Knitted Monsters for a nursery

A non-knitting friend asked me could I please make the above for her baby son's monster themed nursery. I had previously knit them a monster hat and booties and these were so cute, that I was more than happy to help out.

It has been a labour of love, because since J has got bigger, knitted toys have not been on my list of things to knit, and TBH I have never really enjoyed the process. Toys are fiddly, time consuming and often quite dull (IMHO) to knit. But I have loved the look of Rebecca Danger's Knitted Monsters since I first saw them and had no excuse to make them - now I had one so I manned up and knit the lovely acrylic  - it still squeaks and sets my teeth on edge - and today the last one left the needles.

The two dumpy ones are book ends. The centre one is a cuddly. The red one is Snooter, the centre one is Vinny the V-man and the one left is Tegs.

I love the colours and I love the idea of a monster themed nursery. I hope they will do their job and be well loved as her son grows up.

Bookington of books

Poor little neglected bloglet. Not much reading gone on either but still I will update what I have read.
There has also been a lot of starting books and abandoning them as I don't know what I fancy reading.Mmanaged to find a good one I am reading right now, which is so nice. In fact I didn't want to get up Monday as I read with my early morning coffee, and I so wanted to read another chapter, but I was good and went in the shower instead.

The Long Bridge: Out of the Gulags by Urszula Muskus
Format - Kindle

Not my normal reading choice though I have read other books on this subject years ago, but there was something about the reviews of this book that made me want to read it. It is shocking but not written to shock, the language in almost poetical in places and sparse in others and it is that which gives this book its impact. It is like a journal story that tells the facts but with such a human face and tongue that makes it so emotive without the need for gore. The horror of this story doesn't need added shock factors at all. I highly recommend this book. It is easy to read on level and one of the hardest reads I've ever had on another. Compelling though.


Sleeping Roses by Rachelle Workman (spoilers)
Format - Kindle

Did I like this book? Kind of. Is it well written? Kind of. There are levels of cleverness about this story and then there is the sense that she ran out of time and the twisty climax feels rushed. There was also a sense of that old stuck for an ending...."then I woke up and it was all dream" (Spoiler-ish). I did read it quite quickly but a lot of the time I was mentally yelling at the heroine to "man up" and stop being so bloody dappy and wet. There was more interest in  a couple of background characters, which the author should have exploited more. Just my opinion, but it is cheap and easy reading, so it is value for money but not an author I will likely revisit.

Confucius Cat Says by P R Mason
Format - Kindle

Love this. Quick, funny and light. Wonderful. This author knows cats and I think was channelling my old cat Buster when they wrote most of this book.

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan
Format - Kindle

Of all this authors books that I've read (see previous booky post) I liked this one the least. I read it whilst reading the first book in this post because, after two chapters of this book I needed something to nourish my literally soul. Didn't like the story, bit obvious, didn't like any of the characters....not a single one and by the end of it (which again seemed clichéd and rushed) I was bored. Jenny Colgan - done. Might read any news ones but won't be reading her back catalogue if this is an example of them.

Decisions, decisions the sequel....

Two photos here - same yarn. Top example knit today on 3mm, bottom were knit a few weeks back on 4mm and there are a couple of stitch patterns in there I abandoned - the scallop and the seaweed are in there. The yarn is by The Uncommon Thread it is their silky merino fingering in the colourway Leaden. It is the finest of the yarns I've swatched - the drape is to die for but I am not a sure about the definition for this project.

So now I need to choose? Not easy, all lovely.

Decisions, decisions...?

I have an idea for a lovely project (been fiddling about with it for about a month now). I want to make something using colours found in nature that also uses stitch textures that reflect the 'nature theme'. These are the swatches drying.

First up - Eden Cottage SW Merino 4ply in Pendle (very strong teal IRL) - knit on 3mm needle. The stitches up for ponder are seaweed (definite), scallop, moss and clove. This yarn has reasonable drape and stitch definition - it is clearer in photo than in real life.

BFL/Silk blend in sock weight (I have lost the label for this - got it at Woolfest 2012) knit on 3mm - same stitches. Reasonable definition and wonderful drape. It is a semi solid and the colour is a real summer sky blue.

Dream in Colour Smooshy Sock in SW Merino - Happy Forest (the two strands next to it are other colour possibilities) knit on 3mm. Totally wonderful definition, not so good on drape but it is soft and squishy instead.

There is one more option - which blogger won't let me post here so second post follows.....bear with me.

And the reading goes on

Lets start with audio books;

Little Women and An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Aldcott

The first is an old favourite from childhood. It is a hot buttered crumpet of a book and I grew up wanting to be Jo so much. It has never lost its magic for me. The second I just downloaded because I had never heard of it. I loved it. It has the same magic and sense of comfort as the other and I am so pleased I found it.

Bear Creek Collection - vol 1 by Robert E Howard

Another happy accident. Bit boys own but I really enjoyed them. Very nicely narrated too. Not a lot you can empathise with but a romping good listen. Bit like a marmite and cheese sarnie - satisfying with a bit of bite.

Books now - all on Kindle this time.

A friend recommended Jenny Colgan and as I had just read a bit of a weird book (details follow) I needed a bit of froth. So back to back I read 'Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams', 'Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe' and 'The Loveliest Chocolate Shop In Paris'. I liked them all. They did what it said on the tin, to quote an old TV advert, they eased my mind and soothed me like a good cup of tea and Rich Tea Finger. I still prefer other chick lit authors, I needed a bit more zest and humour for my personal taste, but I shall read more. I have one more already downloaded. I suspect that that one will be enough though.

Blue Smoke and Madness by Lisa C Hinsley

Quirky, disturbing and a bit weird. I liked it but it left a nasty taste and the ending is rushed. The whole book is a guessing game of madness, delusion or fantasy reality. There are some nasty disturbing chapters that are a bit churning - including a fairly graphic rape scene. It isn't a book I'd go out of my way to recommend to anyone really but I wouldn't be adverse to giving this author another read in the future.

Good Husband Material by Tricia Ashley

Another 'tin' fulfilling its promise here. Read it for the hero! Plus the fact that most chapters end with a little paragraph or two from his prospective which made a refreshing change. I like this author a lot and her books have a nice cosy comfort feel - bit like a modern Miss Read with recipes and romance, this one was less so, but still a good read.

The Griffin Cryer by Julia Hughes

Aimed at the teen market and another rushed ending but that aside I liked it. Bonus that it although it had a partial school setting, it was set in the UK. The story is different - no vampires and star crossed lovers - clever twists and open to a follow up. A quick and enjoyable read.

Cinderella Chronicles by Lisa Renee Jones

One novel, two short stories or novellas. If you like fairly obvious romance interspersed with sex and quite a lot of sex then you will love this. Me? I got a bit bored but for a freebie it was an OK read I suppose. Not really my cuppa tea.

Madli

Not the most inspiring photo but at least it shows it is off the needles....at last....only been on there since Oct.

The pattern is from the book Knitted Lace of Estonia and includes lots and lots of nupps (bobble type things for non-lace knitters) which is why is took me so long....I suffer from nupp fatigue. I knit mine using Rowan Lace, it took 1.5 balls, and the red is much nicer and vibrant in real life. Will take some arty shots when it is dry. I used a Knit Pro Cube circular at 3mm - great needle, no clicking and a really sharp point.

I also finished this crochet bag (my 2nd one - the other was a gift for a friend - I liked it so much I made one for me). The pattern for this can be found either on Ravelry or on Attic 24, which is a lovely crochet blog, full of colour and charm and some rather nice patterns as well.

I have been trying to clear the decks of my knitting projects one by one and also completed a sock, sadly its mate is still unknitted though but at least I have two less projects on the go.

Still on the needles is a lovely 3/4 Hap Shawl, pattern by Veera Valimaki which I am knitting in yarn from The Uncommon Thread using their merino fingering in Lust and Cobble. The yarn is soft and the colours have real lustre. I think it will be so pretty once it is finished. (I am 2/3 of way through it).

I also have a long term lace weight yarn cardigan on the needles and the other sock. The only other knitting is a monster (toy) project for a mates baby boy - which I started today and it meant I had to go and relearn the 'magic loop' method because it is so long since I've used it, I couldn't quite remember how it worked.

I have loads of stuff queued up in my head that I want to make but still need to clear the decks a bit more before casting on.....hahaha almost convinced myself then!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week lV

is coming soon. Am looking forward to it....are you?

I write stuff too

I am part of another blog that is a fiction writers collective. We are quite new and formed out of a common love of fiction, Sherlock Holmes and writing.

We all write, though some of us are more prolific and we try the have regular flash fiction writing tasks to keep us working and motivated. Here is a link to one of mine that was part of a flash fiction challenge that had to include New Years Day - hope you like it. Rave at the Grave it had to be 500 words and I ended up writing two, this one was my preferred one.

And here is a link to the whole blog that includes samples of some of our work - not everyone has posted there yet Fiction Writers Club there is some good stuff there.

Windward Ho!

Just finished this project (it is blocking as I type) it is 'Windward' by Heidi Kirrmaier - available via Ravelry. I loved making this, it is a quirky, quick knit that kept my interest but didn't fry my noodle.

You see the unusual shaping here and the changes in texture give the knit such depth.

I knit this in a yarn from The Uncommon Thread that is supplied exclusively to Loop. It is a light BFL DK and I knit it on a 3.25mm circ. The colour way is one of my favs from this dyer and is called Tea Smoked. It has a subtle sheen and smoky patches.

I'll post nicer/better pictures once it has finished blocking.