuter if the pic had been of her hot little self!

Out of time and town

Oops, I forgot to mention that there'll be no shop update this week or next . The little bit and I are hoppin in the car and driving to Missouri. I spent the week catching up on my custom orders and those will go out tommorrow before we drive off into the sunrise.

Oh hey, I wanted to thank everyone for the book recommendations, keep 'em coming. I'm going to put a booklist on the sidebar soon. I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife and while I enjoyed the read, immensely, I found, with the ending, dissapointment. Not even dissapointment with the ending but dissapointment when I got to the end and the glow of a well-written read had left me and I realize that there was not one woman in this book positivly depicted.

Women are the waiters. Waiting. Clare, supposed Catherine to Henry's Heathcliff, spends her whole life waiting, even after he's dead she's set up to wait each day of her oldage, sitting by a window, hoping for one more brief encounter. She's tragic, a life spent waiting instead of living. The other female characters don't fare much better, the best friend, in a troubled marriage but just hoping and waiting for Gomez to get over Clare. Waiting for him to leave her. The ex-girlfriend, destroyes her life, sucked down a big drug and violence funnel, again, waiting for Henry. The only female character not waiting is Kimmy, the kindly, overlooked Korean neighbor who takes care of everyone.

And Henry didn't wasn't Mr. Good-catch either, he just had a cool trick.

Bah. Women as waiters and caretakers, enough already.

I think at one time I would have found the whole thing romantic and lovely, but now I find it wasteful and infuriating. The sacrafice of a life lived for a love that was really created and intensified because of the sacrafice of a life lived. Circular logic that once appealed to me but apparantly my heart has hardened and become callous and frankly, wants more than the knowledge that it (the love) was an ideal.

All that said and aside, it doesn't mean I didn't like the book. In fact, really enjoyed reading the book. Interesting and compelling idea. Well-written and fun. Honestly, a page turner. I'd recommend it.

See ya in a few weeks with lots of knitting progress!