A Finish

My first pair of what I suspect will be many Zip Mitts is finished... or is it? I've been playing around with some "wooly tattoos" to spice up the plain tops of them and finding it frustrating to work both inside a cylinder and on an irregular surface. The yarn shop has the same yummy yarn in a peachy pink color that has bewitched my senses, so another pair in that color way is next on my list.

I've grabbed a few books from the library that closely follow my favorite theme... nature. The only one that isn't a children's book (oh, the illustrations) is Bringing Nature Home by Univ. of Delaware professor Douglas Tallamy. The book is a comprehensive guide to the importance of keeping America's native species on your property instead of falling for many varieties of non-native plants sold for their ornamental value in big box stores. Many of our native plants can be equally impressive in the garden, and as the author states, "A plant that has not fed something has not done its job." The book focuses largely on the top 20 plants that are hosts to yummy bugs, supporting Tally's theory that diverse wildlife in your yard starts with a diverse insect population to feed it. Fascinating book, this one is.

I am also enjoying The Sun, The Rain, and The Appleseed: A Novel of Johnny Appleseed's Life. My 3rd-grade nephew enjoys singing the Johnny Appleseed blessing at school so, when I saw this on the shelf in juvenile fiction, it piqued my interest. I like it so far, but I always get myself stuck in this mire with historical fiction biographies, where it is about the person's life but written after the fact by a modern author and so much of daily life is assumed. My brain wants to make it all factual and then I'm left hanging when something contradicts.

What are you crafting and reading? Join Ginny for show and tell.