Yarn Along – August
I’m not sure if it’s the nights starting to inch in or the calmness I feel, as I gradually grow accustomed to this not-normal being the actual normal, but my fingers are ready to be in constant motion, at the moment. I’m crafting again. Knotting yarn into place. Stitching fabric together. I find myself crocheting another round of a granny square, for my latest blanket, while minding the jam pot. Squeezing in craft time wherever and whenever I can. I feel comfortable creating again and full of ideas.
My craft mojo is fully functional and ready for duty.
I’m still working on my blue jumper. I’ve finished the front and back. The first sleeve is almost past the cuff ribbing stage. I’m sewing a tea dress, which I’m hoping I can couple it with, for the cooler days of autumn.
My crochet blanket is growing at a pace. Partly as it’s easy to pick up and put down. Also we’re watching The Umbrella Academy as a family, in the evenings, and I find I can dash through a couple of squares with no interruptions.
Something about the colours remind me of back to school. I think it’s the grey and the blue, with a hint of pink, which reminds me of my old uniform. (Although, our school jumpers were deep red rather than pink, but you get the idea, I hope.) The brighter colours are summer, through and through. So the combination of the two, conjurors up memories of heading back to the classroom after the long, summer break, still hanging on to all those carefree days.
I wonder if I’ll finish it in time for September, when schools go back.
Finally, my current book. I love a book that if I sit down, I pick up and am lost in it in no time at all. Even when I’d no intention to be reading, in the first place. The Humans (affiliated link) is fun and light compared to my previous book choices. A bit of a relief, to be honest. Definite escapism, and shifts perspective in a thought provoking way.
“After an ‘incident’ one wet Friday night where he is found walking naked through the streets of Cambridge, Professor Andrew Martin is not feeling quite himself. Food sickens him. Clothes confound him. Even his loving wife and teenage son are repulsive to him. He feels lost amongst an alien species and hates everyone on the planet. Everyone, that is, except Newton, and he’s a dog.”
(From the blurb on the back of the book.)
It’s the second of Matt Haig’s book I’ve read and, so far, I’m enjoying it.
Right that’s my lot, for the moment. Linking up to Ginny’s Yarn Along. What’s everyone else reading and knitting? Are you feeling more creative in the second half of 2020?
Yarn Along – July
I can’t believe it’s July already. How did that happen? June seemed to disappear in a blink of an eye. Although, I have to admit, if I look out in the garden, it does look as if a month has passed. So much has grown.
First Wednesday of the month means that it’s time for the monthly update on my knitting project and book. I have made a bit of progress this month. Unbelievable considering how much time I’m spending in the garden and keeping the children on track with their studies. Not forgetting the small matter that I have a job too.
So, with no further ado, I’ll make this a speedy update.
Knitting
I’ve finished the back of the blue jumper. It is knitting up faster than I thought it would, which bizarrely, is not how I intended this to work out. This project is all about the journey and not the finished product. Not that I’ll ignore it once it is finished. It’s more about mindless knitting. Something for me to knit at odd moments, when my brain needs a rest. I’m currently working my way up the front of the jumper and progressing quickly now that I’m passed the ribbing.
Working from the cone can be deceptive. It doesn’t seem to shrink, in the same way as a ball of wool. The combination of thin yarn and slowly unwinding makes it seem like a never-ending yarn cone.
Book (Affiliated links)
I’ve changed books. Last month, I had just started The Invention of Wings. It is a perfect pick up and read book, which fits in fine with my time at the moment. One night, I decided to read it before bedtime. Big mistake. I spent the rest of the night unable to sleep, going over what I had read. Pretty disturbing, to be honest. I have now banned the book to day time reading only. Instead in the evenings, I’m reading Oscar Wilde’s Complete plays. A bit lighter and safer before I go to sleep. Thank goodness.
That pretty much wraps it up. Ending with a poppy from the garden. I love the structure and the colours. I’m really struck by how this one looks as if someone fitted it out with badly set piano keys and a fancy pudding mould.
Joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along. What’s everyone else reading and knitting?
Yarn Along – June
Yarn Along time again. Combining two of my favourite things. Knitting and reading.
Knitting
I’ve started knitting a blue jumper. I’ve not knitted anything big in 4 ply for a while (that’s sport for US readers). I wanted a slow, non-fiddly knit, to knit in the evenings when I was about finished for the day. This one is perfect. Saying that, I’ve almost knitted up the front to the point I need to decrease for the raglan sleeves, so maybe it’s not as slow as I thought.
The pattern is King Cole 3755. I’m using King Cole Merino blend, which comes on a cone, from The Knitting Network (not an ad). I love knitting from a cone, as there is no playing yarn chicken at the end of each ball. (translate: do I have enough yarn to finish this knitted row/garment? Should I swap to a new ball of wool now to avoid tying the new yarn in half way through the new row?)
I use the dk version of this yarn and love the merino blend. It doesn’t irritate my hands as I knit and I can wash it on the wool cycle in my washing machine. I’m hoping that I can do the same for the 4ply.
Hopefully, next month I will still be knitting this one, as it requires very little thinking and that is just the type of project I need at the moment.
Book
I’m reading (affiliated links*) The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. I love the Secret Lives of Bees by the same author and thought this might be good too. It’s based on a true story of two sisters that fought against the slave trade in South Carolina during the 1830s. The book is broken into small chapters, with Sarah and Hetty taking turns to tell the story. Sarah, one of the sisters, is given Hetty as a slave on her 11th birthday. Sarah is unwilling to own a slave and Hetty, whose basket name is Handful, struggles to fit the role. Neither have a choice. I’m only part way through at the moment, but it certainly is interesting.
Slow progress at the moment, as I’m spending any spare time in the garden. I still have plants in the greenhouses waiting to be planted outside. Knitting and reading definitely take a back seat at this time of year.
So. What’s everyone else reading and knitting?
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