Cute or Not?

I'm trying to decide if this sweater from J. Crew is cute or not. I love the shape, but I'm not so sure about the print. I know the price ($115) is really outside my usual range for sweaters.

What do you think?

Think, Think, Think

I've been nominated for a Thinking Blogger award by PJ over at The Urban Recluse (thanks, PJ!). It came at a great time, as I've been wondering whether to keep this blog going. I humbly accept my award and will now follow the rules.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

So here are five great blogs that always make me think:

Seth's Blog -- I've been following Seth Godin since he was writing for Fast Company magazine many years ago. He has an ability to really cut to the chase and drill down to the essential business questions to ask.

So Many Yarns -- My goddess of knitting. I always think I can knit better after reading about what she's doing (it's not true at all, but it's nice to think so!).

Consumerist -- Great consumer protection information, as well as ways to spend (and save) money effectively.

Design*Sponge -- Probably the best spot on the Web for anything related to design. I'm always discovering new ideas and new things to think about on that site.

The Bluestalking Reader -- Lisa has such a great writing style that I love her posts, no matter what the topic.

Women In Art

Another treat for the eyes and ears.

Women In Film

I don't think I've ever posted a YouTube video before. I really don't spend much time there at all. But you've got to see this video. It's just beautiful and a lot of fun to watch.

Stephen King on J.K. Rowling

Check out this wonderful essay by Stephen King about J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter phenomenon.

It was children whom Ms. Rowling — like her Fear Street precursor, but with considerably more skill — captivated first, demonstrating with the irrefutable logic of something like 10 bazillion books sold that kids are still perfectly willing to put aside their iPods and Game Boys and pick up a book...if the magic is there. That reading itself is magical is a thing I never doubted. I'd give a lot to know how many teenagers (and preteens) texted this message in the days following the last book's release: DON'T CALL ME TODAY I'M READING.

How cool would it be to sit down and have lunch with King and Rowling? That could be a book in itself.

P.S. There are spoilers in the article, so if you're still not done, don't click through.

Hah!

So the knitting problem was, in fact, not my problem. It's the pattern. I started over on a sample swatch today. The truth is, the pattern just doesn't work at the smallest size given. I know math isn't my forte, but after several minutes of carefully counting stitches and following the pattern, I know I'm right. The perils of finding a free pattern on the Internet, I guess. Fortunately, I've decided to go up a size anyway, and I can tell already that the pattern will work with a few more stitches on the needle.

This is good, because I'm really getting tired of basic stitches and very long scarves.

Miscellaneous

I haven't posted for ages, mostly due to a recent bout of insomnia. The irony is that I take medication to help me sleep. Guess it's time to up the dosage. At any rate, some random musings...

... lack of sleep has meant lots of reading time. I've finished The Sons of Caeser, Everyone Worth Knowing and am more than halfway through This Side of Paradise. It strikes me that I might be getting more out of it if I wasn't so brain dead lately...

... I really wish I knew why knitting a very simple lace pattern completely escapes me. I tried again yesterday (after a failed attempt last week) to get a new project going, with an unbelievably simple lace pattern. By Row 4 of the 8-row pattern, I was already off. And I don't have enough knitting experience to figure out how to undo one row at a time. Which means I probably have to start over. What is it with me and lace?...

... I don't think I've blogged about this, but I discovered StumbleUpon a few months ago. It's a very cool Web-based service. You set up your profile and pick from a list of interests. Then you install the StumbleUpon toolbar in your browser. Hit the Stumble button to pull up a random site. It's very addictive -- basically like flipping channels on TV. What I can't figure out is why so many people still have splash pages on their Web site. Splash pages seem very 1999 to me...

... If you haven't started watching Mad Men on AMC, check it out. It's very well done. I used to work in an advertising agency, so seeing one set in 1960 is pretty cool. The sets and clothing are just amazing...

Normal (i.e., coherent) posting will resume after I've caught up on sleep.