Yarn along

Joining in with Ginny once again.

This week I have had an elastic baby (see here) so knitting and reading time has been limited to the brief moments when she has been with Daddy or big sisters, or else taking the shortest of catnaps. This means that knitting has to be something mindless, an easy pattern held in my memory, soft silky yarn to soothe my emotions. What suits this purpose? The ongoing baby blanket. I set a target of one skein per month into this project and February's target will soon be met.

Reading? I finished The Woodcutter shortly after posting last week and so I picked up The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. It's quite heavy going though so I have also opened up My Antonia on the kindle. Only thing is every time I settle to read the little elastic girl wakes up......

Hoping to find time for more knitting, reading, and checking out all the yarn along posts but now the little one is calling again :)

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in with Ginny over here.

There is only one thing I'm picking up at the moment - the January socks. I think it's a losing battle though, no way I'm going to have the pair complete before the end of the month. Sock one completed last night, sock two shouting to me to cast it on. But as I said earlier - I have a plan......

Current reading - Woodcutter by Kate Danley. I love this book, which is probably why the socks aren't flying along. It's a tale of all the mythical Fae folk and fairytale creatures. A battle to take over the twelve realms of human and magic with only the woodcutter to protect them all. The reviews mention the one dimensionality of the Woodcutter and yet I feel that the lack of emotion and background makes him the ultimate hero, intent only on protecting the kingdom. The story combines all the characters we remember form childhood, Rumpelstiltskin, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, but in a very much grown up setting, with a heavy focus on the "dust trade" and it's effects on the senses of human folk. I'm almost at the end of this book though and will be sad to see it's end. Any recommendations for similar tales would be very welcome :)

-x-

Yarn along

Getting back into things and joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Book - Still with me by Thierry Cohen

Knitting - NapTime baby blanket

So I took this photo last night and wouldn't you know - I went and finished the book straight after. Actually it feels a bit weird to say book when there was no paper in sight! Still, it was a good read, mixing themes of suicide, eternal damnation, religion, and a good old love story but not at all smooshy. I don't do smooshy. It begins with a suicide attempt and unrequited love. A year later the main character wakes up and slowly begins to realise that he has lived an unknown life for a year, suffering total amnesia since his attempt to take his life. The story relates his subsequent awakenings and how he comes to realise what kind of person he is, and the life he brings to others. His awakenings happen at increasingly infrequent periods during which he tries to plot the downfall of his vicious uncaring other self, the self that is around for years at a time. The ultimate theme is the battle between the good and bad in ones self and is played out well. A well recommended read.

The knitting, well that's going well. I've finished the first skein of the Manos Silk, if you read my previous post you'll know that was my January target. Go me. I've realised that there isn't enough to make the blanket to the size expected but never mind, it will still be a decent size. Still loving the yarn, it's so soft and warm. The colour is rubbish on the photo, it's actually cream with pink not the peachy colour it seems! I'm going to put it to one side now though and go back to the socks - the other January target!

-x-

Yarn along

I have knitted up a few things in the late nights but it's getting so close to the gifting time now that I am resorting to super quick knits. So for the littlest girlie I have gone back to the elf cap, only resized using aran weight yarn and 5mm needles. All good and now the matching scarf is on the needles. Garter stitch all the way with this one, firstly because Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran looks so good in garter stitch, and secondly because it is quick and mindless and can be done whilst nursing the girlie, reading stories, making plans...... you get the picture ;)

I really wanted this to be the picture to share, look at those amazing deep colours:

But in reality this is what it looks like:

Still gorgeous colours though don't you think?

Reading, well it's fairly obvious - the christmas books are out. Old books found in the charity shops, when children wanted things like rocking horses, dolls and jack in the boxes, not a video game or mobile phone in sight......

Looking forward to seeing what everyone is up to in Ginny's yarn along once again.

And a big thank you to all who read, I noticed I passed the 10,000 page views mark whist I was away. Not a lot by some standards, but amazing to me. Thanks to everyone for reading and following.

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in with Ginny once again.

Knitting and reading, two of the very best ways to relax and enjoy.

Still beavering away on the gift makes, so many done, yet still more to do. This is the cowl I'm working on for middle big girl, to match with the mitts and hat previously shown. I'm making it up as I go so hoping it will be ok:

Actually it's a bit risky all this top of the head creating, there's already been a few ripped back pieces. Maybe sticking to a proven pattern would help speed things up a little more......

Reading......well that hasn't happened so much the past week. Books still open include Anger and Oliver, as previously blogged, but no further into. I have gotten a few pages further into the one shown though but knitting is at the fore with only a few weeks to go!

Also on the needles are the ribbed scarf of biggest littlie, and the gloves for the man, which have both stayed the same since last mentioned. I could always give the man the one glove to keep the chain holding hand warm whilst walking Saffi. The other hand is always in his pocket anyway......

Off for a quick look at what you're all working on before it's back to the cowl again.

And thank you for your comments last week, about replying to other blog posts. I think I might have to be a bit stricter this week and make sure I only have a quick look at other posts, I have so much knitting and so little time, although I would love to be able to spend the time enjoying every ladst post.....

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in with Ginny again.

Very quick today as I have a long afternoon ahead of me in work (training, so sitting on bum for a long while...)

Should have been sharing progress on the double rib scarf from the previous post but seeing as it's already ripped back after 12cms then there's no photo to show ;) I am going back to it later but have decided on bigger needles and a 4x4 rib instead for a little more flexibility.

Instead I could show progress on the bubble rib scarf for Emma, only that looks exactly as it did last time, only longer, 120cms now, woohoo, the end is in sight.

So what to share today?

How about these, my top secret, middle of the night knits - gloves for the man!

Apologies for the poor photo quality once again, this home barely gets any natural light through the shorter days.

Reading this week, well again, pretty much the same as last time, but with this book added in. Lot's of different ideas for makes by little people, planning all our Christmas crafting sessions and checking that we have in all the essentials we will need. 

I love this last week of November, the anticipation of a funfilled month ahead, don't you?

Oh, a question too. When you read all these lovely yarn along posts do you feel obliged to leave a reply to every one? Or is that just me? I always feel that if you have been kind enough to open up a little part of your life to me, then I should show my appreciation. Even if it takes several days now to read through all those posts.....

Happy yarning everyone.

-x-

Yarn along.

Yarning along with Ginny once more.

Knitting and reading, enjoyable  ways to spend those moments relaxing.

This week I finally found my copy of the last issue of "The Mother" magazine. It arrived the morning of the big Autumn clean and ended up tidied into suitcase of prefold nappies??? A nice surprise to come across it yesterday and to delve between the covers of this conscious parenting, gentle, thoughtprovoking magazine.

Also reading our favourite autumn book "The Lost Acorns" from the Percy the Parkkeeper series. Much enjoyed and read several times a week just now. Also reading another family favourite "Brave Bitsy and the Bear" a story of the changing of autumn into winter and then into spring, and the animals who live through the change.

On the needles, well, what can I say? The pink scarf is growing slowly, a few repeats each night. I have cast on the Multnomah and then stopped, to be picked up again tomorrow on my train ride between bases. The crochet mega blanket - well that is as was. I did finish the garter stitch cardigan from last time, blogged about earlier in the last post I think? And the socks - they are still hiding in their project bag. 

The photo shows the latest cast on - a winter hat for Owen. He asked for red, I'm not so sure? The red is a nice deep red but I would like it to have a little more colour added. I'll have to think some more before I go much further.

So that's about it for this weeks yarn along, time to take a peek at your lovely projects and interesting reads.

-x-

Yarn along.

Sharing with Ginny's Yarn Along posts again.

Knitting and reading, my two best ways to know me.

So after finishing the Shalom I  thought I would have to share the scarf of little progress, or the stalled Granny Stripe mega blanket. So I collected the project bags and prepared to share. The Granny stripe has, as I said, stalled completed and is exactly as last shown so I won't bore you with you a photo of that. The scarf is looking like this:

It's looking a little longer - right?

And then I opened up another bag and found this:

Green lacy socks, on the needles forever. And no, I'm not part exing my old chair for £250, it's the back of the pattern magazine, hmm, advertisement targetting?

Before opening the final bag and remembering this:

A garter stitch something for Heather.

So I did have something to share after all!

Reading, well, still The Green Buddha, and still only a few pages in. Oliver Twist is still in the kitchen being read a page or two at a time, and another booke opened is Anger, something I feel the need to return to once again just recently. This is one of those books that needs to be kept, and remembered, when the dark clouds show, wise words always needed and to be remembered.

So what are you making and reading this lovely wednesday morning?

-x-

Yarn along.

Joining in once more with Ginny over at small things.

My favourite "me-time" activities, or rather, the me-time I can grab whilst small people are eating, sleeping, playing happily.

Awful picture quality - my camera battery is flat AGAIN and my mobile isn't great for photo's.....but it rings and calls so good for me :)

Reading this week - Oliver Twist, the study guide edition. I have never read the original version of this book, only the child-friendly, heavily adapted versions. More darkness evident from the very first page. This is my kitchen read, whilst stirring soups, eating supper whilst children sleep and such times.

On the needles is yet another gift, a scarf to go with the hat I made Emma but haven't yet revealed. This pattern is in my head and I'm hoping it goes well with the hat which is a simple rib and stocking stitch beret.

Off to browse more yarn-alongs and gather inspiration.

-x-

Yarn along.

Thank you for popping by as I join in with Ginny yet again for the Wednesday yarn along.

 

On the needles - the Hitchhiker scarf in King Cole Riot DK. A yule gift for Jen, who admired the pattern so much when I mentioned I was making it for Helen - sneaky mama ;)

Reading - The Green Buddha. Only just opened up this book despite having it for several months/a year plus now. Looking forward to offering an opinion on this book soon. f the knitting doesn't carry away my reading time, the Hitchhiker is very addictive you know.

Well now, that was a quick post! Mind, I've posted an awful lot lately so do have a scroll down to see much much more of what I've been up!
Thank you for visiting and hope to see you back soon :)

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in the Yarn along once again with Ginny at Small things.

Lot's of finished projects lately and new idea's in mind so I thought I'd share progress on the ongoing hookie thing:

That's right, it's the Granny Stripe.

It seems as if it never grows but stretching it out on our kingsize bed this morning reveals it's true size. A long way to go yet:

Reading this week - The Food our Children eat by Joanna Blythman. So-so reading, mostly what I know already, with a few wincing moments thrown in. Not sure I'll keep with it to the very end. In fact, if anyone wants it then let me know. (If more than one of you do then I'll have to pull from a hat....)

-x-