In process - Sept 2013

First Draft
“5 dead mice”. Flash.
“Limering”. Wrote more notes.
“Soporific Pheromones”. Flash.
“Foundling”. I thought it was flash, but it took on a life of its own. I think it’s almost done. Once again, I didn’t know what it was about until the end.

Editing
Whatever I’m doing, it’s not working. Every day I leave this to the last minute, and then it’s 12:30 and I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with whatever the task is, so I mark up a page or two, and then I get to the spot where I just can’t move forward (usually because the narrative flow has collapsed in on itself, or I made a terrible decision in a previous draft) and I give up and go to bed.

For October I think I’m not going to pretend to edit every day. Instead, Monday eve I will give it a couple of hours, and Wednesday evening or maybe Thursday another couple.

“Imp Face”. Finished up the third draft then gave it a rest, then did a fourth draft. I had a “brilliant” idea on how to fix the beginning. We’ll see if it works. I’m going to print it off today and improve that beginning again, and the ending doesn’t match the beginning anymore. I can fix that!

“Selkie Girls are Easy”. Last month I’d read Imp Face in a spare half hour with a highlighter, and that was such a good experience I meant to do it with this story. But then I started reading and immediately decided to start the story four pages in, removing an awful and boring sex scene. I'm sure it's better now.

Connecting
Ha.

Circulating
2 out there.
8 rejects for 2013 so far.

Knitting
Ceremonial Armour. KF cardigan. Bodice done so I could use the needle on something else, need to sew and cut the steeks.

Penzance. So close.

Hella Fair isle dress in Kauni. Shoulders. I am addicted to this one, obsessed even.

Eye Lace Tunic IK Summer 2013. Perseids. I had put the back and front together and blocked them at the end of August. The inserts never really blocked out to the proportions described in the pattern, maybe due to the yarn I used. Still, I sewed it together and it’s fine. It’s a bit sparkly for work, but I wore it anyway. A grey tank underneath and jeans make it calmer than a black tank and leggings.

Carousel socks. Barely started.

What I read: September 2025

LHC #295: "The Last to Leave the Room" by Caitlin Starling. Audiobook. Workplace horror? Loved it. "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Hard copy, for office Data Ethics book club. The stories about Sheryl Sandberg really made me like my boss better. LHC #296: "The Fated Sky" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. This got moved up the list because Ed had read book 1 in the series and got the rest out of the library. Loved it. He's got the next one in the series upstairs, I suppose I'll read it when he's done. LHC #297: "Bluegrass: A History" by Neil V. Rosenberg. Hard copy. No idea why it was on my list, I don't care that much about bluegrass. Nevertheless, the second half was interesting. I guess the first half was necessary, as it described in great length the way people came and went in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band, and also how technology and social pressures affect how music is made and performed. LHC #298: ...

What I read -- October 2025

"The Moomins and the Great Flood" by Tove Jansson. eBook. I read this because Marissa Lingen loves them. It was fine? This was the first one in the series and the only one available online; maybe the later ones are better. Maybe they're better if you read them as a child. "The Relentless Moon" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. It took a long time to get going, and sometimes I find MRK exhausting. Her white main characters all seem oddly aware of the Black experience. "The Martian Contingency" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. I don't often read subsequent books in a series in quick succession, and my reaction to this one is a lot of why: I found Alma's voice too similar to Nicole's -- sure, Nicole obsessed about food much more, but they both went on and on about "must support black guy in management" an...

In progress - January 2026

Wind/Water/Salt Chapters 39-51: Nothing Persephone (probably not its real name): NOthing Vinterlys: Worked on Chapter 2 some more. Critted 4 Got back 1 Submissions 0 Out there 0 Rejects 0 Knitting Georgia (Norah Gaughan). Started the month with one sleeve and half a front to go. Finished. Love this sweater. Aberlady (AS Celtic Collection). Did a few rows while listening to podcasts. Summer in Tokyo (Isager): Started. I was looking at the pictures and the charts, and the pattern as written is not what is in the pictures! So odd. I am going to finish up two cones of yarn with this project! Pretty exciting. I hope I don't run out of light blue. I was working along on it, and if you go and look at the sweater, it's knit bottom-up, and I was at the part where I only had two colors, about 5" maybe. And I was thinking, "wow, this is pretty ugly! Maybe I should stop...

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