Basket Rib Stitch Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate. I found the basket rib stitch pattern on New Stitch a Day's website. 

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Holly Jolly) and 6.5mm needles. 

Cast on multiples of 2 stitches plus 1 (I cast on 23 stitches). To avoid the sides curling, I knit 3 stitches at the beginning and end of each row.

• K4 rows in garter stitch
• Row 1 (RS): Knit all sts
• Row 2: K3, marker, purl all sts, marker, k3
• Row 3: K3, marker, *K1, sl 1; rep from * to last st, k1, marker, k3
• Row 4: K3, marker,*K1, wyif, sl 1, wyib; rep from * to last st, k1, marker, k3
• Repeat rows 1 to 4, knitting to the desired length
• K4 rows in garter stitch
• Bind off

Book ~ "Dead Men Don't Play Fetch" (2026) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ It’s defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s dream to retire. That goal is once again thwarted when he gets a call from Lou, an old friend who he simply cannot refuse, asking for a favor. Lou runs a rehab center, and when one of his patients, a homeless vet, is charged with first degree murder, he needs Andy's help. And of course, Andy will also be called on to care for the accused’s dog, but that’s okay, what's one more dog?

The man that Jason Maddox is accused of stabbing to death is none other than billionaire Paul Vincent, an eccentric businessman and inventor. Bickert dedicated a great portion of his life to philanthropy, with a soft spot for dog-related causes. This led him to befriend Jason, a physicist and war hero, whose life fell apart to the point where he ended up on the streets with his dog, just trying to survive.

But why would Jason possibly have wanted to kill him? Well, for one thing, he was to receive a fortune in Vincent's will. That, coupled with the fact that Jason was at the scene, his fingerprints were on the knife, and Vincent's wallet was in his jacket, made it a slam dunk arrest.

Once again, Andy is enmeshed in a puzzling, twisty case. But in order to reunite a man and his dog, Andy will have to untangle it all.

Andy Carpenter is a criminal defense lawyer who doesn't really want any clients. Thanks to the money his father left him and a few lucrative cases over the years, he can afford to spend most of his time running the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue he founded with his friend Willie. He's happily married to Laurie, they have a teenage son, Ricky, and share their home with three dogs. 

Jason Maddox, a homeless veteran and recovering addict, is accused of killing wealthy businessman, Paul Vincent. The evidence against Jason is overwhelming ... he was found at the scene, his fingerprints are on the weapon and he appears to have a financial motive. Despite this, Jason insists he's innocent and Andy agrees to defend him because he has a dog and as a favour to a friend.

While investigating the case, Andy discovers that things are more complicated than they first appear. With help from his team, he digs into Vincent's background, uncovers secrets and hidden connections, and searches for the real story behind the murder. Andy works to clear his client's name and uncover the truth about who killed Paul Vincent and why so he can be reunited with his dog, Hope, who is being taken care of by Willie.

This is the 33rd book in the Andy Carpenter series. I've read them all and I'm still enjoying them. While there are references to previous books, this one works well as a standalone so new readers can jump right in without feeling lost. The story is told primarily from Andy's first-person perspective and his observations are funny, sarcastic and amusing. 

I like Andy. He seems like he'd be a lot of fun to spend time with, and he's generous with both his time and his money. He never charges clients for his services and always picks up the tab for his friends at his favourite restaurant, even when he's not there. Andy is the first to admit that he's a wimp, which is why he relies on the K-Team ... Laurie, a former police officer turned investigator, handles much of the legwork, Marcus has his own unique way of dealing with bad guys, Cory, another former police officer, rounds out the team along with his former police dog, Simon Garfunkel and Sam, Andy's accountant and computer hacker, who is always eager to get involved in the action whenever he can.

My fall

Two Sundays ago (May 31) I was walking down Dovercourt Road and tripped on some uneven sidewalk. The right side of my face landed on a pointy rock. Jon and Grace, a couple who live nearby, saw what happened and rushed over and took care of me. Aglaya was walking by and stopped to help. She took me to the hospital and stayed with me until Gord arrived. 

A CT scan was done on my head and there was nothing fractured and no brain bleeding. Yay! I ended up with two stitches above my right eyebrow and a tetanus shot. Over the last 2 weeks, my face became very colourful with bruising, which is now mostly gone. I still have a goose egg on my right eyebrow, which recently also turned into a bruise. My energy and spirit have been low and I've been laying low recovering but I've started feeling better the last couple of days. Yay! 

I had lots of fun stuff planned for the last two weeks ... supper with friends, 2 volunteer shifts at the Daily Bread Food Bank, 8 volunteer shifts with Luminato Festival and my last intermediate line dancing class until September, which all happened without me.

Book ~ "Mean Girl Murder" (2018) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ The Halloween Parade is coming up and former CIA agent-turned-suburbanite Merry Wrath’s Girl Scout Troop hopes to repeat a 1st place trophy for the 3rd year in a row. But when they find a dead woman dressed as a witch, a mysterious treasure and face a ruthless kidnapping, it looks like Merry’s in for a different kind of triple threat.

To add fuel to her bonfire, Mom’s in town - meaning Merry has to replace all that bullet-riddled furniture in the guest room - and wither her wedding date approaching, her groom-to-be's twin taxidermist sisters are insisting on doing the decorating.

Between her family fiascoes and a dead witch who was loathed by everyone in town, Merry's head is spinning faster than an apple in a bobbing barrel. Who wanted this mean girl dead? Will this Halloween end with a treat? Or has Merry been tricked?

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. She returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life. She's engaged to Rex, a police officer, who lives across the street.

During the town's Halloween festivities, Merry and her scouts discover the body of a woman who was not particularly well-liked by many people in the community. Despite promising Rex she'll stay out of it, as Merry looks into the murder, she uncovers plenty of suspects and finds herself dealing with other unexpected problems, including a possible treasure hunt and a kidnapping. At the same time, she is trying to prepare for her upcoming wedding. The story follows Merry as she works to piece together the clues behind the murder while juggling the many personal and community obligations that keep landing on her doorstep.

This is the eighth in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Granite Stitch Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate. I found the granite stitch pattern on New Stitch a Day's website. 

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Holly Jolly) and 6.5mm needles. 

Cast on multiples of 2 stitches (I cast on 24 stitches). 

• Row 1: Knit all stitches 
• Row 2: *K2tog; rep from * to end 
• Row 3: *(K1, p1) into same stitch; rep from * to end 
• Row 4: Purl all stitches
• Repeat rows 1 to 4, knitting to the desired length
• Bind off

Book ~ "Dreamer's Daughter: Surviving My Childhood and Raising My Father" (2026) Lori Thicke

From Goodreads ~ In a mining town where hope is as tapped out as the gold, a mother abandons her two children, leaving them in the custody of their free-spirited father. Colorful and larger-than-life, Dacker is a dreamer who fails spectacularly at everything except loving his kids. When they lose everything in a house fire, Dacker considers this the ultimate freedom and leads his children on a cross-country road trip that will force them to rely on his wits and dubious judgment. Amid the chaos, Lori must raise herself and her younger brother - and, on occasion, her father. When she strives for independence, she discovers that it’s hard to leave home when home has wheels and keeps following you around.

"Dreamer’s Daughter" is a life-affirming story about forgiving our parents - and ourselves. It’s a celebration of the love we find in even the most unconventional families, and how sometimes we need to leave home to find our way back.

I like reading memoirs and bios/autobios, especially when they happen here in Canada.

This is the author's memoir about growing up with a father who was loving and charismatic but rarely able to provide stability. After Lori and Brad, her younger brother, are abandoned by their mother, their father, Dacker, raises them on his own while chasing a series of big dreams and business ventures that rarely work out. As a result, the family moves frequently, struggles financially and lives an unpredictable lifestyle. The author often finds herself taking on adult responsibilities at a young age, helping care for her brother and, in many ways, looking after her father. Despite the challenges, she shares many adventures with him and has a deep bond with him. 

This memoir follows the author from childhood into adulthood as she tries to make sense of her unconventional upbringing, her relationship with her absent mother and the impact her father's choices had on her life.

I thought this book was okay. I found myself frustrated with the choices her father (whose brother was the late Alan Thicke's father) made and his belief that everything would work out (sometimes it did but usually it didn't). I was also frustrated with the actions the author made as a teenager, though they can be excused since she was dealing with the bad decisions her parents had made. The memoir ends in 1986 as she is heading off to Paris, Dacker had driven to Mexico and Brad was living on Vancouver Island. It would have been nice to have a summary chapter at the end to let us know what happened to her, Dacker and Brad in the last 40 years. As a head's up, there is swearing and drug use.

Double Woven Stitch Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate. I found the double woven stitch pattern on New Stitch a Day's website. 

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Holly Jolly) and 6.5mm needles. 

Cast on multiples of 4 stitches (I cast on 24 stitches). To avoid the sides curling, I knit 3 stitches at the beginning and end of each row.

• K4 rows in garter stitch
• Row 1: (Right side) K3, marker, k3, *yf, sl 2, yb, k2; rep from *to last st, k1, marker, k3
• Row 2: K3, marker, purl, marker, k3
• Row 3: K3, marker, k1, *yf, sl 2, yb, k2; rep from * to last 3 sts, yf, sl 2, yb, k1, marker, k3
• Row 4: K3, marker, purl, marker, k3
• Repeat rows 1 to 4, knitting to the desired length
• K4 rows in garter stitch
• Bind off

Book ~ "Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet: A Memoir in Pieces" (2026) Mary Walsh

From Goodreads ~ In this sharply observed and wryly funny collection of essays on identity, family, and belonging, Mary Walsh takes readers on a rollicking—and sometimes difficult, but never boring—journey through her life. Her subjects range from the heartbreak of growing up next door to her family, to Newfoundland’s vibrant and not altogether happy entry into the Canadian confederation, to the behind-the-scenes of her wildly popular CBC shows, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes, to her complicated relationship with her complicated mother, and to her struggles with alcohol, self-doubt, and what it means to connect with those around her. 

The result is a collection of essays that are deftly comical, vividly rendered, heartachingly vulnerable and, above all, hopeful. In the end, Mary learns the trials and hurdles (some self-inflicted) that she endured in her younger years only make the process of aging all the sweeter. The message she now has is a powerful her older years are her best ones yet, because she’s finally learned to accept who she is.

This memoir is a series of personal essays. It explores key moments from Walsh’s life, including her childhood in Newfoundland, her family relationships, her experiences in Canadian entertainment and her personal struggles with alcohol and self-doubt. 

With the essays, Walsh reflects on themes of identity, belonging, family, aging and personal growth. She tells of memories of growing up, examines her relationship with her mother, and discusses Newfoundland’s history and place within Canada. The memoir also includes behind-the-scenes accounts of her work on CBC productions, including "This Hour Has 22 Minutes". 

The essays combine personal stories with reflections on the challenges and experiences that shaped her life. She traces her journey from childhood and early adulthood to later life, focusing on the events, relationships and experiences that influenced her understanding of herself and the world around her.

I like reading memoirs and bio/autobio and I like Mary Walsh, a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. I figured she would tell an interesting story and she did. I knew nothing about her childhood and most of the events that happened must have been traumatising. I'm glad she's been able to find peace and living life as she wants. Though it's written in essay format, not a style I usually enjoy, I liked the writing style and this book. As a head's up, there is swearing.