photo: LGP

Last winter, I knitted, felted and sold about 20 pairs of felted mittens at pre-holiday craft fairs. I don’t mind making socks on circular needles, but not mittens – guess the hole for the thumb bothers me, I dunno. Anyway, I use the 2-needle pattern below, but I make the mittens much larger than if they weren’t about to be felted. That means, for a child, I make a small adult size. For men, the bigger medium or largest size. You have to use your judgement and know your yarn. Use your judgment for women. For felting, I’ve found that Paton’s 100% wool worsted weight gives me predictable results. It is readily available, inexpensive, knits up beautifully, and comes in many lovely solids and blends. Yarns made specifically for felting shrink too much for this application.

Traditional two needle mittens work up quickly, and suit everyone from child…

Trumbull, Conn., Nov. 11, 1945

Dear Dan and Dave:

You to being the only outlanders left, the salutation above is correct, although on second thought, it was only about five minutes ago that Lad and Marian left for Aberdeen to make that their temporary home until he is discharged, their hope being that their sojourn will not be long and of course they are hoping to get home on a pass for Thanksgiving. However, they took along a limited amount of housekeeping utensils so that if they are stuck there for any length of time, they will have the ways and means of existing until the Army order finally comes through. Anyway, they will thus have an opportunity of celebrating their wedding anniversary together, which otherwise might not have been possible in view of the fact that obtaining another pass so soon after the one this week, might be difficult…

A Three Dog Problem by S.J.Bennett

“The Queen investigates murder!” It’s a headline that has never appeared, but in Bennett’s world of palaces, dogs and a huge band of people who make royal life work, Queen Elizabeth II takes more than a passing interest in the unexplained events that take place in that world. This is the second book in a series of cleverly constructed mysteries, where “the Boss” may not do the hands-on investigating, but knows how to ask various people to do so on her behalf, very discreetly. This book relates to the events of the first book in passing, and develops some characters introduced, but is so well written that it stands alone. Yes, there is some difficulty with the basic premise that a ninety year old woman, who is probably the most photographed person in the world over her lifetime, could quietly gain enough exclusive information…