Review: Knitting Knee-Highs Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary

First of all this book is not for the first time sock knitter, particularly if you have never done color work before. Secondly I have to admit I was looking for a little more variety. Several of the patterns have a second pattern with the exact same motif either as a short sock or leggings. A book with the title that makes the claim that the patterns are classic to contemporary should really do its best to live up to that claim. The overall feeling of the book is very old Swedish/finnish type patterns. To the authors credit they seem to be very cozy looking, more of them a house slipper type pattern. If you love the cover pattern I am sure you will love the rest of them. The back of the book does have some helpful information. A US to UK terminology comparison which some might find useful. It is written using American terms. There is also yarn weight guidelines, abbreviations list, and needle sizes in milimeters. Lastly this is also where you find the key to the charts. All of the charts in the book use the same key which will be helpful if you decide to knit more than one pattern. The patterns themselves are well written and the photography of the socks are well done. My suggestion is to check the patterns out on ravelry to make sure they are something you would be interested in before purchasing, do not buy it sight unseen.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Sneeze Review:Curiosities of the Civil War: Strange Stories, Infamous Characters and Bizarre Events by Webb Garrison

I have mixed feelings about this book. I can't really decide if this
book is supposed to be for the real civil war enthusiast or for casual
interest. The format is wonderfully done with each fact is a small
paragraph and divided into several main theme chapters. My biggest
complaint with the book is that that title is misleading. If you read
the title you think that all of the facts will fall in the bizarre or
famous category etc but they do not. There is one small chapter with
that title, the rest are a lot more dry than interesting. The biggest
selling point to this book is that it is little lots of little
vignettes instead of several pages of a couple of points. This way if
you see something that is interesting you can further research it, if
not just skip over it. I don't think I would purchase this book for
anyone I know with the exception of my sister the history major. The
price is definitely reasonable for the amount of information you
receive and the fact that it is a hardback. I would recommend getting
the ereader version if you plan on leaving the house with the book
though, it is definitely weighty. Disclaimer: I received this book
for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through BookSneeze.com - their
book review bloggers program. I wasn't required to post a positive
review. These are my own opinions on this book.

Book Review: Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day

Author Geoff Loftus does an amazing job of using the strategies of the past used by Dwight Eisenhower to teach enduring principles of leadership for the leader of today. At first it was a little difficult to get used to the style. You start out immersing yourself with the past and then all of the sudden you are talking about Apple and their marketing strategy. Once you get used to the flow it is facinating from start to finish. Even if your interest is from a purely historical standpoint it is definitley worth the read. This book was provided free of cost by Thomas Nelson in exchange for this review.

Book Review: The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari

Best friends Padraig the dragon and Roger the turtle are brave
explorers determined to spend the the whole night outside. Despite the
scary things that appear after dark they discover how brave they
really can be. Overall the book wasn't bad, the illustrations were
very nice. I did think that the book was a little long and advanced
for younger children. The characters spoke in a british accent which
is different for a childrens book. At the end the authors included a
discussion page based on key points in the book but tied it with a
religious theme. It wasn't preachy or expected but a nice balance.
Overall I don't think I would recommed this book. Book was provided
free of charge by WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for this review.

Cute Coins

Originally uploaded by triciaj82

How cute are these coin purses? I stopped at whole foods today to pick up a pizza crust (Gillians = gluten free goodness) and found a whole display of them. I do have to say that they are the two cutest. Can't you just picture giving the lunch money purse to someone with a resturant gift card in it? That was my initial thought when I saw it and it will be perfect to send to my college age sister. She doesn't read this blog she will never know:) The one on the right has a bit of a glare, sorry about that. It says rainy day fund. I also thought of using it as a gift card holder for afore mentioned sister but I don't think I can manage to part with this one. It will probably be used to hold knitting supplies. They were a reasonable 3.99 each and are made from recycled materials by a company named Blue Q.

146 Days Until Christmas

If that thought makes you panic, you are not alone. To some it may sound like plenty of time, particularly if you are a Christmas eve shopper but it will be here before you know it. What better time to get started shopping especially when it is 100 degrees out side and you are ready for cooler weather. I always have these big plans of making all of these exciting gifts for everyone but never really come to fruition. This year that is going to change. I happened upon a wonderful blog created by a woman named Deb. Her idea is starting July 1 (okay so I am a little late to the party!) you make and finish one gift a week. I think this is fabulous, it totally takes the stress out of the holiday. Also as added incentive she is doing a fabric giveaway every week. All you need to do is blog about your gift add a link to her post on saturdays and she will randomly pick someone. I think my goal this week is to semifinalize my handmade gift list. I can't wait to submit my first gift.

The What?!

Okay so I have decided to start again in my blogging endeavor. My previous attempt at a blog was a failure and one of the reasons why is because it had a crappy name. I was kind of embarrassed by it and I used it only because I couldn't think of anything better. So when I joined booksneeze.com I realized I would be sharing my blog with tons of people. I promptly realized that I had to start over and spent some time mulling over a new name that described me. I finally decided I would go with bluestocking spinster. For those of you who don't know, a bluestocking is an old fashioned word for someone who was well read/educated. Eventually the word actually became an unflattering word to describe a smart woman who didn't care as much for "feminine" type things such as silk stocking and typically dressed in unrefined woolen ones. This of course was a deterrent to men seeking a woman's hand in marriage, they didn't want a woman as smart or smarter than they were. Which brings me to spinster. Everyone knows the meaning of that word and suffice it to say I am one at the age of 28. Don't get me wrong I am perfectly fine with it despite the well meaning comments from friends and family on how I should be thinking about marriage and it will soon be too late to have children. Well that is plenty for a first post and I need to get my current book finished so I can review it and get another:)