Librocubicularist- August 2015

Once again this week has been a little rough. Just when one cat started to get better another of our cat started acting strange. Friday night we decided we needed to take him to the Vet to get checked out just in case. At the same time the pressure valve on our water heater started to leak. So Saturday morning my wonderful husband both arranged for an emergency cat appointment and replaced the valve.  They didn't find any obvious problems with Parker so they ended up doing blood tests and we had to wait for Monday to get the results. But on Monday I had jury duty. Jury duty where I needed to get up about an hour earlier than my usual earliest days. Jury duty where the usual parking area is closed for repairs and we had to be shuttle bused over from another place. Jury duty where it was 10:30 before I was even assigned to a panel then told to come back at 1pm. After I grabbed lunch I had to wait in the parking lot almost an hour before there was a shuttle to take me back. All of this to find out, at 2:30 in the afternoon that the trial was canceled and they didn't need us.

Parker snuggles his new kitten

After that I tried to relax for a while but realized I had library books to return so I ran out and did that. Then my husband messaged me that he hadn't heard from the Vet and was in a meeting so he couldn't call. So I called the Vet's office, found out Parker has some type of gallbladder trouble and I needed to bring him in for fluids and to pick up medication. I had an hour to get him there before they closed. After that I dropped him off at the house but needed to leave immediately to go to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled for the cat.

On top of all of this my husband is supposed to be leaving soon for a business trip. We were trying to save money up to cover his expenses but it's been eaten up by Vet bills. He'll be reimbursed for everything but it's still going to be pretty tight for a while. . . That is if the trip goes through. Right now everything is booked and ready to go for next week but they told him yesterday it may be pushed back again. For now we just have to be prepared for him to leave just in case but the constant shifting of the date is getting stressful.

So with all of that fitting books in has been difficult but also necessary. Books are how I relax after a hard day and what kept me from losing my mind due to boredom during all the jury duty wait times. The reviews below are just a few of the things I've read this month.


Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond: Crewel, Cross Stitch, Sashiko & More by Aimee Ray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book has instructions and patterns for designs using cross stitch, decorative and couching stitches, applique, redwork, crewel, sashiko, shisha (persian w/ mirrors), cutwork, stumpwork, and wired stumpwork. Projects range from embroidered cards to aprons, dolls, and cuff bracelets.

A small section at the back contains an overview of embroidery basics and stitches. It includes an easy to follow diagram, written description, and photo of each finished stitch.

My favorite projects are a canvas embroidered cuckoo clock and a nature walk sampler that uses shisha stitches to hold acorn caps and pebbles and shells.

Age Recommendation: Most kids should be able to do basic stitches using safe plastic needles. Some of the more complex projects such as creating 3d embroidery using wired stumpwork are best left for older/ more experienced stitchers.

The Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






This book is full of quilt block patterns from the 1930's accompanied by letters written to The Farmer's Wife magazine by women of that era. I really like some of the blocks in this book. They seem pretty complex since I'm a beginning quilter but it gives me something to aspire to. I only had time to read a few of the letters before I had to return it to the library, I'd like to have a chance to read it more. Comes with a CD that has cutting templates for all the blocks.


The Quilt Block Bible: 200+ Traditionally Inspired Quilt Blocks from Rosemary Youngs by Rosemary Youngs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Very similar to the Farmer's Wife series of quilt book this book is mostly a collection of blocks. This book is organized by block type and has sections for stars, pinwheels, and curves in addition to four and nine patch blocks. I'm very new to quilting but it looks like it has a range of simpler and more complex blocks. Like the Farmer's Wife series there is a companion CD that has templates for all of the blocks.

The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great book about cloud appreciation and how to identify various types of clouds. The descriptions of how the clouds form and their effect on the weather are both easy to follow and entertaining to read. There is a separate chapter for each of the 10 main cloud types with pictures of various species, scientific info, and tips for identification. Further chapters discuss supplementary cloud features, contrails, and cloud seeding. Filled with references to culture and history relating to clouds and diagrams illustrating the scientific side of clouds the book has a nice balance. My only disappointment with this book is the lack of color illustrations.

Age Recommendations: This book is written for adults but the science is easy enough to follow that I think it would be great book for teaching science. Its simple and entertaining enough to interest high school or middle school kids.

I previously read and reviewed the followup to this book, the Cloud Collector's Handbook in the May Librocularist post.