Some WIPs

Here's what I'm working on at the moment:

My 15 stitch blanket is on my current to finish list, now I've dithered enough over what yarn to use, bought more and then ended up using what I already had (as you do).

Another TVG (high speed knitting) like this one. This isn't really something I'm trying too hard to work on at the moment, its what I pull out if I want to concentrate on people talking etc and need a portable project.

My colourful crochet squares blanket - this is half finished but I've just had to buy some more yarn. I was enjoying making it and so I know when I got the new yarn I would dive straight into making it again and ignore the 15 stitch blanket, which was why I'm trying to be very good and not buy the yarn I need until I finished the purple blanket.I gave in in the end though. I don't have enough will power.

A Diva Tunic - I made two of these probably about four years ago. A blue one for me and a cerise pink one for my sister. My sister made the mistake of putting hers through the washing machine and felted it. As she felt suitably guilty I'm making her another one out of superwash this time!

Hmmm seeing as I started the year trying to finish one thing at a time I seem to be failing miserably here! Still once the 15 stitch blanket and the coloured crochet squares blanket are finished that will be two big projects out of the way and will give me a bit of time to finish up some of the smaller projects.

I have a secret ambition in my head to make 12 blankets this year. Whether that happens or whether I lose interest half way through I'll have to wait an see. I have plans for all 12 and I fully intend inflicting at least one on my sister, because lets face it who really needs twelve blankets!

52 Books - May

I think I'm finding it easier to lump a months worth of books together in one post rather than trying to separate them out. Sometimes I might read two of the books in a week, some weeks I don't read any books I feel warrant being on here so its easier to do them all in one go.

Week 18 

Book Title: Mary Barton

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Enjoyment: 7/10

Would read again: 8/10


Comments: I love Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford is one of my all time favorite comfort reads and has been since I was a teenager. However Mary Barton is a different kettle of fish. Its less dreamy and much harsher and I found it less enjoyable. That said it reads as a realistic and insightful portrayal of the time and if it had been written by another author I probably would have had different expectations and enjoyed it more. So I can recommend it, but don't expect it to be in the same style as Cranford.

Week 19 

Book Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Enjoyment: 9/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: This was one of the books we studied for GCSE English. Normally I hated reading the books in English class. We would have to read them together so slowly, and I am a really fast reader. So I would be reading ahead and the person at the desk next to me would have to nudge me when it came to my bit to read out loud because I'd be in the wrong place (thanks Gemma, you probably don't even remember doing it but you helped me a lot). By the time we finished reading it in class I would have been bored of it, and I know plenty of other people out there who are put off reading certain books just because they are chosen as required reading in English class.
This one however, I never ended up getting bored of, and I have voluntarily read it several times since leaving school. I sincerely believe that its a book everyone should read at least once.

Week 20 

Book Title: Twopence to cross the Mersey

Author: Helen Forrester

Enjoyment: 8/10

Would read again: 7/10


Comments: This is another book I first encountered at school, primary school in this case. Looking back it was probably a bit advanced for me then, but because I was a quick reader I think I often read books a little too young and so didn't properly understand them fully. Not the language, more some of the concepts in them.
In this case although I read about the poverty and the appalling living conditions, I don't think it was until I was older I really understood that Helen Forrester had had such a bad experience.
She wrote a whole series of books and her life does improve in many ways. This book is not a happy one though, which is partly why I don't read it too often.

Week 21 

Book Title: The Upstart

Author: Catherine Cookson

Enjoyment: 8/10

Would read again: 8/10


Comments: When discussing Catherine Cookson, my family often agree that she can be a bit depressing. She has a habit of killing off lots of characters and making them live very grim lives. Its gritty and realistic, but as with Twopence to cross the Mersey, I find Catherine Cooksons books should not be read if you are already in a depressed mood. (Or maybe they should to show me how much worse my life could be?) They are alsway interesting though, she writes mainly to highlight the social divide between rich and poor and this book is no eception. Its got engaging characters, even ones you think at the start aren't very engaging become more so.

52 books - some catch ups

Here's a catch up on the reading I have been doing. Life has been busy recently so I wouldn't necessarily class these as classics, but both authors have a wide appeal and are well worth reading.

Week 15 

Book Title: Frederica

Author: Georgette Heyer

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: My other favourite Georgette Heyer book, this one has a more serious heroine I think than The Grand Sophy but still a good read. The end might be a bit predictable (once you've read one Georgette Heyer book you can work out the rest of them) but as usual the book takes a few turns and twists along the way and is full of humour and fun. It is refreshing to read a book with no bad language, sex or much violence in them.

Which makes a complete contrast with my next books. These are not necessarily my favorite Jack Reacher books, lets face it I love them all, but they were the nearest ones on my bookshelves when I needed a Reacher fix over the last couple of weeks.

(My reading is currently being hampered by about 60% of my books being unaccessible, I will be so glad once we've finished doing stuff to this house).

Week 16
 
Book Title: Persuader

Author: Lee Child

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10

Comments: I like this one because at the start it sets it up to seem like Reacher is the bad guy which makes for an interesting twist. The book itself contains some more information about Reachers past and is enjoyable. It seemed a little slower paced than some of the Reacher books, possibly because he is stuck inside the one house for a large proportion of the book, but that didn't detract from the story.

Week 17

Book Title: One Shot

Author: Lee Child

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10

Comments: Another one which harks back to Reachers past. Also has some interesting insights into the Soviet and a bad guy I could almost sympathise with if only because of his past.

So there's my last few weeks reading. Not classics exactly, fairly easy reading but just what I needed at the moment. Hopefully I'll get back on track with some more serious reading over the next few weeks. Hopefully... I keep waiting for life to calm down and for some reason it never does.

52 Books - Week 14

I have a few books to blog about and some catching up to do. |I went away last weekend and my trusty old BeBook Reader came away with me. Its not as snazzy as some of the E-Readers out there but I've had it a few years and it suits me fine. I prefer to read a proper book if I'm honest but due to lack of room for more books I'm trying to be good and get some in digital form as well, although I frequently fail and buy hard copies instead.

I made sure for my holidays I had some of my trusty Georgette Heyer books loaded, easy to read and as familiar as old friends they are my fall back option for reading. I know the story's so well that I can dip in and out of them when I have five minutes to spare without having to keep track of the storyline or a complicated cast of characters.

The first one I read was my all time favourite - The Grand Sophy. I first ready this as a child and I wanted to be just like Sophy when I grew up. I'm nothing like her but then I'm also not a rich heiress who's lived all over the world so with hindsight it was probably an unattainable ambition from the start.

Book Title: The Grand Sophy

Author: Georgette Heyer

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: One of my favourites. Sophy is funny, intelligent, meddling and bossy but easy to love as you read about her. This book is perfect for reading time and time again when you need something to cheer you up or take you away from reality.

WHSmiths

52 Books - Week 13

Last week the book I read was Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Its weird, but then to be fair all of the books I've read by him are weird and this is probably one of the more normal ones.

Once you've got your head around the strange world of Haruki Murakami, his books flow in weird and wonderful ways and never take you quite where you imagine you are going. .

On the other hand this book leaves a lot of loose ends and there is imagery and situations in there which are never really explained.

I have to be in the right mood to read Murakami. If I am feeling too literal there is no chance of coping with the books. However if I am in the mood for it then they will allow my mind to escape to places I wouldn't otherwise imagine.

Murakami's books aren't exactly marmite, although there are some people who love them and some people who hate them. Then there is the third group like me, you have to be in the mood and some of the books I just can't finish. This is probably one of the ones I enjoyed the most though.

Book Title: Kafka on the Shore

Author: Haruki Murakami

Enjoyment: 610

Would read again: 7/10


Comments: Its strange, sometimes its confusing and too many strand of the storyline are left unanswered. However its exciting, interesting and well worth a read.

WHSmiths

WIP - Crochet squares blanket

I'd only just finished my colourful stripy crochet blanket when I stared on my next one. There's nothing like finishing a project for making me feel motivated to start another. Unfortunately the motivations doesn't always last that long which is why I have so many half finished projects lying around. I am trying to be strict with myself at the moment and concentrate on finishing these big projects. I'm only diverting to a smaller project if there is a deadline like my sisters birthday, or I need something more portable.

I am finding this blanket a bit less fulfilling than the last one. I'm back to the greys again and although I love the finished projects in the grey colour scheme they aren't half as exciting to make as the colourful ones. However I need another blanket in the right colours for my living room because the Husbeast has claimed the stripy one as his and so I still haven't got my own!

This blanket is also made up of squares. I love the way they look, I hate the seaming up. I think the blanket will take 170 squares which means a minimum of 340 ends to sew in (not including the border) and 153 seams to sew up. Not my idea of fun, however the blanket is growing and it looks good so I am determined to persevere.

I am going along the blanket in rows however after I started the Husbeast pointed out I could have done it in columns and sewn up the long seams at the end. So yesterday when I was feeling a bit sorry for myself because my hip was hurting, I made a sneaky detour onto the coloured squares blanket which was going to be my next project.

I can't believe I managed to get a whole column done which means if you don't count the bored I am a tenth of the way through the blanket. Not bad for a days work. Normally I wouldn't have got this much done, but lots of sitting and lying around feeling sorry for myself meant extra time to crochet so it wasn't all bad.

The downside to this method is that there will be lots of seaming and sewing in ends at the end of the blanket which I will hate and probably curse myself for doing it this way. The upside is no seaming and sewing in as I go along which means it goes much quicker.

52 Books - Week 12

I went with another Redwall book this week, my brain needed something engaging but not too complicated. This weeks books was Loamhedge, a newer Redwall book and so one I think I've read once and didn't know as well.

This was full of the usual Redwall enthusiasm and characters although I felt like it took a little longer to get going than normal. It was usual in that the central character wasn't the one off adventuring instead it was someone left behind at Redwall abbey.

This was another great read and highly recommended. I'd forgotten just how enjoyable these books are, once I read one I want to re read them all. But I promise no more Redwall for a bit as I want this year to be reasonably varied.

Book Title: Loamhedge

Author: Bryan Jacques

Enjoyment: 8/10

Would read again: 9/10


Comments: This took awhile to get going, but very enjoyable and as usual well written, exciting and engaging.

WHSmiths

FO - Colourful stripy crochet blanket

I don't think I've even done a WIP post on this blanket, it just seems to have come together so quickly. Especially seeing as I took about five days off to do a couple of cowls and then went away at the weekend and did some knitting.

This blanket has taken me 25 days, three days quicker than the last one. Not bad considering I do actually have a job! I knit this whilst watching the remainder of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I've been reliving my youth. I started it whilst crocheting the grey blanket and finished it on the same day I finished this blanket.

I've now started watching Angel, which I never watched the first tome around, whilst working on a third crochet blanket. There are only five series of Angel, compared to seven series of Buffy, so I doubt I'll finish another two blankets whilst watching it. Not to mention the fact that the next blanket is slightly more complicated and time consuming. More about that another time though...

Here it is in all its glory, my colourful stripy blanket:

I did this in exactly the same way as the last blanket, although this was more fun to crochet. The colours each only repeated three times within the blanket so it was more exciting seeing which colour was coming next. Towards the end of the grey blanket I was very bored of the colours but this was much more fun.

I love the bit towards the end of the blanket where it's big enough to drape over yourself and use it to keep warm as you crochet. That's been very handy the last few days as the weather has been so cold.

This blanket is intended for my craft room, whenever that eventually gets sorted. For now though its just going to be in whatever room I'm siting in as the Husbeast has claimed the grey blanket as his. Its very flattering that he's so fond of something I've crocheted, but it does mean I'll have to make another one for me now. Still I planned on making two anyway, I just might not let him know that...

I also made a little penguin for a swap parcel:

 He's a cute little thing.

52 Books - Week 11

This week I reverted back to my childhood again, and picked up a Redwall book by Bryan Jacques. These are technically children's books, but I know my Dad read them all alongside us when we were children and they definitely fall into the children's books adults will enjoy.

This week I read Mariel of Redwall, Mariel was always one of my favourite characters in the series. There are nearly as many main girls as there are main boys, but a lot of the girls seemed to come a little later on in the series, probably once Bryan Jacques realised girls were reading the books as well as boys.

Mariel was one of the first main girls and so I always had a soft spot for her. The story is pure Redwall, there are the bad guys - rats, stoats, foxes etc, and the good guys - mice, shrews, otters etc. There are battles and feats and amazing descriptions of food. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, what more could you want.

Book Title: Mariel of Redwall

Author: Bryan Jacques

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: This is one of the best Redwall books out there in my opinion. Its an old favourite I go back to every so often. If you haven't read a Redwall book yet I strongly recommend you do.

WHSmiths

52 Books - Week 10

My book for this week is a bit of a cheat really because I had to read it. I'm doing a course through the Open University - AA100 to be precise which is "The arts past and present". For part of my first assignment I had to read Doctor Faustus by Marlowe, so that's my book for this week.

Left to my own devices I probably wouldn't have read it. Reading blank verse in old fashioned English doesn't make for easy reading, but I'm glad I did.

The plot is interesting. Doctor Faustus makes a pact with the Devil to exchange his chance of going to heaven in exchange for power for twenty four years. I can't get too much into the plot here because the OU understandably doesn't want people discussing the assignment questions on line. I don't think I could discuss the plot without touching on what I wrote on the essay so this weeks description has to be brief.

Book Title: Doctor Faustus

Author: Marlowe

Enjoyment: 7/10

Would read again: 5/10


Comments: I'm glad I read this and I enjoyed it. However without working through my textbook and the activities in there I probably wouldn't have got as much out of reading this as I did, and I think it will be a long time before I try reading it again. Still it was worth having to read it.

Waterstones

52 Books - Week 9

This week a lovely reader contacted me on Ravelry to tell me she'd been reading my blog, which was lovely. By a strange coincidence we'd both been reading the same book The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I loved this book, it was well written, balanced and very engaging. What scares me about the book is that it is 1962. Not 1862, but 1962. I was born in the 80's and so 1962 doesn't feel that far away to me. Yet at that time black women were still bring up white women's babies but had to use their won toilet in case they had "diseases". The social divide was enormous. There were black women who had been to college being treated like dirt by white women who's only accomplishment had been to marry the right man.

Its a fantastic book, it makes you think and it made me get all worked up. I like a book that can bring out emotions and make a time and a place feel real.

Book Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: This is worth reading over and over again. Its passionate, fluent and moving. Its been promoted to being the other side of Gone with the Wind, but its more than that because its a story of white people of the time as well as black. Its more Upstairs Downstairs but in a more serious way.

Kathryn Stockett Website

52 Books - Week 8

I realise we are on week 9, but I read this last week and didn't get chance to write it up. Week 9's will follow sometime this week with any luck.

I wasn't feeling well last week so I fell back on some comfort reading - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. My mother suggested I read this as a teenager and I loved it. I've read it again several times over the years, and whilst I enjoyed the TV adaptation for me it wasn't a patch on the book.

Its a gentle story told over several years. Its one of those which seems like its meandering slowly, but actually quite a lot happens over the story. I feel that unlike many books, its quite a life like story. It has highs and lows but they are realistic highs and lows, leaving you feeling like Cranford is an actual place and you know the people.

Plus I always wanted to live in Cranford, the town where women rule!

Book Title: Cranford

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: This is a dreamy, quiet book with a realistic story. Its got some great humour in there and its really a tale of friendships and how they survive through life.

W H Smiths

52 books - Week 7

This week I have read Mariana by Monica Dickens. This is my last of the books I ordered from Persephone just after Christmas and I think probably my favourite of the three.

The story moves quite quickly through the life of Mary, going from her childhood through to getting married and beyond. Its basically a love story although she makes some wrong turns along the way.

Mary is easy to engage with, the book is sufficiently fast paced to keep my attention and yet you don't feel like its missed any of the important facts out.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would happily read it again. In fact I liked it enough to go and have a look if I could find any more by the same author.

I can't say much about parts of the book without giving too much of the story away but it is a satisfying read with a fitting ending.

Book Title: Mariana

Author: Monica Dickens


Enjoyment: 9/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: I really enjoyed this book and would happily pick it up and read it again. The main character is very life like and its an easy story to lose yourself in.

Persephone Books

January round up

Its the last day of January, how did that happen so quickly? I've barely got used to it being 2013 and already we are one month into it.

So here is my round up for the month:

Recipes tried and blogged:

Home made deodorant - I have been using this consistently since I blogged. I sometimes have to apply twice a day if I'm having a more energetic day but it works well and doesn't stain my clothes or leave white marks like commercial deodorant. My underarms also feel silky soft which is a nice side effect.

Home made sugar free chocolate - these are beautiful, five to ten minutes to make and worth every second. Even my DH makes them. I've eaten hardly any proper chocolate since making these and they cure my cravings for sweet things.





Projects started:

15 stitch blanket 

Ombre Acrylic Blanket

Posh Purple Wristwarmers & Neckwarmer









Striped Crochet Blanket - a post to come on this soon

May rose wreath










High Speed Knitted Shawl - a post to come on this soon

Projects frogged/put into the WIP Pile:

15 stitch blanket

Ombre Acrylic Blanket

Projects finished:

Posh Purple Wristwarmers and neckwarmer

May rose wreath











Yarn in:

5950g ! I don't think I've ever bought that much in one go before! In fact that's probably as much as I'd bought ever before all in one go. Good job most of it was acrylic and therefore cheap, plus I don't think I'll be buying much yarn for a few months so this should keep me going for awhile.

This converts into 17,620 meters or 10.9 miles

Yarn kitted/crocheted:

692g

2484 meters or 1.5 miles




So I have quite a bit of catching up to do,maybe I should stop buying yarn...

I did also give away 200g of yarn, which was 2200 meters or 1.4 miles which does help a little bit as that is now out of my stash.

Books reviewed:

Week 1: Alice in Wonderland

Week 2: Alice through the looking glass

Week 3: A country housewife's book

Week 4: Sense and Sensibility

Week 5:Someone at a distance

Quite a busy month I think. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my activities and continue to read my posts. I think they will probably slow down a little in February but I still hope to post at least 3 - 4 times per week.

52 books - Week four

My book for this week is a Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

When I was a little too young to have started on Jane Austen the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice came out on the television - the one with Colin Firth. I watched every episode and loved it. My Dad bought my mum a copy of the video before we even owned a video player. I think he may have regretted it once we did have a video player because of the amount of times we watched it. I have it on DVD now and I love watching it.

So naturally the first Jane Austen book I read was Pride and Prejudice and it didn't disappoint me. I've read others since but somehow I hadn't read Sense and Sensibility before. I've seen it on television, a version with Alan Rickman in it, which I loved.

So this weeks book was Sense and Sensibility. Here is my summary of it:

Book Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Enjoyment: 910

Would read again: 8/10


Comments: I enjoyed reading it, I generally know if I pick up a Jane Austen I am going to enjoy it. I didn't find it as funny as Pride and Prejudice and its never been an ending I'm keen on. I always feel that Edward is too wishy washy for Elinor, I feel like she deserves a better husband. Added to that I feel like Colonel Brandon deserves someone better than Marianne. I think as readers we are supposed to like Marianne but I find her a bit too selfish for my taste. Colonel Brandon on the other hand is one of my favourite characters out of the book. In fact I think Elinor and Colonel Brandon would have been a better match.
That said Jane Austen did try to write realistic books and how many times in life do we see couples marry and feel sure they are doing the wrong thing. Sometimes they surprise us sometimes they don't. So I suppose this is fairly true to life, but if I needed some comfort reading I think I'd stick to Pride and Prejudice.

Waterstones

52 books - Week three

My book for the week is not actually fiction. Its one of Persephone books collection, number 80 to be exact - The Country Housewife's book.

If you haven't yet discovered Persephone books yet I urge you to go and have a look at their site (although don't blame me if you spend too much money). They have 100 books, all in the same calm grey covered with beautiful endpapers inside.

The Country Housewife's book is from the 1930's and so of course some of the ideas don't relate to modern day life. It does however give a good view of life in the 30's and it still has a lot of information which is valid today. I love books like this and have a few but this has to be one of my favourites.

Book Title: The Country Housewife's Book

Author: Lucy H Yates

Enjoyment: 910

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: This is funny, interesting and useful by turns. The preserves and vegetables sections is probably as useful today as it was when the book was written, and for a knitter the section on moths is pretty relevant. A pleasant enjoyable read if only to take you back in time. Great for fans of Downton Abbey and programmes of the era.

The endpaper pattern - Persephone books

52 books - Weeks One and Two

I've seen a few bloggers posting about doing 52 things in 2013, that is to do the same thing each week of the year. Some are taking photos each week and Natalie over on the Yard Yard blog has inspired me with her plan to read 52 books in the year.

I read a lot, at least five books a week. I can speed read and tend to re read a lot of books so I go through them pretty fast. I also tend to choose light reading, mainstream fiction, which is not exactly a challenge to the brain.

So even though I am little late jumping on the bandwagon, I am going to do something similar. I am going to try and read 52 classics.

My first book I've chosenm is going to count as two books as it is two stories. It is probably no harder on the brain than what I normally read but it is a childhood favourite; Alice in Wonderland, and Alice through the Looking Glass.

There was a copy of this at my Nain's house (Nain is Welsh for Grandmother) and so I read it quite often as a child. I haven't read it in years and so when I saw it in Waterstones recently I realised I would love to read it again as I had forgotten the story.

I've recently watched Tiim Burtons Alice in Wonderland which confused me when I was reading the book as he's mashed the two stories together and come up with a third. That's not to say I didn't like Tim Burtons version, I really enjoyed it, but it doesn't follow the book too closely.

Anyway here's my little challenge summary:

Book Title: Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass

Author: Lewis Carroll

Enjoyment: 8/10

Would read again: 9/10


Comments: This is wierder than I had remembered, and quite a bit shorter, although being 20 years older probably helps there. Its worth another read as an adult, although a childrens book, the characters and story were enough to keep me gripped. I'd read it again although I would probably leave it a few years to make sure I had forgotten the story again.

Waterstones