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Monday, February 23, 2015

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I know, I'm way behind on this one.  I'd been meaning to pick Gone Girlup for ages, and even managed to avoid any spoilers, but I never got around to reading it.  Then I started seeing previews for the movie last summer, and wanted to see that; but of course, I had to read the book first (I always have to read the book first).  I requested it from the library; so did every other person in Queens, so I didn't actually get it into my hands until December (I know, I'm late with the review).  (No, I haven't seen the movie yet.)

It's really good!  I'm not generally a fan of thrillers, but this is smart and well written.  It's also a sharply witty novel, as Flynn expertly satirizes modern romantic relations, the over-privileged, and the media (and people's obsession with it).  The first half alternates between Nick's first person narrative of the events following the disappearance of his wife Amy, and Amy's journal entries from the start of their relationship up until the disappearance; the dual narrative continues in the second half, in a different form.  It becomes clear rather quickly that neither is a reliable narrator, and part of the fun comes from trying to figure out who is playing whom, and what the next twist will be -- a bizarre, insane riff on the typical "he said, she said" depiction of a relationship.  Both Nick and Amy are highly intelligent and deeply, deeply flawed, and I alternated between wanting to see them succeed and fail in their manipulations.  Not until the very end did my detached (they are horrible people) enjoyment turn to horror when I realized an innocent party would someday pay for all that happened.  That thought left me genuinely distressed.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Whimsical Herringbone Flower Earrings

The problem:
I loved these earrings, but the deep purple finish on the size 11 beads wore off.

The inspiration:
I pulled these socks on, and thought the color combination needed to make its way into my jewelry box.

The solution:
The pattern is "Whimsical Herringbone Flowers" by Bonnie O'Donnell-Painter, from the October 2006 issue of Bead & Button.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Lots o' Hearts

I took the two beaded hearts from last year and attached them to a third heart, made from even bigger beads:

A felt Scandinavian heart basket (I need to fill it with something):





A simple heart pendant, pattern from the Purl Bee:

I quilted and finished the heart quilt:
Rather than my usual faux binding, I decided to practice with a real binding made from bias strips I cut myself.  And ... I need the practice.  There are some unfortunate lumps and tucks, partly from last of skill, partly from rushing to finish while the baby napped, and partly from using a batting I don't normally use.  Oh well.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Number 9

Cocoa Eyes clued me into the the Pi Project, and how could I resist?  I made a 9 from silk, felt, and wool, and will shortly be shipping it to Washington to become part of the art project for March 14, 2015 -- Pi Day.