I've knit some more
dark grey, and thought some more about what to do to get away from it. I still
have a bag of assorted Shetland yarns, completely undiminished by the knitting of
a Dathan hap. Perhaps another EPS, with multiple stripes? I know that there’s a
Dathan garment pattern available, but when I saw one once, at a class I was
attending at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival (those were the days!) it was sliding
off its wearer’s shoulders. I also thought about the Orkney hat, in some
sleepless stretches of last night, and I think I have decided to knit it flat
and seam it. The problem is the essential vertical stripe. But I've done no more.
And that’s about
it, for knitting.
Life’s problems
and decisions
Does anybody know an
easy way to restore a computer to the Roman alphabet, when it starts writing
Greek? There must be a way to do it quickly from the keyboard, because Perdita
constantly does it in the opposite direction. She’s a very clever cat, as I’ve
said, but even so… When it happens, I restart, but that’s slow.
What do we think
about Audible? I was rather tempted today, as I sat there reading “House of
Mirth” when I could have been knitting. Why not both? And Eleanor Bron is the
reader, and it’s unabridged. On the other hand, £8 a month (that’s eight pounds,
not dollars) is a lot, and the credit card that would be involved is not one I
use on-line so I fear that cancelling might be beyond my abilities. On the
other hand again, I can have “Il Gattopardo” in Italian.
I’m enjoying “House
of Mirth”, although I can see that it’s unlikely to end well. I was about to
say that a seriously well-written book is never entirely depressing, but then I
remembered a Scottish classic, “The House with the Green Shutters”, of about
the same date as “House of Mirth”, which is about as depressing as you can get.
My local library has an arrangement with BorrowBox whereby we can use our library card number to access audiobooks free of charge. It doesn't carry books by all my favourite authors but has enough to have kept me entertained throughout lockdown and beyond.
ReplyDeleteJust looked and see Borrowbox have House of Mirth. Perhaps I'll give it a try. I've been working my way through Anne Tyler's novels which are good books to knit to.
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to Audible at $14.00 and enjoyed several books; especially The Library Book. What I learned, after an unpleasant surprise, is to listen to a sample before subscribing to a particular book. One reader, who happened to be the author, had an absolutely horrible speaking/reading voice.
ReplyDeleteI have unsubscribed to the monthly charge now that I can borrow books from the library. I haven't tried it quite yet as I still have a few books I can access. I do like the fact of listening while knitting. I had lots of trouble reading and knitting. I would lose my place both places. In the States, Overdrive is the place to borrow books for the Kindle once in the library system. Not sure about audible...
I googled how to reset keyboard language and all the methods seem too complex for a cat to do repeatedly. Under System Preferences there seems to be a way to remove a language and maybe you should remove Chinese. Or maybe somehow a keyboard shortcut was installed, and you could remove that shortcut. Did someone else use your laptop to use Chinese? maybe a repairman?
ReplyDeleteI have been known to knit and read at the same time. This is easy when doing stocking stitch, less so when cabling is involved. What you need is a fun project. If you have a big selection of Shetland, then Kaffe Fassett's Coins scarf absolutely fits the bill. I really enjoyed knitting it. I did line mine since Shetland can be a tad itchy and I am sure I will enjoy wearing it. I admit that I didn't actually buy the pattern, I just looked closely at the picture.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy audiobooks, but it is important to have a listen first. Library access is useful. I have the audiobook (in English) of Il Gattopardo, but have not listened to it yet. This summer I did The Odyssey, the Iliad, and The Warmth of Other Suns. I highly recommend the last book, and think every white American should read it. Beautifully read and written.
ReplyDeleteI love Audible, have been a member since 2004 and have 462 books in my Audible library. I don't pay by the month, but buy credits that last for a year. It is possible to "return" books that you don't like. There are readers that I absolutely love (ie Patrick Tull) and some that I don't. Usually, they are just fine if not perfect. I usually listen on my phone (downloading is very fast). Recommend highly.
ReplyDeleteI mostly listen while knitting, sewing, or driving the car when alone.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine does almost all audio books. I think she uses Audible and the Overdrive App from the library (I am in California).
ReplyDeleteI have listened to audio books from the library app, but I have a bad habit of tuning them out while I concentrate on whatever else I am doing and have to rewind, sometimes several times. Multitasking is not my forte.
I cannot get in the habit with audio books. I used the library to get an idea of it and even borrowed books I've already read thinking I could follow that better. But I hated it. I got bluetooth earphones so I could wander the house and not bother my husband, but that didn't help either. I wish I could do it. Instead I watch awful things on TV to accompany my knitting; it doesn't matter if I don't really pay any attention to that crap. Apparently all I really need is a fairly friendly voice to accompany my knitting, not actual content.
ReplyDeleteKeyboard: on mine (a PC), left-alt+shift toggles from one keyboard to the next and back again. There are other key combos you can set up to do the same thing. Perhaps Archie or Fergus will talk you through finding which one your machine is using. Clearly Perdita knows, but is not telling.
ReplyDeleteI vote for the library — I get ebooks and audiobooks without ever leaving home. Very useful in a pandemic. And, if you don’t like the reader, they are easily returned.
ReplyDeleteI have listened to many, many books while ironing, sewing, knitting, whatever. I love listening and there are some series that I just love the narrator's voice. Books by Louise Penny, for instance.
ReplyDeleteIf your keyboard is switching between Greek and English then do you think Greek Helen could help? I have a friend who's daughter has moved to Greece and maybe she would know the secret..
ReplyDelete