Treat Yourself, Miss Julia, & the Veggie Shawl

Today is my last day of school! This appears on a cement block on the wall outside my classroom, part of a tradition of seniors painting various blocks before they graduate. Every year on the last day, I take a snapshot and yell "Treat Yourself!" to no one in particular.

In case you are unfamiliar with the concept of "Treat Yourself", here's a brief explanation:

In the spirit of treating myself, I finished my test knit of the "Veggie Garden" shawl by Clothesline Designs this week. I knit this with the colorway "Dad's Plaid Shirt" by Robin Barraud of Robin's Roost on etsy. The colorway looks just like a garden to me; green peppers, red tomatoes, yellow cucumber flowers, the combination just looks like the view outside my window at the height of summer!

(If you hurry over to her shop, she's have a $5 off every skein sale, no coupon necessary!)

This pattern will be available on Ravelry on Friday, June 25th.  There are 2 versions, one with a solid section (the one I knit), and one with 3 rows of the lace. I loved this pattern so much I may just knit the second version this summer!

In book news, I started the Miss Julia series last week after a recommendation in the Book Chat thread of my podcast's Ravelry group.  There's a lot going on in my life these days, and I wanted a light, entertaining read with a little mystery and adventure.

Miss Julia is a recently widowed southern woman of a certain age (much like some of my mother's friends in Texas although this takes place in North Carolina).  The first book, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind deals with how she handles the discovery of her husband's long term affair after his death and the son that relationship produced.  Little Lloyd, the boy, is unceremoniously dumped on Julia by his mother at the start of the book.  Finding his mother while dealing with unsavory preachers, chauvinistic ministers, and nosy townspeople keeps Julia busy.  There's a car chase, a kidnapping, a hilarious misunderstanding, and the beginnings of a romance I hope to see continue in the subsequent books.

So if you want to treat yourself, pick up some of Robin's Yarn, the "Veggie Shawl" pattern, and a copy of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind - a great way to start summer vacation!