Drowning in $20,000 of credit card debt, shopaholic Karyn Bosnak asked strangers for money online -- and it worked!

What would you do if you owed $20,000? Would you: A) not tell your parents? B) start your own website that asked for money without apology? or C) stop coloring your hair, getting pedicures, and buying Gucci? If you were Karyn Bosnak, you'd do all three.Karyn received e-mails from people all over the world, either confessing their own debt-ridden lives, or criticizing hers. But after four months of Internet panhandling and selling her prized possessions on eBay, her debt was gone!

In Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back, Karyn details the bumpy road her financial -- and personal -- life has traveled to get her where she is today: happy, grateful, and completely debt-free. In this charming cautionary tale, Karyn chronicles her glamorous rise, her embarrassing fall, and how the kindness of strangers in cyberia really can make a difference.

When I first heard about this on the news, I was sceptical, and a little doubtful as to why people would want to help someone who freely admitted she'd spent the money on ... well, nothing.

And then I read this, and I saw why. Karyn is honest, funny, sweet - and I could identify so much with how and why she spent the money. I've been a bit ... silly... with plastic in the past, and I defy anyone to read this and to be judgemental.

I got out of debt too, eventually, but I'll never have a great credit rating. I'm envious that Karyn managed to do it with so much more grace and humour but I was rooting for her all the way.

This is a Bookcrossing book and I'm happy to send it out on a Bookray - leave a comment if you are interested.

Am I the only person not to have read Catcher in the Rye?

Should I read it?

Is there anything that the iPad can do that my cheaper, smaller netbook can't do?

(Seems the answer is no...)

Time to declutter - I've had these up on RISI and GreenMetropolis for a year and they haven't shifted, so before they go to the charity shop, does anyone want them?

These are are audio books on cassette - two per set. Excellent condition, although they haven't been listened to for a while, but they worked fine. If you don't have a cassette player, happy to rip these to MP3 and send those but I'll have to send the tapes too, just so I don't feel I'm breaching copyright too badly...

Happy to send out for postage only ( but if you want to add more - happy to take whatever you want to offer - which I will then donate to the MS Trust. via my Justgiving page)

The Goon Show:

Goon Show Classics: The Phantom Head Shaver/The Lost Emperor/Drums Along the Mersey/The Mummified Priest
Goon Show Classics: Under Two Floorboards/The Sinking of Westminster Pier/The Yehti/The Mysterious Punch-Up-The-Conker
Goon Show Classics: The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-on-Sea/The Histories of Pliny the Elder/The Jet-Propelled Naafi/The Evils of Bushey Spon
Goon Show Classics 2: Lurgi Strikes Britain/The International Christmas Pudding/Napoleon's Piano/The Flea
The Goon Show 15: "The Goons at Christmas" - Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest/The Mighty Wurlitzer/Operation Christmas Duff/A Christmas Carol

Hancock's Half Hour:

HHH Volume 1: The Americans Hit Town/The Unexploded Bomb/The Poetry Society/Sid's Mystery Tours
HHH Volume 2: The Scandal Magazine/Last of the McHancocks/The Sleepless Night/Fred's Pie Stall
HHH Volume 3: Hancock's War/The Christmas Club/The Lift/Twelve Angry Men

Fawlty Towers:

Volume 1: Basil the Rat/Mrs Richards/The Builders/Hotel Inspectors
Volume 2: The Kipper and the Corpse/The Germans/Waldorf Salad/Gourmet Night

(cross posted)

Product Description (from Amazon)
Nick Hornby returns to his roots - music and messy relationships - in this funny and touching new novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption. Annie lives in a dull town on England's bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who's gone into seclusion in rural America - or at least that's what his fans think. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker's work, to the point of derangement, and when Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three. Nick Hornby uses this intriguing canvas to explore why it is we so often let the early promise of relationships, ambition and indeed life evaporate. And he comes to some surprisingly optimistic conclusions.

Another Hornby book where the men are always slightly inadequate - and the women who settle for that. And what's wrong with that? It's certainly a better book than his last three, and there were some laugh out loud moments - Gooleness, where Annie and Duncan live is so lacking in culture "it didn't even have a Waterstone's" - yes, I definitely know places like that ...

Being a forty something living with a person who can be obsessive, this book probably resonated more with me than it would with people who live busier or more glamorous lives ;o) And the sadness that overlaid the book was that wistful sadness that comes with the eternal optimism that things will get better ... which appeals to the Pollyanna in me...

My only criticism is about one of the sub plots - I can see it working in a film version, but describing Northern Soul moves on paper didn't really work.

Product Description (from Amazon)

Witty and clever art history-mystery featuring Jonathan Argyll, from the author of the bestselling masterpiece 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'. General Bottando of Rome's Art Theft Squad is in trouble: his theory that a single master criminal, dubbed 'Giotto', is behind a string of major art thefts has aroused the scorn of his arch enemy and rival, the bureaucrat Corrado Argan. He needs a result, and the confession of a dying woman may just provide the vital clue. In pursuit of the elusive Giotto, Bottando's colleague, Flavia di Stefano, sets off hotfoot for Florence, and English art dealer Jonathan Argyll is dispatched to London and then on to rural Norfolk -- only to discover a body and a mystery which could lead to the greatest art find of his career!


This was an enjoyable and amusing "whodunnit" which harked back to the Golden Age of crime novels, with its setting in a Miss Marple-ish village where the local Lady of the Manor opens the Village Fete and the villagers are all related to one another...

Looking at Bookcrossing, I have read this book before, but I couldn't remember it ... so it's not an amazing book, but it is one that adequately passes the time. I realised the perpetrator quite early one, because they appear in a later book in this series, which I do remember ... I think!

If anyone wants to read this, I'm happy to pass it on - it will have a Bookcrossing label inside, but is otherwise in excellent condition!

Especially for scatz1 , who loves seeing piggie pictures!

Jasper is our old man. He is over six years old now, and apart from a sebaceous cyst and a weepy eye (he recommends Optrex, BTW) he is a fit and healthy piggie.

We think he was probably a cat in a previous incarnation. He can be devious, he has engineering skillz, he loves the warmth and doing as little as possible. He taught both Colin and Rowan to wheek for food, and then stopped doing it, allowing them to do the hard work - and him to reap the reward.

He's been through a lot, losing two previous companions, and accepting first Colin and then Rowan with good grace - mostly. We think his company helped Dougal a lot in that last sick year.

I love him dearly, and Mr Beebarf adores him too. We're bracing ourselves for the fact that we've probably only got another year or so with him, but we're determined to enjoy him while we can!



Jasper on his first day with us, having been accepted by the big fella, Dougal.



Jasper surprised us all by being able to jump on top of his pod when excited or playing around with Dougal. None of our previous piggies had done that, although the guinea pigs we've had since have done it too - obviously Jasper passing on the knowledge!



Jasper enjoying duvet and book time with Mr Beebarf. He's read all of Colin Bateman and most of the Star Wars novelisations now... he doesn't seem as keen on my taste in books...



Jasper with a very young Colin...



And Jas in his favourite position, on his favourite person - Mr Beebarf!

Mr Beebarf needs nagging gentle encouragement in order to buy Christmas gifts for me, his best beloved - he loathes Christmas. However, for the guinea pigs he will, unprompted, purchase them a new fleecy blanket and some guinea pigs treats - and wrap them. Ahem.

The boys are loving both of us being home, and enjoying the extra time they are getting in their day bed, which is on the table next to the computer. I've peeled back the blanket for a peek at them ... after this picture was taken, Rowan tugged at it to try and get it to cover him again...

crafty_tardis  and design. I had some blue cotton in my stash - snaffled very cheaply at a charity shop - and I was off. In less than an evening, I had a gift for my sweetie!

I made the border garter stitch rather than single rib, as garter stitch is speedier but other than that, I made no changes.

Fortunately, Mr Beebarf doesn't have an LJ account so he doesn't know about things like patterns for Doctor Who scarves. I'd like to keep it like that ;o)

For any other Doctor Who-o-philes out there on my friends list, I am happy to make you your very own Tardis Washcloth for a small donation to the MS Trust. If it's something you'd like, I'll set up a Just Giving page for your donation to save faffing around. And if a Tardis Washcloth isn't your thing, make another suggestion and I'll see what I can do!

As some of you know, I do surveys and product tests from time to time. It doesn't exactly make me rich, but it gets me Amazon vouchers and the like ;o)

I've recently - as a "BzzAgent" been given some samples of Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste to try. It was good timing, because recent dental work had left my teeth really sensitive, which isn't something I'm used to.

I was a bit sceptical, but it really worked. And it worked instantly - I rubbed some on my teeth because the pain was getting quite bad and within a couple of minutes the pain was gone. I was quite taken aback. And it didn't taste vile, like I find Sensodyne does.

My mum and dad have tried this stuff too, and agree with me! I've given samples to all my family, but I've still got some here - great travel size tube and with a 50p coupon. If anyone wants one, shout up. You won't get chased for reviews or be added to a mailing list or anything!

I have 10 codes for $10 off buying a paid account. I can only send these out to people who do not have a paid account at the moment - would anyone like one?

(Unfortunately, it's only one per person so you can't get a completely free paid account)

I backed the pinkeep in blue fabric with little cream hearts in it, and the pins pick up the colours of the threads I used.

gipsy_dreamer asked me the following questions:


1: If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?

Given that world peace and freedom from hunger aren't on the agenda, I think it would be for Mr Beebarf to be wholly well and pain-free. Most of the other things I would like I can at least try to work towards. I can't do anything for Mr BB and it's so frustrating...

2: What are your favourite hobbies?

Knitting, reading and stitching. I've been doing the first two the longest - I learned to knit when I was about four, my mum starting me off on cotton dishcloths with a number 7 needle. For a long time, it was something I would dabble in, but just under two years ago, I was introduced to the knitpickers by a Bookcrossing friend, blackic and slowly got subsumed into an addiction, especially to socks and wraps...

I don't really remember learning to read, but I know I could read before I could knit. I've always loved books, and I'm so pleased to see my niece has a similar passion. One of my earlier book related memories is being given "Five on a Treasure Island" by my great aunt and my mum saying "Oh, it's probably a little bit old for you" - I would have been six at the time. I read it in a day, sitting under the dining table about three weeks later... I suppose it was inevitable really that I would end up doing a degree with a large Literature component...

I learned to sew and embroider from my mum, and also had lessons at school. I still have the mat I made when I was about 9, stitched on yellow binca. I started seriously stitching in the early 1990s, when I bought a cross stitch kit for my sister's birthday - it was of Piglet, from Winnie the Pooh. Piglet was my sister's nickname at the time. When I told my ma, she was doubtful that my sister would actually make the kit herself, and uttered the words "You'd better do it yourself" ... I did, and I was hooked. When I got online in the late 90s, I found wonderful communities of stitchers, as the flourishing of cross stitch coincided with the general take up of the internet, and some of these people have become real friends. My walls are covered with pieces I've worked, and I've given - and received - many many stitched gifts. As well as cross stitch, I have also worked pieces in needlepoint, hardanger, blackwork and freehand embroidery. My stitching mojo is overshadowed at the moment by my knitting, because knitting needs less concentration (and light!) but I can't see it ever leaving me.

3: Do you have a garden?

I live in a block of flats. It was built in the Seventies, so it has a sizeable communal garden round it which these days would have been more flats... I love having green spacea nd trees around, but I don't miss having a garden of my own, as they are such hard work to do properly! I come from a family of gardeners, so I do have the knowledge and skills, and would say that I'm green fingered - but I don't really have the enthusiasn for it!

4: Would your ideal "safe place" be a forest, a mountain, a beach or the countryside?

I think I would feel comfortable in any of these locations, but my absolute favourite would be the beach. Somewhere unspoiled, and not too hot - North Norfolk, Northumberland, most Scottish beaches (a Western Isles one would be Paradise) ... it's unfortunate really I live in a city almost as far away from the sea as it is possible to get in the UK.

5: What's your favourite scent and why?

I love the scents of spices - ginger or vanilla. My favourite soap is the Lush one 'Honey I Washed the Kids' which is chocolately and sweet and vanilla-ary although their Ginger range is a close second - I've loved it since the Cosmetics to Go days... but not a lot of people agree with me so it's mail-order only these days. I'm not sure why I've chosen these - they make me feel secure and happy, certainly.

I'm increasingly attracted to the scent of roses though these days - perhaps my true calling is as an aged, eccentric spinster aunt? I have fond memories of my mum's summer job helping at a rose nursery, and my sister and I being given free rein to run around the field and among the roses - I even learned how to graft them, and one of my 'jobs' was to dead head the bushes to keep them looking at their best for customers. So the scent of roses means summer to me ... and the names ... Zephirine Drouhin ... Whiskey Mac... Iceberg...Peace... Albertine...Blue Moon.


If you'd like five questions of your own, please add a comment to this post.

I've moved on from plain stocking stitch socks to patterned socks (and back again) but I'm so behind on photos you'll have to take my word for it!

Anyway, I knitted these in my 'patterned' phase from my favourite sock knitting book, Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. Originally, these were going to be for my own use, but the colours just are so not me (I still don't know what I was thinking of when I bought the yarn) that I gifted these to my Ma for her birthday. She seemed a tad underwhelmed when I gave them to her - well, you probably would be too if you'd been given woolly socks in late July! - but has since praised them for their warmth and fit, and has asked for another pair for Christmas ... so, I think they've gone down well in the end :o)

The rib was fairly straightforward and looks pretty without sacrificing elasticity - there's nothing worse than slouchy socks when you don't want them to be slouchy! My Ma has slightly smaller feet than mine, so thanks must go to a friend at my SnB group who not only has the same sized feet as Ma, but was prepared to try the part finished socks on in the pub so that I could calculate when to start the toe decreases!

I think, so far, Regia is my favourite of the easily available sock yarns. It knits beautifully, washes well and although it gets a little felty where it rubs, the yarn colours make it look great - especially the Kaffe Fassett colourways...

My knitting friends and I are off for a weekend of fun and frolics, which will involve yarn, tea, a ruined castle, Christmas lights and more handknitted accessories than you can shake a stick at ...

Full report on my return!

scatz1 suggested that the boys should get a weekly (or should that be wheek-ly?) post of their own, and the boys agreed, so, here's Rowan having a bit of a snooze...




It's just before they were cleaned out, hence the rather scruffy pen! This is one of Rowan's favourite spots - he's 'guarding' Jasper, who is curled up behind. They will share the pod, but prefer not too, I think it's a bit of a squeeze!




And here is Jasper nibbling the parsley bell. Both he and Rowan have worked out that they can lift and drop the bell to make a nice, satisfying (to them - annoying to us!) 'clunk' - which is sometimes used to call the slaves to service...

For the third year, I knitted hats for Innocent Smoothies The Big Knit campaign. These little hats will go on smoothie bottles and for each one sold, Age Concern will receive £0.35. I enjoy making these - this year I decided to experiment with stitch patterns from my various books, and they still took less than half an hour each to make from start to finish. Of course, I had to make some stripey ones too, it just wouldn't be the same without stripey hats!

These use up oddments of acrylic DK from mine and ma's stash. Since starting to make socks and using wool rich yarns for those, I've really moved away from using acrylic, so this puts it to good use.

The total this year was slightly down on last year, but I still made 74 :o)

Here they are, all neatly packed for shipping...


The smoothies will be on sale in the next couple of weeks in Sainsburys - there's going to be about 600 000 be-hatted little bottles, each of which will mean a donation of £0.35 to Age Concern, so look out for them - and buy them :o)

This project, because of the colours used, got subtitled 'The Sludge Monster', although my darling Ma used another word beginning with 'S' to describe the colours! I love my Ma,  but she is a bit of a one woman crusade for 'keeping your feet on the ground'...

I started this last year, and really tried to finish it, but there was always something more exciting going on. So, when my Stitch n Bitch group went away for the weekend in August, I packed this with the firm intention of getting it complete! And it worked - my motivation came back, and I only had the last square to do when we returned.I've left the start date on it though, I couldn't face the idea of frogging and restitching!


I love that this sampler contains two of my favourite motifs - beehives and sheep - as well as bunnies and blackbirds, of which I'm also rather fond!

The last square was always going to be more work. I really disliked the charted sheep in the original - I thought it looked more like a pig, so wanted to replace it with something else. The designer had produced a Sheep Sampler, but that sheep was too big for the space... so, out came the graph paper and pencils, and I shrank a sheep, kept the bird from the original, and now I know I genuinely have a unique sampler!



The button used is a vintage one from my tin - it may have come from my gran, but I think it's more likely from a charity shop or car boot sale. The big black snap I used (in place of the four small buttons the chart called for) on the other hand did come from my gran's stash, which I was given when she died. I rather like the idea of having something of hers in a piece that I've worked, as she did treasure the stitching I made for her.

The finished piece is framed now- I found a suitable frame in a charity shop, and my friendly framers stretched the piece and cut a mount to fit at a very reasonable rate. I'll try and remember to take a photo of that one day...