Cat Napper

Quilting
Pattern from Sallietomato.com

My friend Gail has three cats. One day as we were cleaning off a surface we came across a pattern that she had purchased and we decided to make together.

This is why I thought Louie would like his “tunnel”

On a trip to Calgary I noticed that Louie liked to hide under this footstool. Madison loved to get down on the floor and visit him in his hiding place.

What looked like a relatively simple pattern took us almost a month of Thursday’s to complete. I was able to purchase the cat fabric from Gail’s stash, as well as several of the layers of padding that the pattern called for.

As a bonus I was able to ship the completed project to Calgary on one of Canada Post’s free shipping Tuesdays.

I’m told Louie is happy with his gift.

Blanket for Taylor

Knit & Crochet

I was thrilled when Taylor asked me to make her a new blanket. I was afraid I was done with blankies until I had a great grandchild.

Taylor picked out the yarn and the colours and I placed an order with Michael’s. I used the huge needles (25mm) as tests using smaller needles didn’t work so well. Because a pattern doesn’t show up with such chunky yarn I knit using a plain garter stitch.

Before I ran out of yarn my arms, wrists and hands couldn’t handle the weight any longer so she got a smaller bonus blanket from the remaining yarn.

Amish Secrets

Books

Author: Marta Perry

I’m not sure where I picked this book up from but I think it might have been from our used book store when it was closing. I expected to learn more about the Amish way of life through the book but there wasn’t much detail in it that I didn’t already know. What was interesting though was seeing how the Amish were fitting into the wider community outside of their own compounds.

Rachel has begun work as a housekeeper in a mansion where her mother previously worked. Rachel gave up on her wedding to Jacob when her mother died and her father convinced her it was her duty to remain at home to take care of him and her brothers. When her father remarries Rachel is expected to move out of her family home. The mansion has become home to her but Jacob has also been hired to do some general labour around the house. The ending is quite predictable.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

A Great Deliverance

Books

Author: Elizabeth George

A few years ago I would have said that Elizabeth George was one of my favourite English authors, right up there with P.D. James. I’ve since discovered that George isn’t actually English but she still remains a favourite author writing novels set in England.

I’ve read many of the Inspector Linley and Barbara Havers stories. I didn’t realize when I picked this book up from our neighbourhood free library that this was the first in the series. Havers had been demoted to a street officer when Linley’s superiors decide she should be given another chance at CID. Prepared to hate Linley due to his aristocratic ancestry and his reputation she is pleasantly surprised to be taken seriously as they set out to determine why a seemingly loving daughter would admit to beheading her father.

As we’ve been following the Endeavour, Morse and Lewis series on TV I thought it was surprising that no one had picked up on the Linley mysteries. Then just the other day I saw that there are six seasons available on Brit Box.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *