Sunday 7 October 2007

This week's distractions

DD1 and I have been to Borders! What a lovely environment to daunder through, mulling till your hearts content ... over Starbucks and cake. Bliss! I'm about to start Small Island by Andrea Levy. The book, according to the back cover, is set in England in 1948 and "explores a point in England's past when the country began to change... handles the weighty themes of empire, prejudice, war and love, with a superb lightness of touch and generosity of spirit".
DD1 is reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter, written by Kim Edwards. The blurb on the back says "It should have been an ordinary birth, the start of an ordinary happy family. But the night Dr David Henry delivers his wife's twins is a night that will haunt five lives for ever. For though David's son is a healthy boy, his daughter has Down's syndrome. And, in a shocking act of betrayal ... "

On the knitting front, there have also been several book purchases and these are currently winging their way from Amazon and a seller in the States. All will be revealed when they arrive ... Oh blessed Post Office workers - I don't really have an issue with your grievances, but am so looking forward to receiving my 'books with pictures - of the knitting kind' when your action is over!

West Side Raglan is cast on and so far is being a delightful, hassle free project. It's the first time I've used Manos del Uruguay and it won't be the last! I love the slightly slubby textures and the colours in the variegation. I've made some modifications to the pattern and have fingers crossed that it'll all work out! I've used circular needles to knit the back and front ... anything to avoid as much of the dreaded sewing up as possible!

West End Raglan in Manos

There is progress too on Tide, pattern by Louisa Harding, in The Beachcomber Bay Design Collection. The yarn is Garnstudio Muskat - an Egyptian cotton which creates a really pretty drape.
Tide in Muskat
MrB remains in the 'sulky corner', huffily maintaining that 'satin's where it's at in the land of bedding'. Of course it is, hun ... if you like cold feet, like to live dangerously entering and leaving your sleeping area, can cope with your partner and the cyber knitting world giggling at your naff taste .... So, in order to maintain marital relationships (without getting married!) of any description, I'm appeasing MrHuffles with a new pair of socks;) This is the Baby Cable Rib sock pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and the yarn is one of the Trekking yarns. I love the way its knitting up and the muted colours ... I'd like it even better if I could remember the yarn's blessed name!
And just to prove there's been no enhancement of my photography skills since my last entry, here's my most recent failed arty-farty shot! You've gotta give it to a girl for trying in the face of ongoing skills deficits!!And finally, I'm now in Ravelry, having received my invitation a couple of days ago. I'm angieknitsagain there - please come and say hello when you're online there! My thoughts on Ravelry?? Well ...


  1. It's huge!

  2. I love seeing the patterns knitted up in different yarns

  3. It can be really helpful seeing patterns modelled on fellow knitters. ie. REAL humans with lumps and bumps just like mine!

  4. It's already added about another 20 patterns to my 'HAVE to knit before I die' (melodramatic, moi???) list

  5. It's led to increased friction between DD1/DD2 (I don't like wool, mum!) and I. I see a pattern that I want to knit but they don't want to wear it:(

  6. Although a wonderful resource, I'd miss the interaction of forums and blogland too much to spend all my time on Ravelry. Besides, I need to spend some time KNITTING rather than merely ogling knitted projects...

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16 Comments:

Blogger Linda said...

Well done on the sock bribery for husband! (as long as he doesn't expect satin socks!!) I love tide and the colour you are using.

Sunday, October 07, 2007  
Blogger Fiona Reynolds said...

Excellent bribery.

My Mam is reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" and says she can't put it down.

Sunday, October 07, 2007  
Blogger Amanda said...

ah yes, borders. a very dangerous place for me!

tide is very pretty! i'm rather fond of undulating patterns like that.

Sunday, October 07, 2007  
Blogger Liz said...

I agree with you about Ravelry, it's SO huge, and so much to have a look at, and put on a knit before I die list!

I am impressed with your arty photo. Gerberas are my favourite flowers and the sock looks great on them!

Books, food and drink...what more could a person want? Maybe a little stitch and bitch group in amongst it all?????? !

Monday, October 08, 2007  
Blogger Sarah said...

Good persistence with the photos - the socks look really lovely - well worth having your choice of bedlinen mocked for I'd say :o)

Monday, October 08, 2007  
Blogger Soo said...

Wow - that's a lot of reading and knitting going on! And I agree with you about Ravelry -- it's a great resource but I hope we don't lose the blogs.....

Monday, October 08, 2007  
Blogger Skein Queen said...

OK, so looks as if my nine attempts to add a comment last night didn't work - let's try again.

Small Island is a fantastic book - I really enjoyed it. Loving the Manos. And still giggling about the silk v. flannelette sheets a week later:)

Monday, October 08, 2007  
Blogger Joy said...

I have just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter, DD is reading it now. I also read Small Island earlier this year and it is one of my favourites - I found it hard to put down.

I love Ravelry too, but my blog isn't going anywhere ;)

Tuesday, October 09, 2007  
Blogger dreamcatcher said...

Ooh I love the Manos knitted up :-)

Agree about ravelry, it's so useful but it shouldn't replace blogs - in fact I've read a few times that the last thing they want is for people not to blog :-) You can link up your posts to projects too.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007  
Blogger Ang said...

Oooh I do love that yarn you have knitted those socks in!
and "Tide" looks wonderful, a gorgeous colour.

I agree with your Ravelry points, it is massive isn't it?

Friday, October 12, 2007  
Blogger Cinders said...

Ravellry is very dangerous isnt it? definately dents into the knitting time!!!
I love the Tide pattern. I'm knitting ingarnstudio Saffran At the mo. its also Egyptian cotton but 4 ply.
I use Borders for browsing through knitting books, seeing if I like them and then ordering them on line from play.com-much cheaper this way!!!!

Sunday, October 14, 2007  
Blogger Ling said...

Know what you mean about Ravelry. It just sucks up time!
I started reading "The memory keeper's daughter" when I was pregnant, but I couldn't get past chapter 2. Maybe it's time to try it again.

Great knits! I love Tide as well. (off to queue it on Ravelry!)

Saturday, October 20, 2007  
Blogger Craftybernie said...

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm not much of a reader myself these days so I can't comment on 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter'...

BTW I love the Raglan jumper pattern you got from the US. It's a lovely shape. I can't wait to see how you get on with it.

Toodles...Bernie xx

Sunday, October 21, 2007  
Blogger blog-blethers said...

Thank you, Bernie! I'm on the last sleeve (just started it tonight). We'll just have to see what the shape of MY body does to that pattern shape;)

Sunday, October 21, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love your Tide, and the socks too, of course. :)

I could lose myself in book shops, especially when there's a Starbucks inside. I can feel a trip to Chapters coming on....

Monday, October 22, 2007  
Blogger Sarah said...

The socks are gorgeous. And the picture of Tide is so pretty- it looks like a lovely pattern.

I've just got onto Ravelry too.

Monday, October 29, 2007  

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