Scrappy Shawl and "1776"

     In the midst of knitting a green scarf and green cowl and fingerless gloves in brown, I have found I hungered for color.  And who can blame me, for it is a cold brown and white world out there?  A quick scan in Ravelry and I found the Scrappy Bias Shawl and I grabbed some leftover Hawthorne Fingering Multi Yarn I have from last year.  I'm finding it satisfies the need for color and since this project has no immediate deadline I just enjoy doing it.  Again mindless knitting at it's best!

     I'm enjoying listening to "John Adams" By David McCollough on Audible immensely.  I listen all day while I knit and I'm halfway through.  This past weekend I found a hardback copy in a used bookstore and with credit from books traded in I spent $2.50 on it!  What a treasure.  When it first came out, almost 20 years ago I remember staring at it, wanting it, promising myself it'd be a gift to myself at some occasion and then walking away with a sigh.  This copy has uncut edges (deckle edges) and is very handsome.

Deckle Edges (uncut)

     I'm reading several books about The American Revolutionary War in order to get a better picture of what happened.  I love listening to "John Adams" but it's like a teaser on The Revolutionary War.  Adams, of course, is there for the First and Second Continental Congress (1775, 1776) in Philidelphia, but not present at any battles, so the biography covers each battle in about a sentence.  Then in 1778 Adams with son John Quincy Adams sails off as a diplomat to first France for most of the remainder of the war (this voyage in itself is a thrilling read).  So our attention is also shifted away towards his efforts to negotiate overseas with first the French, then the Dutch, then finally the English.  His efforts bore little fruit until the victory at Yorktown, Oct 1781.  The peace treaty wouldn't ultimately be signed for two more years - After Yorktown: 1781-1783 And The Treaty of Paris.

John Adams 1783 by John Copley 

"Painted in London soon after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, 

this grand portrait commemorates Adams’s role in securing American independence." Harvard Art Museum

     I initially consulted a very good source the "Journal of The American Revolution" which lists "The 100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time".   It breaks American Revolution books down to All-In-One books (an overall look at the war), books with a focus on Origins, People, Politics and Conflict and War.  From these recommendations, I got a new All in One book and a book focused on the warfare itself and I'll go into them later.  Right now I'm tackling "1776" also by David McCullough to get a better feel for that year, and so far I'm enjoying that one too.  I love this particular author having read several of his works before, whether it's a flood or building a bridge or describing an artist his words just resonate and capture my interest.  

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