A pot wot I made

 I made a pot. I am no potter but I had great fun throwing this.

Pot - now with added extra yarn!

Books 64-68

The Essence of my Being - by Jean Price.
Format - Kindle

Interesting story concept but (sadly there is a but) they story jumps about too much, instead of following an idea through it charges off at a tangent - as does the heroine - this gives a disjointed feeling. That said though, it is a good book and I would happily read its sequel. Perhaps the author was trying to give a headlong, breathless, youthful feel to her narrative to reflect the youth of the heroine but I feel I may be being kind here.

Sexy in Stilettoes - by Nana Malone
Format - Kindle

This book does what 50 Shades of Yawn attempts to do - but with less effort and with a better story. Very sexual but without leaving  you feeling as if it is trying to shock more than thrill. It is quite well written too. Again it isn't a book that really leaves me with a sense of 'Oh wow, must read more' but it was good enough and fairly enjoyable and the sex scenes were much hotter (imho) and less Zzzzzz inducing. Would read another by this author but probably not for a while.

Hunter (A Custodaie Novel) - by C.W. Nash
Format - Kindle

Now this I liked. The author does take a while to set the plot of his story (maybe a bit too long - you keep waiting for the axe to fall) but that doesn't take anything away from the idea behind the story or the plot. It keeps a good pace and although the illness suffered by the hero is a very emotive one for me it worked within the storyline and gave the whole vampire/villain idea a new twist. Look forward to its follow up.

Minerva and The Taming of Annabelle (The Six Sisters) - by M C Beaton
Format - Kindle

Everything that you expect from this author. Better than the last book I read by her (Emily goes to Exeter). Although these books have less substance than the froth on your coffee I quite enjoyed them, that could be because I love the Regency period of history or it could because that are a light, historical romp with a dash of naughty, a smidge of romance, a ice cube of fashion and twizzle stick of tongue in cheek. Don't know if I'd read all six (wouldn't at full price - these two were daily deals at 99p each) but if they came my way at a discount then I'd wouldn't turn them down.
Great holiday reading - quick too - read both in a couple of afternoons.

Crochet crazy

 I love the crochet hexagon throw I made for my bedroom chair. So much so, that I am making a 2nd one to cover the seat.

 Here is the progress on throw number 2 - fairly slow but getting there.

 Finished hexagons - some edged in black ready to add to the throw.

Hexagons are so simple to make. Make a 7 chain and join it with a slip stitch.

 Chain 3 (which equals the 1st treble ...using UK terms here) then make 17 trebles into the centre of the loop (I crochet in the my ends as I go).

 Join the trebles with a slip stitch and chain 3. Make 1 treble then into next stitch, 1 treble, chain 2, 1 treble - this makes a corner. You need 2 trebles between each corner and 6 corners in total.

 Join with a slip stitch, chain 3 and this time make 4 trebles then a corner etc - all the way round.

 Keep going until you have the size hexagon you want.

I use double crochet to edge mine - 1 double for each treble and 3 doubles per corner.

Then using doubles again add to the the throw.

Perfect use for odds of sock yarn and pretty too.

Colour to make me smile

 A bobbin full of happy brightness that just makes me want to smile like an idiot (or an even bigger idiot if you prefer).

 Our new neighbours. I love gulls. They are part of living near the sea, their wheeling cries fill me with joy. The two that nest on next doors roof, every year, have had twins this year.

Their fluffy down has almost gone now - not long till they become 'Whistling Willies' - chasing their parents around the local roofs, whistling to be fed.

I got those happy feet

Surprise pressie from Mr L. Love him. Love them!

Hope 'heel' like them.

Or maybe a better title would be 'now with extra added heel appeal'.

Opal Van Gogh yarn, UK men's size 8 over 64 stitches on two 2.5mm circular needles.

Books 59-63

Reading has been on the back burner recently with too much other stuff going on.

The Shades of Grey Trilogy - by E. L. James
Format - Kindle downloads

I read all three but I have to say not because I liked them or that they were well written but firstly because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about and secondly because once I read one I wanted to know why he was the way he was - rather warped?! I never thought I'd say this about a book but here goes - "there was just way too much sex!" It all got rather dull and boring and by half way through the second book I was skim reading those scenes and in the third I skipped them completely.
I suppose if you are single and they float your boat then these books would be wonderful masturbation fodder or if your sex life is a little dull they might encourage you to expand (cough, cough) your horizons but to me (other than the curiosity about Mr Grey's past) they became a thing of humour. I admit to ripping the piss  out of them unmercifully - especially regarding some of the over repeated phrases - inner goddess - in a pig's eye more like.

Would I recommend them? - Not really - but they are 'the buzz' right now- so they must have something. I just wonder what this author will write next?

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice Book 1) - by G.R.R Martin
Format -Kindle download

I've not seen the TV series. I read this because I wanted something different, something long and absorbing after the books mentioned above. I have read good and bad reviews of this book but personally - I loved it! Couldn't put it down (am halfway through the second one).
It was a great holiday read and I love some of the characters that I already have the other books in my queue/wish list.

Wuthering Heights - by Emily Bronte
Format - Audio book

Another favourite revisited. Beautifully told. Always compelling. Wonderful.

The joy of an after thought heel

I love hand knitted socks (well duh) and they make perfect travel knitting. Using an after thought heel makes them an even better travel project because you just knit a tube with no shaping other than the toe.

 A pair of completed socks - all bar the heels. The green yarn shows where the heels will go.

 Use a circular needle to pick up the stitches either side of the green yarn - in this case there were 32 stitches each side.

 Remove the green yarn (the stitches are held safe on your needle cables). You can do this one stitch at a time using something like a large darning needle or.....

you can be an impatient little bunny like me and cut those fookers out! Remove all the green yarn scraps and then join your yarn and knit the live sock stitches back in the round. (Some stitches might be twisted so either right them or knit them  through the back of the loop.)

I tend to pick up 4 extra stitches (one for each needle tip) which helps close any gaps which might occur, so at the end of the first round I go from 64 stitches to 68 stitches.

I work my after thought heel in the same manner as I work the toe - doing one extra decrease round to loose those extra 4 stitches. I find for depth and width of the heel cup that decreasing from 32 stitches to 16 stitches per needle is just about right.

So simple, so neat and quick too.

Brim full of purty.

Hand sewn Japanese Folded Patchwork lap quilt all finished...finally. I love the colours and fabrics.

Now I just need to get on and finish the crocheted lap blanket that goes with it.

All spun and done.

 And we're off.

 Halfway home.

Then there were two.

 Plying my trade.

 One little fat one.

Past the post. Spun and done.

70/30 merino and silk from DK FeltStudio UK. 100g, 24wpi, 384 m - prettiful.