Susan Howatch and Knitting While Listening to her on Audio

Susan Howatch is another of my favorite authors.  Howatch was introduced to me (her writings, not her person) by my SIL Charlotte.  We both read one of her book set series several years ago.  That series is entitled "The Church of England", or the "Starbridge Series", and can be found here.  Howatch has many more books that I need to catch up on.

From that same site:

Susan Howatch was born in Surrey in 1940. After taking a degree in law she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter and embarked on a career as a writer. She left in 1976 and lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. She lived in Salisbury - inspiration for the very successful Starbridge sequence and now lives in Leatherhead, Surrey.

Howatch's Facebook page has thousands of fans, and is fun to peruse occasionally to see how her thoughts are still effecting others.

All this to say that I just purchased a download of her book The Rich Are Different (recorded in 2009, written in 1977).  It is 28 hours long, so will be good company as I knit up The Sage Remedy Top from Ravelry in this Hyacinth Blue colorway from KnitPicks:

The hyacinth color has some red tints in the blue and is working up nicely. Wool of the Andes (a workhorse in the KnitPicks line) shows up the stitch definition.

This is designer Sarah Sheperd's version of the finished top:

I really like this pattern because it will hide my lymphedemic left arm and flat chest since it will be layered over a turtleneck, and has extra fullness to hide all kinds of body flaws.  You know what I'm talking about, girls.

Inspector Lynley Series of Books and TV Shows by E. George

Do you like mystery books?  If so, don't you love Elizabeth George?

You might like to go to George's website and peruse all the book titles she has written.

We have enjoyed  watching many of the Inspector Lynley shows on TV.  The Inspector (a titled British bloke) and his sidekick, Barbara Havers, do service to Ms. George's  main characters.

Fifty-one of George's stories and fan comments can be accessed at this site, so you, too, can be an active fan of Inspector Lynley and interact virtually with other fans.
BBC Mysteries has their own website where you can also delve into the characters of Lynley and Havers.

Over the past year, my husband and our two dogs and I have viewed these TV shows in the Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley series via Netflix:

• Guise of Death
• Know Thine Enemy
• Natural Causes
• Limbo
• Great Deliverance
• Word of God
• Deception on His Mind
• Blink of an Eye
• Suitable Vengeance
• One Guilty Deed
• Cry for Justice
• Traitor to Memory
• In Pursuit of a Proper Sinner
• Payment in Blood
• For the Sake of Elena

I just downloaded George's audio book Number 13 (With No One As Witness) on to my mp3 player, since it is not yet out on TV.  The reader has an authentic British accent and is an easy listen.

Most of my knitting is accomplished while Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers are chasing murderers in the British countryside (while on the TV background).

Pennies Per Hour of Pleasure for Doctors Without Borders

OK, I was sucked in.  Again.  This time it was a knitting group from Ravelry that caught me:

p/hop (although it sounds like a rapper’s name) means pennies per hour of pleasure. It is a fundraiser for the international medical aid organisation Medecins Sans Fontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Lovely designers from all over the place have pledged to donate patterns to MSF, which you can download in return for a donation! Once you have your newly knitted/crocheted scarf/socks/sweater in hand, we ask you to donate an amount that corresponds to the amount of pleasure you got from making it… I think I’ve made this sound more complicated than it is! Hopefully you know what I mean…

p/hopping has grown from the original name and is what happens when someone offers and item and (hopefully) someone else decides they want it.  Visit www.p-hop.co.uk to see our patterns, catch up on news and share some virtual cake and a cup of tea.

Here is a picture of the pair of fingerless gloves I'm making, with my wages going to Doctors Without Borders in the US:

Designer Jane Lithgow says about the Cranford Mitts:

As the title suggests, the inspiration for this pattern came from the BBC adaptation of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. Jane says, ‘This gentle drama, both humorous and touching took us into the lives of gentlewomen of certain age living in reduced circumstances. I noticed that many of their costumes included delicate mitts which they wore to ensure warm fingers in their draughty houses. I have adapted this idea to create some warm but delicately lacy mitts to take the edge off chilly spring mornings."

Further information about Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders:

MSF is an independent humanitariam medical aid organisation, committed to providing medical aid wherever it is needed, regardless of race, religion, politics or gender.  We currently work in over 60 countries helping victims of war, natural disasters, disease epidemics and those who simply have no access to even basic healthcare.  For more info, please visit http://www.msf.org.uk/