CraftLit

Buckle up your metaphorical horse-drawn carriages because we are diving headfirst into Charles Dickens' masterpiece: A Tale of Two Cities!

So, get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions, fascinating insights, and a good ol' dose of Dickensian charm! The best part? You don't even need a passport, just a love for literature and a sprinkle of curiosity!

A shout out to SyrenMuse who sent me the link to the Little House on the Praire DVD! Who knew! ABC was such a punk when I asked them nicely if they'd be releasing it. I had no idea they listened to me! Maybe your library will have it...

This week we end with our American Regional writers, Sarah Orne Jewett, 1849-1909, though we won't be listening to her best-known book, The Country of the Pointed Firs. Instead we'll hear her short story, "The White Heron" written in 1886-ish. And thanks too, to WingLake who sent this explanatory article, and this amazingly cool site that I've signed up for!

I think I'll be leaving some wrist warmers and water colors at undisclosed locations around the Old Pueblo. You? Rhinebeck Plans...it's never too early to make a date with fiber. And it's never too late to save a little bit of your own personal environment (not to mention cash...which you can then spend on fiber...).

Next week we'll start our new novel (drum roll...how appropriate!) A Tale of Two Cities. With apologies to Mr. Piccone (my freshman year English teacher).

A knitting font (and amazing celtic knot weaving pattern to boot!), another knitting font (can you ever really have too many?), a phenomenal You Tube addition, and a reminder to read Spindlicity (hey Janel!)

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

Regionalism! America! "oooooooh beautiful, for spacious skies..." (I can't think of that without hearing Fozzy Bear say "patriotism swells in the heart of the American Bear!" as he does after singing that song on The Muppet Movie soundtrack.)

Twain --boy do I love him--who is an appropriate precursor to our next novellist (I think).

Teresa in Scotland (Go Clan MacPhearson!) wanted me to pass on these links to you: first, two mosquito attacking SAFE products. She recommends a leave-on product rather than a soap or shampoo...especially for people like me who are Mosquito Magnets. And second, a new soysilk site. Mmmmmmm...extruded protein! Love it!

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

Having finished with Henry James, I thought we needed a REAL woman to freshen our pallette...Calamity Jane. Not so much Doris.

Don't know if you've watched Deadwood (NOT for sensitive ears!), but it at least started out close to accurate as far as I can tell. My son and I got to see Wild Bill and Jane's graves when we drove through there in early August. We ate where Bill was killed by Jack McCall--which sounds more morbid than it is...he was killed in the poker room of a saloon. They stage reenactments of his murder every night, I think. Jane was quite something. CHEERS!

And here in the "costume" of her sex. I'm sorry it's a guy reading the autobiography, but it's still amazing to hear her own words. She was one tough cookie. And while she has the reputation for being, um...not the most attractive woman of her time, I think she was actually a rather handsome woman--far less...weathered than I would have imagined for one of Custer's scouts. And then a little Bret Harte For some more local color and American Realism.

Let's bring ourselves back from the mannered Victorian brink into a little good old American...Puritanism? Victorianism? Ah... When everyone knew their place... And then some really cool links sent by really cool listeners like Spider_Knit who sent me the Library Thing and Dawn who sent the Purlescence Storytellers Challenge and PeaceFleece! Whoo hoo!

WARNING: Some of you were good enough to let me know pronto that there was a problem with the file. I fixed the glitch in the audio file and replaced it, but not before some podcatchers downloaded it. Sorry about that. If you re-download you should be fine. Many apologies!

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

Some things you didn't hear me talk about; some things you did. And the end of the book! The Librarian's Lament (don't you loathe hearing, "yeah, that's just your opinion..." when someone says something like, "the world isn't flat!"), and a killer library.

Some things to do in the spring to help make the world a less polluted place...why can't they just make a kit!?! A Manifesto I can get behind. Freaky shark!

Buy yarn here for the rest of January (in case you hadn't seen the Yarn Harlot's post--it's #5). And Teresa sent this link which tempted her even though she doesn't knit (Hey, Teresa, check out the Winter Spin-Off for some embroidery ideas! You could hookup with a spinner/felter/knitter!)

My sister has asked me to knit her a special hat. Sadly, the pdf of the pattern is AWOL so I may have to begin my first adventure in faking a pattern.

Whoo hoo! A list of courses Ruth alerted me to can be found here. No college credit, but MY! MY! look at the listings!

And, of course, next week (if I'm available) we'll hear some short stories while we decide what to read next!

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

First: Turn of the Screw - Chapters 18-19-20!

Second: Stephanie Pearl McPhee's SOAR interview. Whoo hoo! And the rest: Sock Darning. Nuff said. And worth mentioning again--the best Toe-Up cast-on in the WORLD! in my deeply biased opinion...

Here's the article on the Ladies in Phoenix, knitting for the good of others...and themselves.

And, from Julie: The Sci Phi Show--another philosophy podcast. Predictably enough the podcaster uses science fiction to launch each subject discussion.

And Julie also wrote: since you've been into Weird Al Yankovich you might enjoy the novelty songs featured on the most recent Geek Survival Guide. The podcast is about 15 minutes long and the songs are fun. And Debra's Tallit with accompanying planning information:

The bottom border was instinct with some Jewish numerology thrown in; the neckband was charted but also adapted the little "entry motif" before the zig-zag. I used a lot of combinations of 7 (Sam's birthday - 7/7/94, born at 10:10 a.m., and his bar mitzvah is 7/7/07 in the Western world) and C'hai - so there are 18 stitches in the zig-zag repeat, and I'll do 9 of them, which makes 18 of the triangles....

And where she got the Qiviut:

The yarn in the tallit is qiviut, which I found not in Alaska where I grew up, but online from Caryll's Designs.

And...the (unblocked) neverending cable. This is a side view of the (did I mention unblocked?) hood. The color actually came out pretty close to true on this one. Go figure!

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

Today, Chapters 15, 16 AND 17! WHOO HOO!

Today I have some fun silkworm links, some pretty pics of the Pysanky eggs by Jen (who is very, very, very prolific while listening), some pics of interesting historical spindles, and some lip from Julie! Tee hee! Julie absolutely rightfully called me on the carpet for my anti-governess bias, so here's my rec. Go listen to the last episode, last chapter, with a different ear (that would be at roughly 47 minutes into episode 36). Then keep listening to today's chapters. Yeah...Julie has a point.

I'll also let you in on some things Ol' Henry himself had to say about the book. I may also share some of ELOISE in Paris (okay, NEXT week...) and remind you that really, truly, I loathe being a single Mom. ¿Donde esta mi esposo? And some helpful info from Jen: pysanky (piz·ahnk·yeh) is the name of those Ukrainian/polish eggs. singular = pysanka Kiska (pl = Kisky) is the name of the stylus thingie.

She also says: if you like Weird Al, you might be interested in The Apologetix. they are a Christian parody group that does Christian remakes of pop songs just like Weird Al. Oh! And don't forget to visit Ms Stitchy McYarnPants!

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642

Today's theme is "Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" which comes to us from a (probably apocryphal) story about King Edward III and the Order of the Garter. A rough translation is "Shame to him who thinks ill of it" but my AP English teacher used it as "Evil will be seen by those who look for it."

Actually he may have had a different famous French quote, but I took Spanish so I wouldn't recognize a the real quote if it walked up and shook my hand. ANYway...

Today we have chapters 12-14.

On my needles and on my son's walls today... And how are your toes? Hmm? Does your sunscreen have: formulas that include ingredients — like zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or Mexoryl SX — that impede damage from the sun's longer wavelength UVA rays, a protective effect that is not indicated by a product's SPF rating. And if you're interested in more on Mosquito bites, check out: Herbal Medicine site or the WebMD page or something my sister found on Google. And some chairty/sock 411 from Jenny M. many thanks.

You can also check out Knitting Peace. Cheers for Store Wars and Weird Al! And a special thank you to Cindy, the generous Park Slope Blogger (ah, the Motherland).

2026 Author Revision: Dead links removed.

*CraftLit's Socials*

• Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel

• Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9

• Podcast site: http://craftlit.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/

• TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit

• Email: [email protected]

• Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023

*SUPPORT THE SHOW!*

• CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available)

• PATREON: https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below)

——Walter Harright - $5/mo for the same audio as on App

——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties

——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties

*All tiers and benefits are also available as*

—*YouTube Channel Memberships*

—*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit

—*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/

*IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.

• Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app)

• Call 1-206-350-1642