A MUST READ & I must now knit

Something those of you who have been reading my babble for years may or may not know about me... I lLOOOVE hardcover books. They just FEEEEL GOOOD in my hands. I travel the world often toting a hardcover book or two along. I read paperbacks when that's all that's available, but give me a good hard cover volume any day!
I don't understand how people can read books only on their PDAs/Pocket computers - no offense to those of you who can. If I got the same joy from that, there would be SO MUCH more space in my New York City apartment.

Yes, I love books and I keep them. I buy them and keep them. Which is good news for publishers, but not for space within my apartment. I blame it on my parents.

Why the topic of hardcover books?

While eating my breakfast at my desk in a factory in the remote suburbs of Dongguan, I just finished a truly funny book that I've carried with me around China.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Some of you may know her from back in the early days of blogging when many of us followed along with her Project. Then the book was published and there is (slightly old) news of the book being optioned for a MOVIE with names like Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci being thrown around!! EXCITING!!!!

You can see a VidLit selection from the book here.


The premise...well if you'd read the blog you'd know now wouldn't you? But in case you didn't...

1 self proclaimed Government Drone living in a shitty loft apartment in Queens decides to make all 536 recipes in the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child. I have a copy of it. It's a legend in the cook book world...and quite an undertaking since she gave herself the deadline of a single year to complete it all. She wrote about the Project through out the year in her blog. Has a great sense of humour with a proclivity for dropping f*bombs to strike home the point and will leave you wanting more.


Buy the book.

Read the book.

It's damned funny.


It had me laughing out loud on the subways of New York City, while I waited for my turn in the chair for an unexpected root canal and in the Shanghai airport as I waited in the queues (as written about here.)


The funny thing about reading in public (RIP) as opposed to knitting in public (KIP). When I KIP I find people are intrigued and stare and wonder, often asking, "what are you making?" But when I RIP and dare to laugh out loud, which I do often when something strikes me as funny, people look at me as though I'm being rude. It's as though I'm laughing at a joke that they worry either concerns them or that they are missing. Hell with it. Let 'em think they're missing out...perhaps they are. They should go get the book and read it themselves. (Julie - is it printed in Chinese yet? The pages I've read to my team with the help of translation have had them laughing too!) But the book is done. This brought to the realization that I don't have another book with me.


What does this mean? This means my Adjusted Incan Pullover [tunic] is going to be worked on again. I'm about 1/3 of the way finished with it. You all know how much I love to knit...but a girl can only take so much plain old knitting. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I put in some short rows to allow it to fit nicely over my curves. That was fun. Now it's back to the plain knit. It's good to do in the movie theatre, on a plane or when watching TV...but can be boring when I'm looking for something mind fulfilling...even stripes would help. I know, I picked it. It will be very cute! I look forward to wearing it.

Cotton Millefili Fine by Lifatura Di Crosa (which slits a little when using 5s), in a beautiful orange with white accents. Oooh, it'll go so nicely with the white pique trousers that I'm having made.

I need a knitting afternoon with the girls. That would help me get along with it. Oh yah. I'm in China. Hmmm...maybe on May 1st? I'll be in HK and it's a holiday! Or the afternoon of May 2nd? Hong Kong Ladies? Are you free?


But that's neither here nor there for now. I've fascinators to design today. The days are ticking away. I can't believe May comes in a few days. This whole thing about having no assistant (qualified or other) due to budget cuts due to our lousy economy due to... *sigh*

It just sucks. Thankfully I'll have the aid of my friends' niece again for the actual photo shoot days. I absolutely need to have someone there to assist on those days since I'm acting as Design Director, Producer and Art Director.


Samples are all due in NYC in two weeks. Photo shoot process starts in 8 days.

I guess I'd better go finish designing the collection eh?