Stash and Bones

It might be more than a week since my birthday, but I'm still getting presents!  Yesterday Chris picked me up from work and handed me a smaller, soft, gift wrapped present.  Inside was yarn!  Evidently he ordered it before my birthday but it didn't show up in time.  Which is fine because I was totally caught off guard by the pretties inside.

Barking Dog Yarn Opposites Attract in Heathcliff and Catherine

Not only is this yarn awesome because it's named after one of my personal favorite tragic couples (I may be very much not a Jane Austin person, but I love me some Bronte sisters), but it is also the concept of the yarn that I find really inspiring.  These are two coordinating colorways in which the main color of one is the accent color of the other.  Each skein is about 200 yards, or enough for your average sock, so that you can knit fraternal socks that actually match!  They were designed for the OppAtt socks, but I've seen some very tempting Monkeys on Ravelry.  Maybe I'll get another couple and give those a go later on.

Yesterday brought to me not only yarn, but also a very unique opportunity, at least for me.  I got to go to a Kathy Reichs book signing!  Now while you may look at your screen and go, oh she's here every year for her book tours, remember something.  I grew up in a very lovely but very small town.  While the geography inspires authors, they seldom come to visit when they go on book tours.  I would not have even known that she was nearby if I had not happened to glance at my twitter when she tweeted about it.

As the loyal fan I am I did buy her latest book, Seizure, which I immediately started last night.  It might take me a while to finish because I'm not going to lug a signed copy up to SAFF with me this weekend, nor will I drag it around as my lunch book (my copy of Heat Rises has a tragic tear in one of the pages from one too many days spent in my purse).  I know I will love it, as I have loved all of her books.  I actually have not read the latest Tempe book because I have a sort of tradition started back when I was working necessary but miserable summer jobs to pay for college.  Every summer the paperback of the previous year's release is published and is sold in such mundane places as the local drug store.  Well, no matter where I've lived or where I work there is always a drug store that sells these paperbacks.  I can't tell you how much I relished my escape into Tempe's world on my lunch breaks at McDonalds or when I was a hotel housekeeper.  I actually missed my bus stop one time in Pittsburgh last summer because I was so absorbed in my book.

It meant so much to me to meet Ms. Reichs and have her sign my book.  She is truly a lovely woman.  I just wish I could have thought of something to say to her besides "My mom said to tell you you are her hero."