Snow Falling on Sway

So...thanks to Estela's lovely completion, I had a fever. And the only prescription...no, it was not more cowbell. The only prescription turned out to be some pristine white wool from the mountains of Peru.

This here is Berroco Peruvia, knit on 10s, to make this:

I saw this cardi on the cover of the book, Inspired to Knit, and I knew with a mad, manic flash that I MUST have this cardi. There was simply no walking away from this. I didn't, however, like the idea of spending so much on something that is clearly outerwear. The gorgeous cabley cuffs are too bulky (and pretty) to be buried under a coat and the zipper lends itself to use as a fall cover-up. So instead of splurging on something pricey that would be buttery soft on the skin, I chose a workhorse yarn that's less cloud-like but ultimately more sensible. And what can be more sensible than 100% Peruvian wool? I'm planning on lengthening it a bit to better serve as outerwear.

Speaking of snowy projects, Irish Cream needs a time out. He got all mad that I didn't pay attention to him and decided to oh-so-sneaky-like fall off the dpns and unravel himself nearly a full border repeat. We're talking a 20+ row repeat. Yeah, he is SO in the doghouse right now. Or the froghouse. I honestly don't know what to do. The more I look at Irish Cream, the more I think he behaved this way b/c he wants to be something else. We shall see.

In other news, I'm finishing up the back of Clint's Ph.D. sweater and decided to do a stashbusting exercise.

It's Ene. Pretty, pretty Ene. Instead of lace, I decided to use up this purple Felted Tweed I've had in my stash since almost the beginning of time. About two years ago, I bought it for my second "big" project, which was supposed to be Elise from Rowan Vintage Knits. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I'm pretty sure I was screwing things up. The final straw came when I pulled it out in the subway to work on and a full ball of this yarn fell onto the track. I assure you, it was tragic. So I was now a full ball short for the project and I loathed going back to the store where I bought it because they made me feel so yucky. I frogged the whole back of the sweater and two inches of one front and stuffed it into the back of my dresser drawer. But that's enough time to pass for me to give the yarn a second chance.

I'm working on size 8s. This thing might be HUGE. Casting on almost 400 stitches sucks, but it makes the shawl a wonderful project because each right side row gets shorter and shorter.

And I finally finished reading that tome, Of Human Bondage. It was a wonderful read. I honestly didn't expect it to be as funny as I found it. There were moments when I laughed aloud on the subway and looked like a perfect idiot. There were moments when I hated Mildred so much that I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle her. There were moments when my heart broke for Philip and then other moments when I wanted to slap him and tell him to have some backbone. It's a long read, but worth it. I haven't been so eager to find out what happens to a character in a while.

Since I'm already gushing about Maugham, here he is with the next couple books in line:

I think I need to start attending British Writers Anonymous.

The Cliffs of WIPsanity

I am stalling. On many things, but knitting in particular. It is NO HELP that Rowan, Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, and Twist Collective are tempting me to cast on new projects.

In the meantime, I am plugging away (albeit slooooooowly) on Clint's sweater. The goal is to have it finished before Clint leaves for Chicago at the end of August.

Knitting it is yummy. It's a bunch of Rowan Cashsoft Chunky and it's heaven on the hands. The colors aren't so...girly...in real life. Ribbing is in a chestnut brown and the stockinette is a deep maroon.

Estela is coming along, but it feels like it's taking FOREVER right now. I feel guilty for leaving my lovely cabled coat alone for so long. I feel guilty for leaving my lovely Irish Cream stole alone for so long. I feel guilty for leaving yet another sock in single sock mode. Sigh. I don't know if I will continue Oblique after all b/c Mom requested a different kind of sweater recently.

All of which is making this:

...call out to me in the name of procrastination. It's two balls of Jade Sapphire's Lacey Lamb and I might make a present out of it. But I s'pose it'll all have to wait. Booooooo.

However, the knit-stalling is partially due to the fact that I've been working feverishly on my script. So I guess it's all a give and take, no?

I also found some of those wonderful Savannah College of Art and Design notebooks at B&N again:

B&N is very, very tricky. I resisted getting that $25/yr membership card for so long. But it sounds so appealing when you realize you're about to purchase upwards of $100 of reading/writing material and if you pay $25 for the membership, you get at least $10 off right this second and then you only have to get a total of $16 in discounts for the remainder of the year in order to make the membership worth it. Damn you, B&N. You are tricky.

Knit Lit 101

After many attempts to learn to read and knit simultaneously, Sway has finally figured out how to make this magical combination work:

This, my friends, is what happens when one digs up a rusty, seldom-used old music stand, drops it down to eye level, and places a delightful tome upon it to peruse whilst running one's hands over easy-peasy knitting. As you can see, Clapotis 2.0 is coming along nicely.

The book ain't so bad itself...

My good ol' dad is not much of a reader. Mom keeps her hand in by devouring Mary Higgins Clark and Jodi Picoult. Dad, on the other hand, tends to read books with lively titles such as "LAN Networking" and "Internet QoS." He never really got into the habit of reading "for fun" but he always speaks fondly of this book. Methinks this is because this is the only book he ever finished in his entire life.

I walked past a used bookstore a few months ago and noticed this in the dollar bin. And if you know me, you know that I cannot pass by a dollar bin at a used bookstore without plunking down some change.

It's a bit long, but I'm quite enjoying it. For whatever reason, I always feel as though W. Somerset Maugham is speaking directly to me and that he means for me to understand him. Also, Philip Carey seems like my doppelganger. Aside from the club foot. And being male. And British. And, you know, fictional.

FO: Gathered Pullover

I love perfume. I don't wear it often, but these are some of my all-time favorites: Chanel No. 5, Chanel No. 19, Gucci Eau de Parfum, Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle's En Passant and Lys Mediterranee.

Yes, I like the old-fashioned ones. The woody scent of sandalwood, however, might be at the very top of the list for me.

Sandalwood Gathered Pullover
Pattern: Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason
Yarn: Louet MerLin Tristan, a bit less than 3 skeins
Needles: US 8 Addi Naturas
Modifications: Knit the body longer before starting knot, knit full-length sleeves. Started sleeves with XS measurements, increased to S measurements at cap.

This sweater is making me so happy and so sad all at the same time. Happy because it fits beautifully and feels all wonderful and yummy. Sad because it is too darn hot to wear it right now. The Louet MerLin is stupendous yarn. Stupendous, I tell you. I steamed it to block and it just softened the linen part of it to give it elegant drape. I decided to make the XS size (even though I am not extra small) because everything I read implied that the sweater stretched a bit due to the loose gauge. Halfway through, I was nervous...but it ended up being a perfect fit. Hooray for Ravelry's pattern pages! I stuck with the S numbers for the sleeve caps because my upper arms are...uh...not quite toned.

Also, I knit this--with modified full-length sleeves and a lengthened torso--out of 750 yards of yarn. 750! That's remarkable! I love it so much that I'm considering buying up some Euroflax and making a summer tank dress from the pattern. I don't think I'd need more than 3 skeins considering there would be no sleeves and just additional length. We shall see.

On to book reviews, both knitting and not:

Of all the knitting books with men's patterns, this one is by far my favorite. It's full of classic silhouettes that have been updated with modern color palettes and I can actually see my friends and family members actually wearing this stuff.

Case in point:

A manly shawl-collared chunky-knit sweater. This one needs to be made before August. One of my friends, Clint, is moving to Chicago to start a lengthy M.A.-Ph.D. program in film studies. A month ago, he was deciding between programs in Santa Barbara and Chicago. He liked Chicago, but was scared of how cold it would be. To allay his fears, I promised to knit him a "professor" sweater. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have the winning pattern.

I also finished this short li'l book:

It's been translated from Korean and it's an odd story. Basically, the narrator is a man who searches for "clients" but doesn't tell you what he does for his clients until halfway through. And no, he does not offer sexual services. The story also involves several searingly lonely women and a pair of estranged brothers. It's terribly sad and bleak, but it also manages to be lyrical and beautiful. It's a quick, short read and I highly recommend it.

In other knitting news, I've started the border on my diamonds and triangle stole. I'm kind of afraid this is going to be gigantic.

FO: Fuchsia Veroniks

Fuchsia Veronik Socks

Pattern: Socks for Veronik by Mona Schmidt - IK Holiday 2007
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4
Needles: US 1 circs

I only made one mod: Using a standard go-to toe with matching ssk/k2tog on each side. I got impatient with the idea of the pattern-mimicking toe. If I made these again, I'd go with the patterned toe because I did something weird and the toes are kinda pointy. I'm pretty sure I should have stopped decreasing sooner.

The lovely lace pattern is gorgeous when the sock gets blocked.

These are my first pair of socks in Artyarns Ultramerino 4 and I must say that this is beautiful yarn. It's kind of springy and very soft. We'll see how it holds up. The bottoms of my STR socks have felted a fair bit and I'm a bit worried.

I also purchased this:
Let me start by confessing that I don't particularly enjoy watching Keira Knightley. She is beautiful, to be sure, but there is something very mannered and self-conscious about her performances. Also, I think many people cast her in inappropriate roles because a) she is a movie star and b) she is beautiful and c) she is actually British. There are so few beautiful British movie stars her age (at least ones that are well-known on this side of the Atlantic) that she seems to have cornered the market.

With that said, I went to see this movie in the theater in February. The first third of it completely got to me and all I was thinking was that the pacing was just s'wonderful...

...until the war scenes. Some of my friends have waxed rhapsodic about the war scenes, saying they were truly moved and were brought to tears. I personally am not convinced. The war scenes seemed so abrupt and so out of place. Yes, war is horrible. But the strong points of this story aren't so much about war but about three people who are locked in this miserable struggle for things that they will never obtain. There's one tracking shot in the middle of the movie that really annoyed me when Robbie is on the beach and the camera begins to show us his point of view but then abandons it to whirl around a chorus of soldiers singing. Grar.

But there's a reason I purchased this movie and it's because of its overall effect on me. love Romola Garai and I love the basic ideas of the story. The music is marvelous. I find Keira Knightley perfectly palatable here. And in the end, the film does move me. Now I'm going to have to go ahead and read the book.

Speaking of books, I started a bit of a project.

I can speak Korean thanks to my mother's best efforts, but my reading comprehension and ability are somewhat...slooooooow. Not to mention the blatant atrocity of my spelling. Instead of slogging through workbooks, I decided to read Harry Potter in Korean. I estimate that I read Korean like a first-grader. I'm trying to up it to at least a fifth-grade level. I estimate it will take me at least two months to finish this book, which is only the first half of The Prisoner of Azkaban.

A Tale of Two Linens

Sandalwood is growing.

Unfortunately, I am afraid that she is not growing quite enough. I've tried her on and she seems fairly drapey, but is she drapey enough to make me feel not quite like a sausage when I wear her? Only time will tell. I'm not ripping at this point so if she's too tight, I'll either have to lose five pounds or give her to a friend. Let's wait for the final installment before making any rash decisions.

Also, this here is another lover-ly linen sweater:

This was not knit by me or any other human being. It's a machine knit linen cardi my mother bought for me last summer. It was the most wonderful linen cardi ever until this happened:

BOOOOOOOO. That's all that can be said. I have no idea how this occurred and if I ever find the culprit (probably a sharp piece of jewelry on me or some other person), I will be very mad at the inanimate object and give it a real talking to.

I'd fix it myself, but...where in the world am I to find laceweight linen?

I've compared to my fingering weight yarns and this stuff is much finer. I wonder if Habu would have laceweight linen in a similar sage color.

Also, I had to buy this book this week:

Yep, it's a book called Sway. It's about the Rolling Stones and Charles Manson. Haven't read it yet, but it's a must since he named the book after meeeeee.

Friday Eye Candy

This is what my books tend to look like if I'm using them for work:

Can I just say that those little Post-It flags are the best things ever? I flag and highlight everything I need to remember and then go back after I'm done for a marathon session of writing those things down on individual post cards that I file away in their respective boxes. I am not always OCD, but I do have my moments.

The other day, it was gorgeous out and I took a walk. They're doing construction in Washington Square Park.

You see that red brick building to the right? Yeah, that one? Now, if you've seen I am Legend, then you know what building that is. Yep. That one.

Then I had to take a photo of this because I am curious like a cat:

Now, how do people get up there and graffiti the very tippy-top of buildings??? Is graffiti worth risking life and limb?

Also, the trees...they are a-blossoming.

Earthiness

So Project Spectrum is all about Earth. I am visiting mis padres for the weekend in NJ and scoured the house for green, brown, and metallics.

Here are some that are green:

The top two are pretty self-explanatory. I loved them when I read them as a child and I will love them until I die. Henry Green is such an under-read writer and Loving is excellent at portraying the daily goings-on of a "family" of servants. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is one of my all-time favorite books. Yukio Mishima was deeply disturbed (as evidenced by his rabid obsession with weightlifting and eventual death by ritual suicide), but his books are intense and moving and ask big questions about how violence intertwines with beauty and sexuality.

Here are some that are brown:

Again, several are self-explanatory. As much as I get annoyed sometimes at Sylvia Plath's "I have it so hard because no one understands what it is to be beautiful and talented" tone, I still think The Bell Jar and much of her poetry demonstrate that she was one of the strongest women's voices in literature, ever. The Talented Mr. Ripley was turned into a pretty good movie, but the book is far more intense. I heart Patricia Highsmith. The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction is a fascinating history book about what happened to a group of Irish Catholic orphans around the turn of the century. In New York, where the Irish were looked upon with disdain, no "white" families wanted Irish orphans so they were sent to Mexican Catholic families in Arizona. In Arizona, however, where Mexicans were looked upon with disdain, the white families took away the "white" children from the Mexicans and threatened to lynch the local priest. It's an incredibly crazy look at how relative our definitions of race really are.

Here are some other earthy things:

A tiny potted cactus.

Moss growing in a pot my mother left out on the deck all winter.

Eight silver pear-shaped salt and pepper shakers. Can't figure out why my mother has eight.

Our faithful upright piano. He's been with us since I was in middle school.

A whorled knot in our deck.

Earth-inspired knitting:

I bought some Great Adirondack Sirino the other day because I am in loooooove with this color. It's Irish Cream. I want to buy some Bailey's so I can engage in some tipsy knitting. I'm going to turn this into "Diamonds and Triangles" from Victorian Lace Today.

Also, here is an ancient FO:

This was basically my first serious knitting project. Clapotis. In 2006, I bought 7 balls of Rowan Tapestry from a yarn store that I have since stopped patronizing because of meanness. It cost about $60 and I had a minor heart attack because I was spending that much money on yarn. Ha. If only I had known it was the beginning of a downward spiral of yarn spending. I made this and gave it to my mother, but only used 5 of the 7 balls. It's not as wide or long as I had planned, but the yarn has worn surprisingly well. My mom loves it, but she deserves one that she can wear more comfortably without pulling. I'm going to buy some more Tapestry and make her another one.

In closing, I realized I have just been tagged by both KnitWit and Vorare for blog awards. I am really bad with computers and it took me this long to notice what was going on. Thank you both for the kudos!

Here's my list of blogs that make me happy/blogs that are excellent:

Ask a Korean! - This guy is hysterical. I'm Korean and it's always wonderful to have someone explain it all so that others can figure out the difference between what's culture and what's stereotype. I also love people who are unapologetic about referring to themselves in the third person.

Domesticrafts - Her cats are the cutest I have ever seen. The cutest. She provides drink recipes. Me like. I am jealous of her beautiful house.

Elliphantom - I love the photos and their captions on this site. It was one of the first ones I started reading and it makes me feel nostalgic for when I thought I could never knit the "hard" things.

Fluffbuff - Francesca's knitting is beautiful, but I also love that she's following her heart and starting up a whole 'nother blog about cooking and culinary school. I'll be reading and wishing I could be eating.

HeyOkay - This site is just funny. Weird, hysterical photos. There's also one in the archives of a rastafari crocheting something large on the subway while wearing an entire crocheted outfit. Crazy.

Knitting on Impulse - This site is pretty and I love her jewelry designs.

LollyKnitting Around - Lolly is also one of the first blogs I started reading. I love her photos, her nature walks, and Project Spectrum.

NiñaBomba - This is the cutest website and her knitting is fabulous. I also love that it's in both English and Spanish so I can practice reading Spanish and keep myself from getting too rusty.

Sixoneseven - Again, gorgeous photos. Before I knew that knitters and knitbloggers were mostly friendly people, I wrote her an email to ask her a question about a certain yarn. I was scared b/c I'm pretty shy and didn't think she'd respond to li'l ol' me. But she did and was so nice that I realized I was being a scaredy cat for no reason. Her knitting and recipes are wonderful.

Tiennie Knits - Tiennie is the sweetest. Her children are wonderful sock models. Her knitting is gorgeous. I love reading her blog.

Friday Brain Candy

First off, I've finished decreasing for the back of my asymmetrical cardi:

Like I said, it's zooming along. I actually think I'll finish this by the end of next week. Too bad spring is rapidly approaching.

Now for the brain candy:

From top to bottom: Journey Into Darkness by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Inside the Mind of BTK by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd, and The Age of Innocence: A Portrait of the Film by Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks.

I've read the first, am in the middle of the second, am emotionally preparing for the third, and just flipping through the last for the beautiful photos and the feel of the era. Mostly, I bought the last one because it was being sold by a street vendor for a measly buck. I was browsing and opened the book to this page:

It's a heartbreaking quote and reminds me so much of when I read Kate Chopin's The Awakening for the first time. I've been having these weird dreams lately (some of them mildly frightening) about teeth falling out and being replaced and ordering food and having people cheat me out of five dollars. While none of these situations is life-threatening, I keep waking up with these awful feelings of vulnerability and helplessness. And I think the Wharton quote just alerted me to the reason why.

I read an interesting article a long time ago that talked about how our society projects what we want to on women, but not on men. Men can tell us what they stand for, who they are, what they want, what they need. But we tell women what they stand for, who they are, what they want, what they need. And if women aren't what we want them to be, we get mad. How dare a woman decide for herself? Our society allows women to be "whatever they want," but do they really? Because I see a lot of women being pressured into or punished for their choices every day. Not just strangers, but good friends as well. Right now, I'm like that old R.E.M. song on a loop. "Everybody huuuuuuuuuuurts...sometimes."

This book doesn't hurt...it's just lovely.

Two very short but loaded words. It's in my top ten list of favorite books. The title comes from a repeated sentence throughout the book: "There's no such thing as autobiography there's only art and lies." It's not a perfect book, but I still love it for its imperfections. It's an odd little fictional/philosophical story and her language is overinflated occasionally, but her heart is there.

Tea & Sympathy

I think my old allergy to milk is coming back. This makes me sad because it means I shall no longer be able to indulge in lattes or ice cream. We'll see how it goes after three weeks of abstaining from dairy.

In the meantime, I am indulging in lots and lots of tea:

Tea is lovely. It is soothing and calming and good for you. I like the ritual of it, too. Berryblossom White is my current favorite, but you can't go wrong with traditional green or Earl Grey.

This week's sympathy goes to Mrs. Silda Spitzer, who is doing the ol' stand-by-your-man pose this week. Despite how badly I feel for her, I really wish she would just kick Eliot where it counts. She is a Harvard-educated lawyer who gave up her career for him to go into politics. If I were her, I would do more than just kick. I would maybe rip his heart right out of his ribcage and throw it on the ground and stomp on it until I diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied...

But on to prettier things. I crocheted up something fairly rapidly for Project Spectrum, which I decided to join last week. I think it'll be good inspiration and may get me to explore colors that I normally ignore. The first phase, "Fire," puts me right in my, um, element.

It's Flourish by Kim Hargreaves. It was originally on her website, but the pattern is now available in Heartfelt. It says four skeins of Kidsilk Haze. Ha. I have to dip into a fifth. But of course, when it comes to scarves, I don't swatch or care much about gauge, so it serves me right. I've finished it, but was debating about the beading. Clearly, the beading won. I'll post photos of me wearing it as soon as I'm done with the sparkly work.

I also bought two more pattern books:

The one in the background is "Summer Breeze," which features Rowan's Bamboo Soft and Luxury Cotton DK. I am in love with this little thing:

The gray book is the new Studio 8, which focuses on Rowan's tweeds.

This little number would be supercute over a dark cowlneck and jeans.

Aside from knitting, I'm doing pretty well with my goals for the year. I read 1.5 books in January and then read 2.5 books and a screenplay in February:

John Douglas is pretty much a big part of my life right now. He started up the criminal profiling unit at the FBI in the '70s and these books are really not for the faint of heart. Sometimes I just want to cry reading about these cases. But if one wants to write about murderers, one must attempt to understand the circumstances surrounding them. I'm well into another Douglas book and thinking of starting a nice, normal fiction book to take my mind off of psychopaths.

Young Scarf

When I was 10, my father finally put aside his Ph.D. studies and got a job for the first time. That year, we bought our first house and that Christmas, my parents finally sprang for a Christmas tree. A week before Christmas, my dad came home with a giant turkey provided by his office to all the employees as a sort of Christmas bonus. My dad's first name happens to be Young and his co-workers had played a little joke with his turkey crate. Instead of "Young Turkey," someone had added " 's" to the "Young." My brother and I thought this was the funniest thing we'd ever seen. We ate "Young's Turkey" for Christmas dinner.

Since my dad keeps making sad little comments about how many things I've knitted for my mom and how I've knitted nothing for him, I am knitting him his very own Young Scarf:

I'm using Noro Iro and the Braided Mischief pattern by Teva Durham in Scarf Style. At first, I thought about seed stitch, but my hands are not that deft right now for whatever reason and I found it fiddly, especially with chunky yarn. I moved over to a broken rib pattern and was seriously displeased with the curling. I figured I should look through Scarf Style since I've only made one pattern out of it so far and it was like seeing the pattern for the first time. The sample in the book is knitted with Felted Tweed, but the Iro is so much squishier.

I also read this:

I cried a lot. I haven't seen the film version yet, but I hear it's equally heartbreaking and moving. Jean Bauby was the editor of French Elle when he suffered a massive stroke in 1995 that left him paralyzed. The only part of his body that he could move was his left eyelid. Using this one movement, he and his nurse figured out a method of communication by which he eventually wrote this incredibly uplifting and beautiful memoir. The title comes from this passage in the book: "My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court. You can visit the woman you love, slide down beside her and stroke her still-sleeping face. You can build castles in Spain, steal the Golden Fleece, discover Atlantis, realize your childhood dreams and adult ambitions."

I am always in awe of those who refuse to give up despite the awful things that can happen in this world. A year ago, when I was in the depths of despair, I read some poetry by Wislawa Szymborska and found the following sentence: "Not without its charms is this terrible world; not without its mornings worth our waking." This book captures that idea so perfectly.

I also couldn't stop myself. I knitted a sock. Monkey pattern again, this time with Socks that Rock Lightweight in Scottish Highlands:

I think the pattern complements the dye job beautifully. The hills are aliiiiiive with the sound of muuuuuusic.

FO: I Love Autumn Scarf

I didn't even blog about starting this li'l thing:

Simple Garter Stitch Scarf
Yarn: One strand of Berroco Hip-Hop and one strand of Manos del Uruguay Wool
Needles: US 19 Lantern Moons

Really, though, there ain't nothin' to tell. I started it at the store last week during a slow hour and finished it that night when I got home. I cast on 16 stitches with the two strands and just kept knitting until the yarn ran out. It took up two skeins of the Hip-Hop in Karaoke and one skein of the Manos in Prairie.

Sometimes, simple is goooood. Autumn is my favorite season and I'm always so sad that it seems the shortest. The smell of the air changes and I just feel right. I grew up in New Hampshire where there are lots o' woods to explore and the scarf reminds me of a particular gravel path that always got littered with falling leaves as soon as October hit.

Speaking of leaves...I went for a run this morning (which is highly unusual for me nowadays, but I'm trying to make it more usual) and these leaves were just lying on the ground and waiting for me to notice them.

I have no idea what tree they're from, but their waxy sheen and brilliant color reminded me of a vintage necklace a friend of mine bought me two years ago:

I wish red were not such a difficult color to reproduce via photographs. The true color is just so much richer than what's showing up on my computer screen.

And since we're on the subject of things that make me happy:

Fairy tales and the scholarly discussions they inspire are two of my favorite things. I still love the expurgated, Disney-fied versions just for fun, but the actual fairy tales themselves are what's fascinating. Mostly because they offer such insight into the moral and psychological depths of different cultures and societies. Also, I love that the authors tell children that most adults are not to be trusted and that girls can be the heroes. Word.

And finally, my latest obsession: These beautiful, beautiful notebooks.

Barnes and Noble sells them for about nine bucks a pop. The graphics are done by MFA sutdents at the Savannah College of Art & Design and it's like carrying around a little work of art. They're good for journals, reminder books, sketchbooks (they sell ruled and plain), and whatever else you want to scribble. I think I'll ask my parents to get me a bunch more for Christmas.