Tuesday 28 November 2017

Needlework Tuesday - Bodybuilder Baby Afghan


As busy as I have been with work, I have managed to find some solid blocks of time to work on the body builder afghan.  Once I completed the design, I set to the knitting.  I am working from the bottom of the chart. I have only shown a portion of the chart at left so you can get an idea of the detail.  It is quite fun watching the design reveal its self as I complete the rows.

 Not shown in the design is the border that I added to size up the blanket.  Simple seed stitch  alternating with stocking knit stitch.

Shown in this photo is the body builder's left foot ( on the right side of the chart).  Each dark square on the chart is a purl stitch on the front side and a knit stitch when working on the back side.  I added the little diagonal lines to help with the stitch counting, but also to keep the back ground from being too boring.

In order to have these stitches show in the photo, I had to turn off the flash on the camera to ensure that there were lots of shadows.


In the midst of working on the afghan, I still had a pair of fittens to finish.  These worked up very quickly and I was able to give them to my friend when I saw her on the weekend.  She was thrilled with them.
I also gave her the blues pair, which are for her sister.  They will be winging their was across the country in her Christmas parcel.

As far as I can tell, I met my goal of fitten knitting this year.  It was smart to have started the first pair back in January so that I wasn't feeling pressure this month to be stitching late into the night.  I get great pleasure from creating gifts for family and friends.  It should never feel like a chore as that takes away an pleasure.  So please, pace yourself and enjoy what you are working on.  When it stops being fun, put it away and work on something else for a while.


Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

 Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post. 





Sunday 26 November 2017

Win Yarn for your Charity Projects

The wonderful people at Yarn Canada are giving away $2000.00 of yarn to knitters and crocheters who make a difference by using/donating their projects to good causes.

You need to click this link to Yarn Canada and complete the entry form, indicating whether you are part of a group or an individual, and how you will use the yarn to make a difference.  Include photos of your previous projects/programs.

The contest is open to both Canadian and American stitchers. 

Good Luck to all who submit an entry.  Please share this information within the stitching community.

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Needlework Tuesday - How's that Christmas Stitchin Going?

 As the weeks are counting down to the Christmas festivities, I am glad that I started my knitting projects back in January.  I've lost track of how many pairs of fittens I have completed, but it is probably around ten or so.  Shown at left is the second last pair of the year.  I love the brightness of this pair.  They are so inviting looking.  Once the ends are darned in, they can be sent off their recipient.
As soon as the above pair came off the needles, I cast on the final pair for the year.  This time, I am using a new to me yarn, Caron Simply Soft Stripes in Churchill Downs colourway. It feels as though it is slightly thinner than the other yarns I have been using, but I don't think it will make much of a difference.    At the rate I am going on these, they won't take too long at all to complete.

Last week I told you about the new afghan I am knitting for a friend of my son.  I am still working on the design, so unfortunately I don't have any photos to share.  Hopefully next week.  At this point I don't know how much more stitching I'll get done before the end of the year, hours of work have picked up significantly.  It seems that even though we celebrate Christmas every year, it comes as a surprise to shoppers that the 25th of December is approaching quickly.  If you have shopping left to do, don't put it off, get it done as soon as you can.  To help de-stress from the frantic activity in the store. perhaps I'll find that the blanket knitting will be most calming.  Time will tell, and I will keep you up to date with photos.

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

 Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post. 



Friday 17 November 2017

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig

This is a wonderfully told tale that will keep junior readers laughing and eagerly turning pages.  Author Matt Haig knows what middle school readers like in a book and he didn't stop dishing it out cover to cover. 

Amelia Wishart is ten when she writes Father Christmas a letter asking for one thing, to make her mother well.  He fully intends to do all he and his magic can until multiple disasters strike in Elfhelm on Christmas Eve.

The story takes place in two locations that couldn't be more different: Elfhelm, where it is clean and only ever gets as cold as you want it to be, and in 1841 London, where it is dirty, cold and unfriendly place  to orphans.

The characters in the story are quite fun.  Amelia and Father Christmas both have strong personalities with a firm determination to get things done.  Mr. Creeper is just as his name predicts, he is creepy and not a nice man at all.  The guest appearances of a ruling head of state and a famous author are perfect.  One passage was hilarious and it took me several minutes to sop laughing before I could continue reading.  I was amused.

This is not a book for an adult to read for their own entertainment.  They should read it aloud to and with their children in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  The humour is mostly directed towards children, as it should be in a children's book.  Yes, there is potty humour and kids find this wildly funny.  This is bound to become a favourite that families will find themselves re-reading year after year.  You do not need to have read Mr. Haig's earlier book, A Boy Called Christmas, to enjoy this one.

I received an ebook review copy from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee

Tuesday 14 November 2017

Needlework Tuesday - Planning a new project.

 My son has asked me to knit another baby blanket for one of his friends who recently had a little boy.  And then he said it would be really cool if I could put a weight lifter on it.  As you can imagine, there are no patterns for such an afghan that I could find. 

Time to get planning.  First, tension.  Looks good.  I have a lot of skeins of Red Heart Heathers in colour 4444 Thyme.
Next, I found a line drawing of a weight lifter pose that I felt would translate well to knitting.  I checked several sites for knitting graph paper, as knit stitches are not square.  They didn't match my tension. A little more searching and I found a site where you enter in the number of stitches and rows from your tension square and it will create custom size graph paper.

Print your own custom knitting graph paper.

 Next step is to transfer the image onto the graph paper.  This will be a new technique for me, so it might take a few tries, but I am up to the challenge.  Hope to have more photos of this for you next week.  Until then, keep stitching.

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

 Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post. 



Wednesday 8 November 2017

Needlework Tuesday - Socks Done, Socks Done

Socks are done!!!
 Did I mention that at long last the socks are done?  Yep, they are.  They are colourful, they are bold and they feel great on my feet and I suspect my sister's feet will feel the same.  You can just see the spiral decrease on the toes.
 A little bit of striping happening at the side of the foot.
The bottom has another slip stitch pattern.  Took me a while to get the hang of that one.  Other than a few yarn ends, they're done.

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

 Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post. anything you finished this week, doesn't have to be needlework.  A book, a bag of halloween candy. It doesn't matter, as long as you finished it.


Monday 6 November 2017

Kat & Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza

Moving provinces and starting at a new high school is almost more than Kat can handle.  Add on top of that her barely controlled anxiety issue and it's amazing that she even manages to get to school each morning. 

When the two term science project is announced, she has no idea who to team up with until Meg introduces herself.  Unknown to the studious Kat, Meg has a major issue, ADHD to deal with herself.  There is one thing that draws the two together, their love of  Lumber Legs.  He's a You Tube sensation who more often than not features epic fails of himself playing the very popular Legend of the Stone computer game.

I enjoyed the story of the girls getting to know each other even as there were trying so hard to hide their personal issues.  They were both trying to hide what they viewed at their own flaws, but they loved watching Legs share all of his.  The two came across as real teens.  Their discussions about everyday teen issues made it feel as though I was over hearing my daughter and friends.

This is the type of interaction that goes on in high schools across the country and has for generations.  The gaming aspect keeps it modern and relevant to today's teens.  This is a well told take that made me care about the outcomes for both Kat and Meg.

Cover image courtesy Harper Collins Canada

I received an advance reader ecopy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc., in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Nevermoor #1: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

A delightful tale that's a little bit scary and a whole lot magical.

Morrigan Crow has just one wish, to live.  She knows that is not going to happen.  Like all other children born on Eventide, she is cursed and destined to die with the coming of the next age.

All this changes with the unexpected appearance of Jupiter North and his offer of escape to Morrigan.  From the moment she accepts his strange but welcome offer, her life changes in ways she could never have imagined.

I was totally enchanted by this story.  Morrigan is caught up in dreadful plight not of her own making.  She want to be like other kids, have friends and play, but no one will come near her, not even her own family.  She is ostracised with no where to turn for help.

Middle school readers will enjoy following along as Morrigan explores the new life that Jupiter has brought her to.  He has opened the door, but then left it up to her to walk through and embrace the opportunities.

Author Jessica Townsend has created a complex world and her vivid descriptions have brought it to life.  I could clearly picture Morrigan and her new friend Hawthorne exploring the Deucalion Hotel where she lives with Jupiter and their many unusual guests.  I  think the smoking room, it's not what you imagine, would be my favourite place to hide away.  I love this story and eagerly await the next book in the Nevermoor series.

For younger readers, I  also recommend the magical series Whatever After by Sarah Mlyowski.  

If you like the idea of a magical hotel, then you'll also enjoy The Supernormal Sleuthing Service: The Lost Legacy by Gwenda Bond & Christopher Rowe.

Cover image courtesy Hachette Book Group.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc., in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee