Don’t know much about history...

And the best of it, I have learned from well-written historical novels like Sharon Kay Penman’s. When Brother Sushi and I had dinner last month, he told me he was reading a biography of Genghis Khan, and that it was informative and highly readable. I concur. He brought it to dinner last Friday, and I cracked it open yesterday at lunch.

I don’t remember the last time a book grabbed me by the lapels while I was reading the introduction. [Other than the Book of Mormon, and I had already read Third Nephi and Fourth Nephi and big chunks of Alma at that point.] Reading this book ~ so far, which is not very far ~ is like sitting down with a good friend who knows a lot about a lot of stuff and knows how to tell a story and pull disparate points together to help you see the world in a whole new way. [Kinda like the mutual nattering that goes on at dinner with Brother Sushi.]

Both knitting projects are stalled for a couple of days. I need more measurements in order to work on my Cuprit’s sweater. And I need Firstborn’s foot for about three minutes before I can continue with the leg of the sock, plus I have to figure out if I’ve dropped a stitch or just don’t read well at 5:15am, because my count is not coming out right on the beginning of the ribbing for the leg. I’m hoping it’s the latter and that when I pick up the sock to count stitches, they will all be in their places with bright shining faces.

I have been well and truly SOOM’d. SOOM is the company which makes Cuprit. Cass was the monthly doll for July 28-August 15. Bygg and Beyla are the tinies which are the monthly dolls [singularly, or together] for August 21-September 15. They are unicorn babies, and they are precious! We wants them! Rather, we wants Beyla, and we wouldn’t mind having Bygg, even if he does have grey skin, which suggests that he might be an undead unicorn baby.

Beyla is currently not in the budget, but I am working on a plan. I have two or three pieces of furniture that I don’t really need and which are mostly in the way. I could clean them up and offer them for sale, cheap[ish; not garage-sale cheap, but pretty cheap].

I have a couple of serving pieces in my pink china that are in good condition, and there is a used-china shop down the street or I could offer them on eBay.

I have seven lamps in my studio, six of them in good condition, and nowhere to plug them in. This duplex is charming to the N^th degree and woefully lacking in electrical outlets.

There are probably more VHS tapes I’m ready to get rid of, and maybe a few DVD’s and CD’s as well.

Once I actually have my Cuprit in my hot little hands, I can probably earn enough cash via clothing commissions from other Cuprit owners, to pay for whatever doll might want to come home next. Or to justify buying doll shoes at $25-40 a pair. But I don’t expect to see her until the end of next month or maybe even October, so that doesn’t solve the current dolly angst.

I can hear Firstborn and Secondborn rolling their eyes. Hey, some people I know buy Coach bags. Just sayin’.

I don’t want to take commissions for people-sized sweaters. Been there, done that, 25 years ago. I might knit one occasionally as a gift, but that keeps it F-U-N instead of J-O-B.

I have some knitting needles that I never use [because I now have better ones] that I might be able to sell. I’m going to make an Excel spreadsheet, and every time I get an idea, I’ll write it down. If y’all have any ideas, let me know.

[I drafted all the above before I went to bed last night. This morning I sat down with Firstborn’s sock and the photo in the pattern, and I counted all the stitches, twice. Then I figured out where I’d misread the pattern and re-knitted it. One and a half times. Then I decided that for the leg of the sock, I want the cable at the front of the pattern round and not the back; otherwise, when I get to the end of the sock, I will have one row too much on the last cable, and it will drive me nuts. I know: not a drive, more like a short putt. But it’s fixed.]

Memo to self: do not even think of attempting to knit transition rows/rounds when sleepy.