Have a Kindle? Three Great Blogs for Free Books

I've been doing a lot of reading in what little free time I've had lately.  The beautiful thing (since like most people, I'm watching my wallet) is that most of the books I have been reading I haven't paid a dime for.  Below are three blogs I read that post about bargains or free books available out there.

Books on the Knob - Recommended by my knitsib and fellow Kindle Fire owner, CaughtKnittin, Books on the Knob is a great resource for Kindle users.  They also list deals for the Kobo and Nook as well, so still check it out if you aren't a Kindle owner.  I find the posts really comprehensive and very easy to browse through quickly.  There are short descriptions of the books as well as the publishers they come from.  As an added bonus they even post about any free audiobooks through audible.com.

Pixel of Ink - I just recently started reading Pixel of Ink after it was recommended to me by my friend RisenPhoenix.  This blog is specifically for Kindle users and is similar to Books on the Knob in format, though the updates range a bit more throughout the day rather than all at once.

Kindle Nation Daily - This is another blog I stumbled across recently that again is only for Kindle users.  The format for their updates is a bit longer than the previous two blogs.  There are more reviews and sometimes samples from the books that can be quite lengthy, so if you are looking for more in depth info about the books, you might want to check this one out.

By following all three of these blogs I do see a fair bit of repeat info, but I don't mind.  Someones one will post about something that the other doesn't.  Anyway, that's it from me today... so HAPPY READING! :)

Tour de Fleece Days 4 through 6 - Cape Cod!

In my little corner, happily
spinning away!

So I'm a little behind on the whole posting thing for the tour, but hey, at least I'm spinning!  I started off day 4 spinning with several fellow Tour de Fleece competitors at my usual Tuesday night knit night.  When I spin there I get soooooo much done!  It's nice to only have the distraction of laughter rather than all the normal chores which so easily pull me away from my wheel when I am at home.   I just love my knitsibs!  They are a wonderful group of ladies that sympathize,
I was so on a roll I actually finished up with my 2oz of roving in less than two hours!  It was a good thing too because after I got home, hubbie and I headed to the Cape to spend time with his family for the 4th of July. 

12oz of singles done!

On the 4th we spent the day at the beach where I relaxed in my camping chair and did quite a bit of reading on my Kindle.  I just love having multiple books with me wherever I go.  I don't have a ton of books on there yet, but I have a good selection of fantasy and classical literature, which are two of my favorite genres.  Lately, I've been re-reading Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind so that I can pick up the second book in the series and continue reading that.  I'm trying to read better quality literature rather than the easy to read romances I have trended towards for the past few years. 

The 5 seconds our sail was going
just fine!

Most recently I read North and South (free Kindle edition) by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell which was written in the 1850's.  I really liked the story, which is a bit like Pride & Prejudice (free Kindle edition), however it took me more than a few chapters to get to the point where I was taking in all that was reading.  The prose is very dense and required my full attention until I got used to it.  Once I got into the mindset though, I flew through the book.  Gaskell has written several other books, which also happen to be free for the Kindle, so I'm hoping to read some more of her work over the summer.  

My first 340 yard 2 ply skein

After beaching it throughout the afternoon and getting some quality time in with our nephew and the extended family, we went back to the house to watch the Pops and fireworks as per usual.  We didn't have the opportunity to see live fireworks due to the 4th being in the middle of the week, but I was content to spin away listening to all the great music performed. 

The next day, hubbie and I went out for a sail on the family's sailboat.  Let's just say that itwas not the best sail we've had and leave it at that... Hopefully the next time we make it to the Cape, sailing will go much more smoothly.  Other than, that I just spent the rest of my time on the Cape spinning away on my roving.  I made tons of good progress and was able to hang out with family and chat at the same time.  All in all, it was a nice little trip.  Hopefully we'll be able to go back very soon!

Attitude is everything

So, it's been awhile... about three months if anyone is counting.  Probably not, but a girl can dream right? :-)  Basically I've spent all this time not blogging... just living.  Since I last wrote a post I have had to make some big changes in my life, specifically with my diet and exercise.  At first I really wasn't happy with these changes.  I didn't think things were fair; Why should I have to work so hard to be healthy when it seems like most everyone else has it easy?  Bad attitude?  Um, that would be a resounding YES!

My husband and I also lost our kitty just a few weeks ago.  Molly was the first pet we had together and she truly was part of our family.  Losing her was so horrible... and I think it is really only within the past week or so that I have been able to be at home and not feel like something very important was missing.  It's amazing just how integral to your life a 17 year old cat that yells at you for food can be.  It's been a pretty rough few months around here...  and I have had a whole lot to think about.

With so much on my mind, there wasn't a lot of time for knitting or spinning or anything really.  I don't think I touched a project for at least a month if not two.  I just couldn't settle down enough to enjoy the process.  I did do a fair bit of reading during my blog hiatus.  Maybe that was because it would occupy my mind so I didn't have to think about the serious stuff that was going on.  I read The Hunger Games, The Help and a whole bunch of other less serious books on my Kindle.   It was really nice to get back to reading for awhile.  In middle and high school, my nose was constantly in a book and quite honestly I really miss having all that free time to read.  Nowadays I seem to read voraciously for a few weeks and then switch to some other form of entertainment for much longer periods of time.  I think that's because when I'm knitting, spinning or weaving I can talk with people or watch tv and still keep my hands busy.

I find more and more that I can't just sit and watch tv, I need to have a project to work on.  At parties I almost always bring a simple project to work on so that I can chat with people and not be completely immobile.  It's funny that I used to get so annoyed at my mom for not being able to sit still and watch a tv show without getting up 5 million times to fold laundry or organize something while she was watching.  Apparently it just took until my 30's for that particular genetic foible to kick in...

With that I have been able to get into crafting of all kinds again in the past month.  I finished up a sock yarn shawl which I still need to block and take final pictures of and have started another small project for a friend of mine.  I also took an advanced weaving class and learned about using a pick up stick to make warp and weft floats in my weaving.  It's a neat technique especially because no matter what, the two sides of your woven project are always different.  I'm hoping to weave and spin much more this summer when the heat makes me not want to drape anything knitted on my lap.  I also have a afghan I am slowly crocheting.  That would be a very good summer project as well since the blocks are only 12" by 12". 

To go back to where this post started: In reflecting on everything that's happened in my life recently... I think I've grown a little wiser.  Admittedly, it's hard to change your mindset from feeling like a victim to realizing you are really blessed.  It's even more difficult to understand that the struggles you have been handed in life can mold and change you into a different and better person.  But, I have had wonderful people surrounding me and praying for me through all of this and my attitude has truly made a 180.

So, if you need the cliff notes version, this blog post is a very, very long way for me to tell you: 

Life is good and I am back on track!

Ten On Tuesday: Ten Ways to be More Organized

1. Have a To Do List - Actually, I have two lists.  One for work and one for home.  For home I have an app on my iPhone called Tasks that is with me wherever I go so I can keep track of what I need to do.
   
   
2. File Your Bills - Get a hanging file box or an accordion file and keep all unpaid bills in an "unpaid" folder until you take care of them.  Then all you have to do is make another folder for each of your bills to hold everything that has already been paid.  You can start over with a new folder every year and just keep the previous year's folder in some kind of an archive.
   
   
3. Keep Your Coupons/Reusable Bags With You - If you don't have them, then you can't use them!  I haven't started doing this yet, but having a little zippered pouch with your coupons in it is a great idea.  Keep it in your purse/wallet or car so you don't get to the store without the things you need.  We are forever leaving our reusable grocery bags at home when we go shopping.  If you just pop them into the car after emptying them out, then you will have them for next time.
   
   
4. Keep a Calendar - Pick your poison... I use one on my iPhone that reminds me of appointments, birthdays and play dates.  Want one you can access anywhere?  Use Google's free online calendar.  You can even sync it to Outlook. 
   
   
5. Manage Your Emails -I have a rule.  Emails stay in my inbox until I deal with whatever they are about completely.  And I HATE having a large inbox.  So, when the email and it's contents have been dealt with I can happily file it away in it's own appropriately named little folder.  I'm telling you, if I didn't do this at work, I would forget to do so many things!!!
   
   
6. Plan on Leftovers - Make enough dinner so you have enough leftovers for lunch the next day.  If you are like me and aren't a big fan of the plain old homemade sandwich for lunch, having leftovers for the next day will cut down on ordering out which is beneficial to your health and wallet.
   
   
7. Don't Put Things Off - When it comes to home, I am the queen of I-can-do-it-later.  Dishes?... tomorrow.  Laundry?... I've got a shirt and pants to wear.  If I just did these things when I had a spare moment, I wouldn't end up staying up until 2am waiting for the drying to finish or having a huge pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen I have to do before I can make dinner.  As you can probably tell, I'm not so good at this one even though I know better.
   
   
8. Don't Make a Trip Empty Handed - Getting up to get a snack?  Grab a nearby soda can or two and drop them into the recycling.  Going to get a book?  Drag that laundry basket into the bedroom on your way.  The more you just do little things to clean up as you are doing the things you DO want to do, the more you will get done of the stuff you HAVE to get done.
   
   
9. Save, Save, Save -  No matter how small, but some money away every time you get a paycheck.  That way when you want to do something fun that is out of your normal budget, you might just be able to.
   
   
10. Always Have Something Productive To Do with You - Women have it easy.  It is socially acceptable and even trendy to carry around ginormous handbags that we can pack full of neat things to do when we have to wait for anything.  While I am not a big fan of monstrous purses, and tend to carry either medium or small sized ones, even I can stuff a book, small knitting project or Kindle (if I had one) into it.  I know this doesn't sound like a way to be more organized... but more of  a way to not be bored, but by having these kinds of things on your person, you can accomplish quite a lot. 

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Books on My Summer Reading List

I have waaaaay too many books!  This is mostly because I have a nasty habit of snapping up little paperbacks that tickle my fancy.  So today's 10 on Tuesday is a good way for me to understand just how many books I already own that as of yet I haven't read.  One can only hope that I will finally get through my ever-growing list of "to read" and not just continue to constantly add to it.

1. Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs -  I've had this book ever since I started seriously knitting, but said hobby has drastically cut down on my reading time over the past year.
   
   
   
2. Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon - Elizabeth wrote one of the best trilogies I have ever read, The Deed of Paksenarrion.  It is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
   
   
   
3. Tapestry of Spells by Lynn Kurland - Lynn is one of my favorite romance authors.  She actually includes plot and character development in her stories unlike many others.  This book is the fourth in her 9 Kingdoms series which is more fantasy based than her medieval and renaissance with a dash of paranormal style romances that were my first love.
   
   
   
4. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind - Actually I have read about half of this book but my hobbies keep on getting in the way of my reading lately.  This book is the second in the Sword of Truth series which is another outstanding set of fantasy books.
   
   
   
5. Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn - Julia is another one of my favorite romance authors.  Her stories are witty, her characters have depth and what makes her books even more memorable is that one of my good friends bought me my first book by this author.  After plowing through that read, I proceeded to snap up anything else the author had written and this past year finally caught up.  I'm just really happy that she now has a new book out that I can put on my wish list.
   
   
   
6. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters - Really?  Do you need to know why I want to read this?  I didn't think so.
   
   
   
7. How to Knit a Love Song by Rachael Herron - Knitting + Romance = Win.  Enough said.
   
   
   
8. Julie & Julia by Julie Powel - Have the book.  Saw the movie first.  You see my problem?
   
   
   
9. Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey - A great book my mom got me when I decided to buy my wheel.  I've perused, but haven't had the chance to just sit down and read it.
   
   
   
10. The Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parkes - Ok, so I don't own this one yet, but I want to since I'm spinning a lot of wool these days. 

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Children’s Books

This is gonna be so much fun!

1) Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

2) A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein - I adored all of his wonderful poetry books!

3) Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss - duh!

4) Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater - I remember loving this book when I was a kid.  Apparently I acquired my love of sci-fi at a young age :-)

5) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

6) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

7) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett - Too cool for words and now it's even an animated movie!

8) Any of the Berenstain Bears books by Stan Berenstain - They are all funny and I remember them all.

9) Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

10) The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks - I believe I read this in 5th grade for school and loved it enough to read the rest in the series.

So.... it's usually really hard for me to come up with 10 things for these posts, but favorite children's books are apparently easy for me to remember and I enjoy the trip down memory lane, so.... I'm going to keep going!

11) Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

12) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

13) Bunnicula by James Howe - Vampire bunny goodness.  Another trend that started early with me.

14) Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

15) Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Ok, I think that's it for now.  Give me enough time and I could probably list everything I read as a kid! lol

Lessons from She Shoots Sheep Shots

Recently, I was scouring through my Ravelry groups, looking for updates and new projects people have shared. While looking through a knitting and photography group called Project Photography, I stumbled upon a Photography for Knitters Workshop that "surprise" was in Carver, MA! (only about 1.5 hours away). The workshop description said it was "about having more control over your photos, and wanting them to look great online." SWEET!!!

So, I emailed my photo/knit buddy Tara and in the next few days we were excited, signed up and ready to shoot! The workshop was put on by Gale Zucker, aka SheShootsSheep on Ravelry. Gale is a professional photographer and accomplished knitter who rarely gets to combine those two portions of her life. She started off our workshop by showing us some of her fiber and knitting related photography in her book, Shear Spirit (more info below), and some of the techniques we should use to make our fiber projects really show their texture and come to life.

Next we talked about lighting your projects and how to BEND LIGHT TO YOUR WILL!!! Erm.... pardon, I mean.... use lighting to your advantage by reflecting light onto the subject or using a light box. For the third part of the workshop, we took our projects outside and practiced using the techniques Gale demonstrated earlier. I purposely brought to the workshop a very cool silver cowl that I had recently finished for a friend. I had a distinct feeling that this cowl would be a nightmare to photograph since it has three distinct fiber textures throughout. I am very proud of how the cowl came out, so I really wanted to capture it well. Luckily, my friend was a willing victim to my plan to shoot it on someone (thanks Tara :P).

Tara took a great pic of my Jayne Cob hat (on my own head).









Gale demonstrating that you need to get into some pretty interesting poses to get just the right shot....
















For the last part of the class we went back inside, ate cookies (we need our energy you know) and focused on how to optimize the photos we took for uploading to blogs, etc. I came out of the workshop with lots of new ideas and the rejuvenation of my desire to use my camera. So, needless to say I had a great time at Gale's workshop and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in sprucing up their fiber photos for their blog or just documenting projects on ravelry.

If you want to see Gale's work check out the following:

Gale Zucker Photography - Gale's day job and professional portfolio.

She Shoots Sheep Shots - Gale's blog: combining her love of fiber, knitting, and photography (yes, and sheep too).

Edit: Gale posted some pics she took at the workshop, links to some of the other attendees' blogs, and a nice writeup of the day on her blog. You can check out the hijinks at her post Sighted in Carver.

Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, 20 Patterns & Miles of Yarn - a link to Amazon for a book Gale collaborated on with Joan Tapper. This is filled with gorgeous shots Gale took of fiber animals, yarn, and farm life.... it's just beautiful! I highly recommend it and it makes a great coffee table book in addition to the lovely patterns. Gale was very thoughtful and personalized my copy.... complete with a WoW reference!