Unachievable

Joining Ginny's fellow crafters and readers. Bob's Aviatrix is finished and being worn daily. He's had a lot of compliments on it! The yarn is James Brett merino DK, overdyed with food colouring by sausages and I. In real life the colours are brighter, a perfect representation of daffodils. I loved this pattern and have plans to knit a couple more.

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Last week I cast on a gift for a special bride to be. I saw the name of the pattern and decided it was for us. Many's the time I've clung to a slender wire next to this lady while the actual Waves of the Atlantic was over us. Sadly, I seem to have forgotten that I have a demanding (i.e. normal) three year old and an un-put-downable baby. Seriously, this guy will not be put down, ever. At night I have to sleep with him on my chest. Thank goodness for my sling (collection)! Admittedly I have made it harder for myself by altering the pattern as I go along. Doh!

Fortunately this lady knows me well. So well, that when husband and I got married she made us a pair of matching teacosies. Who needs two at a time? Probably just me. So I'm hoping this lady will be cool with an I.O.U in her card next week, and a gift in the near future, and I'm sure she won't be too surprised.

Reading this week is Jodi Picoult's Change of Heart. I find Ms Picoult formulaic but addictive, like watching my bad murder mystery shows on telly. I couldn't decide what to read so picked this up. I was worried it would make me cry, but it doesn't really. It's a bit of a come-down after enjoying Through Connemara in a Governess Cart last week. I need something a bit more gripping next time.

Do you ever set yourself achievable goals, crafting or otherwise? It's frustrating when you can't get what you want done. At the moment that's pretty much everything for me. I can't expect to get away with pulling it off every time. I must've used up my luck on the sheep costume! What are you crafting and reading this week? Do you have any reading or goal-setting advice for me?

Back soon with a tasty recipe for you...

E

Knitting and reading around Bob

Joining in with Ginny in sharing our knitting and reading. The baby gown is finished and looks like this:

I swapped out the drawstring in the pattern for a garter hem to match the sleeves and collar, and buttons to match the top. Sadly this is too small for little Bob, and will have to be packed away unworn.

I'm still enjoying Through Connemara in a Governess Cart, and have to say that while the socioeconomic attitudes of the authors are *ahem* a little dated, the writing is very engaging and humorous. I'm mostly enjoying all the little things I can relate to, such as the excellent descriptions of the weather and landscape. It's living up to my expectations in that respect. The nascent project is going to be an Aviatrix, and the yarn is my own dyed merino DK. The picture is rubbish, but the yellow and green are really quite bright and daffodilly in real life. A breath of spring for little Bob!

Happy knitting and reading!

e

Knitting, Reading, and Listening

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along this week in an aspirational way. There has been very little knitting this week, and what there has been has looked like this:

     

I'm still pretty awkward knitting over a sleeping baby. My arms just don't seem to be long enough! The baby gown looks like this:

I suspect it may be too small already. I finished Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman, and really enjoyed most of it. It'd be a great book for young girls just beginning their feminist awareness, and I think should be handed out in high schools to young men and women working out how they fit in to the world, and it's very funny. Unfortunately Ms Moran used ipso facto where if she really felt she needed to use latin she should have said ergo, and I'm pedant enough for that to take the shine off for me, but I'd totally recommend it, and may well read it again.

I've started reading Somerville and Ross' Through Connemara in a Governess Cart, which is something I've wanted to read since I first started reading Tim Robinson's Connemara series. It's a work heavily influenced by context, which is really interesting in itself. I'm only a couple of pages in, so more on that soon. The Audiobook CDs are from a recent trip to a bargain book store, and I'm enjoying them in the car when ferrying the boys around. Margery Allingham is a classic mystery writer, not as good as Agatha Christie, although of the same era. I'd describe her as more like Ngaio Marsh, but avoiding that lady's bizarre racism by pretending that everyone is white and that members of lower socioeconomic groups have neither personalities or emotions. Ho hum! I just like the mystery side, so muscle past the weird settings and my own social conscience reflex.

What are you crafting or reading this week? I hope you're making better progress than me!

E