Knitted beanie

I knitted these beanies recently to donate. I combined two 4 ply skeins because my pattern calls for a 6 ply yarn ... they are thicker than the pattern calls for but warmer.

I found the pattern here and it was an easy pattern. 

I don't have a small 5.5mm circular needle so used 6.5mm so it's a bit bigger than a beanie and fits like a comfy hat.

With A and circular needles, cast on 80 sts. Place marker, join being careful not to twist sts.

• Rounds 1-8: Work in 2x2 Rib stitch pattern until beanie measures 2” (5 cm) from cast-on edge
• Rounds 9-22: Knit around

Shape Crown

• Round 1: Knit. 
• Round 2 (dec): *K6, K2tog; repeat from * around — 70 sts. 
• Round 3: Knit. 
• Round 4 (dec): *K5, K2tog; repeat from * around — 60 sts. 
• Round 5: Knit. 
• Round 6 (dec): *K4, K2tog; repeat from * around — 50 sts. 
• Round 7: Knit. 
• Round 8 (dec): *K3, K2tog; repeat from * around — 40 sts. 
• Round 9: Knit. 
• Round 10 (dec): *K2, K2tog; repeat from * around — 30 sts. 
• Round 11: Knit. 
• Round 12 (dec): *K1, K2tog; repeat from * around — 20 sts. 
• Round 13: Knit. 
• Round 14: *K2tog; repeat from * around — 10 sts. 

Finishing

Cut yarn leaving a 6” (15 cm) tail. With yarn needle, draw tail through remaining 10 sts twice, pull tightly and fasten off. Weave in ends. Block lightly. 

Book ~ "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Me and My Cat" (2024) Amy Newmark

From Goodreads ~ Be prepared to fall in love with your cat all over again as you read these heartwarming stories of pet parenthood, and the unconditional love, companionship and amusement our cats provide. 

We're all crazy about our cats. We can't get enough of them, and we can’t read enough about them. This book contains 101 of our very best cat stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul’s extensive library. Get cozy, cuddle with your cat and immerse yourself in these heartwarming, amusing, inspirational, and occasionally tearful stories about our favorite furry friends.

I love reading stories about animals plus we have two cats. Sister Sarah gave me this book for Christmas last year. There are 101 stories about kittens and cats and I tended to read a couple stories every week.

The chapters are:

• Meant to Be
• Miracles Happen
• My Very Good, My Very Bad Cat
• Who Rescue Whom?
• What I Learned from the Cat
• We are Family
• Natural Therapists
• Canine Friends
• A Cat's Purpose
• Over the Rainbow

The stories are a couple pages each so are a quick read and most were interesting, some not so much. Some were religious (not my thing). It's amazing how many were indoor/outdoor cats (ours are strictly indoor cats) and how uncaring the older folks tended to be.

Book ~ "The Widow" (2025) John Grisham

From Goodreads ~ Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune and no one knows about it. 

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder. 

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer. 

Simon is a small-town lawyer in rural Virginia barely keeping his life together ... his marriage is over, his finances are a mess, he has a gambling problem and his career feels stuck. Then Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow, walks into his office and becomes the most interesting client he’s ever had. She wants to redo her will and hints that she has a huge secret fortune. Simon thinks he’s finally caught a break and befriends her. But the more he gets involved in her life, the stranger things get. Eleanor has secrets, her family is complicated, she won't reveal her true assets and nothing about her past adds up. She has no one else so Simon ends up doing everything for her.

Then Eleanor ends up in a serious car accident and dies of what they suspect is pneumonia but is determined to not be. Suddenly Simon is in the middle of a murder investigation. Everyone’s pointing fingers and most of the clues seem to point to him. To clear his name, Simon has to dig into Eleanor’s hidden life and figure out who actually had something to gain from her death. What starts as rewriting a will turns into a messy, twisty mystery full of money, lies and people who aren’t at all what they seem.

It's been almost 10 years since I've read a John Grisham novel and I thought this one was okay. It was a bit long and draggy. It's written in third person perspective, usually with Simon being the focus. I found Simon to be very unlikable so it was hard to cheer for him after Eleanor died and his life got even worse. I wasn't buying the ending ... it came out of nowhere and was a disappointment considering the time I'd put into reading the book.

Knitted beanie

I knitted these beanies recently to donate. I combined two Red Heart Neon Roll With It Tweed skeins (both had colourful intertwined strands to start!) because my pattern calls for a 6 ply yarn and they were only 3 ply.

"DNA", The Theatre Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I volunteered this evening at The Theatre Centre (Queen Street W/Dovercourt Road) for DNA, which is there until Saturday. It's an interesting story with a surprise twist at the end and the performers acted well in their parts. 

In the sprawls of an urban cityscape, ten teenagers grapple with the consequences of their actions. Adam is dead, and it’s everyone’s fault. So what now? Fixated on the adult lives ahead of them, they’ll do anything it takes to avoid responsibility. The good news? Ray has a plan but she needs everyone’s help. Presented for the first time in Toronto, Dennis Kelly’s DNA investigates morality, leadership, and the primal nature of youth.

Left Field Brewery, Toronto, ON (Liberty Village)

Gord & I had supper this evening with Christine & Alfred and Rosemary & Kevin Left Field Brewery in Liberty Village. 

Remembrance Day, Fort York, Toronto, ON

Gord and I attended the The Remembrance Day service at the Strachan Avenue Military Burial Ground on Garrison Common at Fort York. It’s always a lovely one with local politicians, representatives from the police and fire departments, soldiers and more.

There are various speakers including someone from the indigenous community and a minister.

Book ~ "Torn Asunder" (2024) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ A short boat ride from Busman’s Harbor, Maine, Morrow Island is a perfect spot for a wedding - and a Snowden Family Clambake. Julia Snowden is busy organizing both - until a mysterious wedding crasher drops dead amid the festivities.

Julia’s best friend and business partner, Zoey, is about to marry her policeman boyfriend. Of course, a gorgeous white wedding dress shouldn’t be within fifty yards of a plate of buttery lobster - so that treat is reserved for the rehearsal dinner. Julia is a little worried about the timing, though, as she works around a predicted storm.

When a guest falls to the floor dead, it turns out that no one seems to know who he is, despite the fact that he’s been actively mingling. And when an injection mark is spotted on his neck, it’s clear this wasn’t caused by a shellfish allergy. Now, as the weather deteriorates and a small group is stranded on the island with the body - and the killer - Julia starts interrogating staff, family members, and Zoey’s artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene.

Julia is living on Morrow Island, running the family’s clambake business while helping plan her best friend, Zoey’s wedding. Everything’s set for a perfect weekend until, during the rehearsal dinner, an uninvited guest collapses and dies. What first looks like a medical emergency quickly turns into a murder investigation. Then a storm traps some of the guests, along with the soon-to-be bride and groom, on the island giving Julia and her boyfriend, state police detective Tom, opportunity to ask questions.

This is the 12th (and last) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. It's written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a quick read and a cozy mystery so there is no violence, swearing or adult activity. The "whodunit" was obvious but I was okay with that. It was farfetched that so many of the guests happened to be connected not only to Zoey but randomly to each other.

Since it was the last in the series, all the loose ends were tied up and everyone had a happy ending. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including baked lobster tails, fennel and orange salad and chocolate-covered toffee squares.

KC's tree, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

I stopped by Trinity Bellwoods Park this morning and visited KC's tree. It's been snowing since yesterday (our first snowfall of the season).