Books 2013 #35 - #41

This post is directly inspired by KnittingOnTheGreen's last set of reviews which included my #41 as her #75 (she knits as fast as she reads!). I went onto Amazon as a result of her recommendation and read it pretty much straight away. Now I have a whole new series to enjoy!

#35 Death at Epsom Downs
Robin Paige

Another in this easy reading cosy mystery series. This is book 7 and looks into doping in horse racing and the start of the movement to stop it. Lillie Langtry brings the Prince Regent into it. Various bits of intrigue. Overall a bit stilted but still a relaxing read when all about you is losing it. 

#36 An Uncertain Place
Fred Vargas

Ah lovely, lovely Ms Vargas, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Hot damn this is another great one. I did find myself wondering whether the make up of the police team wasn't getting a bit silly, including as it does a man who is usually drunk by lunch, another who naps in the basement, a woman who stashes food in secret places, a man who talks in verse and so on. But then my work environment is made up of a hackney hipster, a ufologist, a stoner, a guy living with a partner with a terminal illness, an immigrant obsessed with the theatre, a man who loves harsichords, a closet mysogenist and a chronic relationship serialist, plus the mental me who's in a committed relationship with her ex-husband. I cannot recommend these books enough. So well written - which must in this case owe something to the translator from the original french. 

#37 A Letter of Mary
Laurie R King

An archeologist has made a discovery which she is sure is genuine. She gives it to Mary Russell. Then she dies. It's all a bit odd. In fact that sums up the whole book. And the series. Good grief, I cannot contain it any longer. Sherlock Holmes marrying? Sherlock Holmes marrying someone 25+ years younger than him? I don;t think I can read anymore of these. Well, maybe one more. 

#38 A Blink of the Screen

Terry Pratchett

This was very interesting. Collected short stories he has written throughout his life including at least one from when he was a teenager. And that was considerably better than anything I could ever write and indeed better than a number of adult authors I have read. This man was born to write and has given me so much pleasure along the way. The first half are non-discworld stories all fantasy/sci-fi. One about enhanced living chimed suprisingly with the introduction of google glasses. The second half were all discworld and the one about Granny Weatherwax was the piece de resistance for me. A great read for anyone who admires his writing.

#39 The Cuckoo's Calling
Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

I had initially discounted this because it was by JK Rowling and I find Harry Potter annoying. But then I wised up and thought that it's a mystery and I am a mystery buff and if that lawyer's wife hadn't blown her cover I would have read it. 

(I've had a postcard of this on my wall since I was 13 - love it.)

So there I was, reading this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. There is no hint of schmaltzy Potter, it's well edited (something I felt Potter always lacked), the characters were believable and the story was great! A model with a druggy boyfriend (Kate and Pete anyone?) falls to her death from her flat balcony - or was she pushed? Her brother thinks so, so he hires a detective called Cormoran Strike. I found the story compelling and interesting and was always keen to pick it up again when work interrupted my reading. If, like me, you are not a Potter fan (unlikely as it seems since most of the reading world seems to love them) I wouldn't let that put you off. I'd definitely recommend this and actually feel sorry that her cover was broken by that dappy woman. I'll definitely read the next one. 

#40 Operation Pax
Michael Innes

One of the Sir John Appleby mysteries which I 'read' as an audiobook. It starts pretty badly with this loathesome young man trying to cash a fraudulant cheque. He gets the wind up and does a runner only to get into more trouble. His journey culminates with him trying to attack a woman (one assumes this is with rape in mind but this being a vintage tale it is not spelt out) but the lady proceeds to thoroughly beat him up at which point things start getting thoroughly weird for him. The story picks up after this and turns into a proper Innes romp with Sir John's sister intricately involved. As with the previous book (and with the following one) I was keen to get back to listening to this each time I had to stop and a 10 hour trip to the Eden Project and back helped with that. The audiobook is nearly 13 hours long so excellent value if you do decide to go for it - although I got it as one of my 2 a month deal from Audible. 

#41 Bruno Chief of Police
Martin Walker

This is the one Liz recommended and I can see why she said it was a bit Hamish Macbeth to start with - local policeman helping local people with local things. Yep - it could all have been a bit mawkish. Fortunately (although not for the victim) an arab immigrant who moved to the village to join his son and grandson is very savagely murdered in what looks like a race crime and things really start to kick off. I was hoping this could be a new Fred Vargas series and it isn't, but that isn't to say it's not well worth a read. The characters are very believable and I intend to ask my cousin (who lives in a small town part of France) about how realistic the town's mayor etc are as they come across as well rounded. The story also deals with a part of French history during WWII which I didn't know about which was also very interesting. I am very grateful to Liz for pointing this one out to me!

Jasmine the Stoner

She is now almost 4 months old and weighs exactly a stone!

Isn't she the cutest? She was a tad on the grumpy side (possible teething suspected) and tended to cry when Pooch held her - but then I feel like that sometimes too - but otherwise we had a lovely day with her yesterday. Lots of food, dog stroking, tortoise gazing, baby jiggling and a bit of knitting. I had already finished this for her:

(Look at that scowl!) Her Mum kindly admitted it "looked better on" having initially been rather aghast at what I described as a 'cross between a gnome and a clown hat'. I've now got a little raglan cardi on the needles for her.

On the way back we travelled through some rather idyllic english countryside.

I should make the most of it since I have now resigned my job! We are tentatively looking at the third week in November for departing to Tokyo so there is a lot to get done before then. Not least of which are ten of these!

I got the Clover mini bias stuff this week. It is a thin silver iron on tape which I plan to use to outline the initials I'll be adding to the stockings. I've actually made all the stockings now but have yet to quilt or assemble them, never mind the initials. So still a little bit to do there. Before I dash off to get started I felt I ought to share this which I happened across on a craft tutorial app.

Next time you want to do a self-portrait try sitting with your mouth open and put a hedgehog on your head. And please do share the result.

Pom Pom Pom

And ta daaaaaah!

This is a hat for my niece. The pom poms are part of the yarn (bought at SkipNorth) and were going to be random. Turns out that 80st k2p2 on US5 needles is the spacing between them! Meanwhile I spent ten hours on various trains yesterday going to Cornwall and back to plan an event. This gave me some time to try out my Hexie Travel case and make these. 

Note to self - cut fabric proportionally bigger than you would for 1" hexagons. They are *so* fiddly. 

On the Seventh Day She Rose Again

At least, that's what I'm hoping. I came down with the lurgy on Saturday and I'm hoping to leave the house and go to work tomorrow. That's right - I'm hoping to go to work. There is a sign of how bored I am. The cold part hasn't been so bad but I have had zero energy so a little bit of hand knitting or sewing per day has been my maximum. And I was going to do so much over the bank holiday last Monday too! Ah well. Here is what I have to show for it all.

This is my second ever dresden and I'm pretty happy with it. I used scraps and paper templates. I did it with the pincushion blog hop in mind so I'll see how it turns out. Then there is some scrappy sashiko.

I was thinking of this. which was a miniature at the Festival of Quilts.

I didn't quite get that effect now did I? I need to be a bit less random to achieve something harmonious like that one! Then last there is something from a book called Omiyage which the boys at the office got me for my birthday.

I am sure there is a technical name for this but I liked the effect and thinking about the difference fussy cutting could make. I got a little of that in the first round of 'petals' which were daisies on an orange background.

You can barely see the orange. This being my first time I stitched the folded squares across the tops to secure them and then for the larger ones added a stitch where the bottom corners met. I realised as I got to the end that this wasn't working and you can see the stitching. Next time I will just stitch the corners, like this.

That should keep everything secure and stop the stitching showing.

Lastly, my long search for Altoids or their equivalent ended with a bit of a fizzle. I went into 7 (count 'em) shops on Saturday looking for them (all the time coming down with what is possibly the future 'cause of death' on my autopsy certificate) without finding anything remotely similar. Remember - I needed two to finish my hexie wallet. Then at the height of my suffering Pooch does an Ocado order (he says he is too posh for tesco, despite their chocolate mousse being vastly superior) and finds them there. £1.25 a tin.

I suppose he has his uses. Actually he's been amazing at looking after me this week. He's not so bad!

Back Away from the Keyboard

I have this terrible compulsion to start swaps. I keep thinking of all the ones I could start which would take lots of time to administrate and be a hassle because inevitably people misbehave. And I keep thinking of all these complicated projects I could start and really commit to. You know - *really* commit to, not like those other projects I got bored of after the first half which are all in the cupboard. Like this one.

This is actually called the "Nearly Insane" quilt and I came across it on Faberdashery's blog where she is english paper piecing one in just red and white. Looks AMAZING. I immediately started combing the internet for the pattern and reading what others had written about it and studying their colour schemes and thinking how I would approach it. Insane. Although Faberdashery did rock my world slightly by using EPP for the whole quilt. She points out EPP isn't just for hexagons and she is quite right but I had never thought of doing a half-square triangle block that way. Another great example of how inspiring sharing via blogs can be.

I have managed to talk myself down from starting anything - swap or project - by dragging this out to get it finished off.

It is from the Romanian Quilt Studio and there is a free version as well. It occurred to me that...this is round...and Jasmine's playmat bag is round...and I need a new outer fabric for the bag since I got my stitch tension wrong and the white showed up on the black fabric. When I started this quilt I wondered what I'd do with the circle once it was done. I think this could be fated.

The reason for my start-itus is possibly that I have been getting to the end of my tether about the 'Japan issue' and have been looking for things I can control and take my mind off it with. However, yesterday Pooch received a draft contract from his new employer so maybe - just maybe - I might actually be going to Japan after all. There have been so many times when I thought it might be coming together though that I refuse to be even slightly excited until I see signatures on dotted lines.

Be a Hexie Queen! And a Giveaway!

My day on the bloghop! Thanks to everyone involved and don't forget to look at the blogs of the others involved today.

I left it rather to the last minute to make something for this - relying on my ever present box of hexagons which I add to when I don;t feel like sewing or knitting anything requiring concentration.

But then at the start of this week I realised inspiration had not struck. What to do?!

I am destashing a lot at the moment and came across some 1/3" hexagons I'd been making for a miniature quilt to enter at this year's Festival of Quilts. Er, yeah, the one I blogged about a few weeks ago with the entry deadline in May. Not one to waste all that work...meet Wonky the mouse.

I am not a big toy maker but when I saw this on Pinterest I thought it might be fun to make.

I thought I'd followed the pattern exactly but he came out very bulgy so I trimmed and resewed and went a bit freestyle...hence his being named Wonky. But what the hell - he looks better from behind than I do most days.

Just as he was finished off I came across this:

(Can you tell I am an utter Pinterest addict?!) I started it on Tuesday and finished last night.

I adapted the pattern a bit to take out the whole extra flower but used the rest. I just need the Altoid tins! Do you know how expensive Altoids are in the UK?

This is going to be perfect for hexagons on the go.

Before I get to the giveaway I have to show off the bag I made a while back.

I used it at the Festival of Quilts and people were saying such lovely things about it! I really do love my hexies.

And so to the giveaway. It's not a competition - everyone wins! I have written a tutorial for a bag to make from left over charm squares. I am using it for my phone charger but it could be good for anything!

You can download the PDF pattern by clicking here.

Now go and visit these lovely people and see what they have made!

Day 4: Friday, August 23

Sew Peace to Peace

  

Quilt Crossing 

      

sarah did it!

  

Jane’s Quilting 

   

Life in the Scrapatch

  

Lixie Makes It

  

Creative Notions 

   

Modern Handcraft 

   

Feathered Nest Studio 

  

Moneik Quilts

The full schedule is here. 

Export vs Import

In general I am a craft exporter. I make and give far more gifts than I receive. However, I recently got my paws on the parcels from two swaps and so am now the proud owner of the following...

This lovely needlebook comes with inner packets and sweet little butterfly pins!

Then I also received my triple zip purse stuffed full of goodies.

This was my partner's first go at english paper piecing and she did an amazing job! She also sent me those two ribbon tied bundles of 2.5" squares - perfect for my own hexagons - and some pre-cut papers. My favourite thing is the lanyard which matches my sharp scissors.

Such a good idea - I can never find scissors when I need them despite owning at least 10 pairs.

I finished my Pop Spots shawl yesterday so immediately set to thinking about my next project to cast on. But then I paused. Should I be starting a new one? Don't I have enough others I should be working on? So that got me to making an inventory of my works in progress...

1. Christmas embroidery for Mater
2. Ten Christmas stockings (Yes, ten. I've got ambition if no sense.) 
3. Sashiko embroidery
4. Circles mini quilt
5. Rainbow zig zag quilt
6. Jasmine's playmat bag
7. EPP hexagon patchwork for this week's hop
8. Mum's Lace Shawl that was supposed to be finished in March

So overall, I really oughtn't to start something else. And since I mentioned the playmat bag...

The handles become a kind of drawstring around the edge. I was going to make it more detailed than this with a house and road too but after 3 hours straight of piecing and sewing I gave up on that and decided to stick with this simpler design. 

All the fabric is from stash, which contributes to my ongoing downsizing, and I used a double layer of batting to make it soft to lie or crawl on. I hope she - or at least her Mum - likes it! And when I do start something new I intend to respond to my sister's request for a 6-9 month cardi for Jasmine for when it gets colder. I am quite sure she will want to follow her Aunt's dress sense and so I envisage a mini one of these. 

I have a ball or two of each colour left which I deliberately kept back from the destash. She'll be a mini-me!

The Cupboard Was Bare

This is a before (left) and after (right) on my yarn stash.

It all went on ebay apart from a few bits and pieces now in the bottom of the cupboard. Thanks to those of you who bought from me - there were lots of bargains! It was quite stressful packing it all up and I am quite sad when I look at how little is left - but less this be a lesson to us all! Aimless stashing is pointless. You never know when you'll need to flee the country or be flooded or something else. It's not a bargain unless you are going to definitely use it. When I think of all the money I spent on what has gone....ugh. Never mind. Lesson learnt.

I did take a break from parcelling things up to go to a lovely Tea Party at Rachel's house. She and Mr K had baked up a storm.

That wasn't even the half of it. The highlight for me was the jam I had with the scones which they had made themselves. Raspberry, and seriously the best jam I have ever had (hope Mater doesn't read this but it's true). Cucumber sandwiches, gossip, scandal and knitting - lovely! I took my Pop Spots along and since then am just one final repeat from finishing the border.

I think the lace is supposed to go around the whole thing but the outer edge is enough for me. Not the most interesting thing to do - knitting on a lace edging - although quite meditative. Getting back to the tea party...Rachel has recently moved into the loveliest flat and made it amazingly chic and comfortable. It was a proper, adult home.

They have proper furniture that they own that was really nice and not flatpack. I admit I haven't read the book or seen the film but I rather suspect I am Lixie Ripley to Rachel's Dicky except she is the talented one. I have to keep remembering it's not sexy to be jealous and decide to simply admire her instead. If Mr K turns out to look like Matt Damon though...wait, that doesn't work. He'd have to look like Gwyneth Paltrow, and that would just be odd for all concerned.

Discussions continue about moving to Japan for Pooch's new job later this year. Still no date but I do know that when we come back (after 12-18 months) I shall be looking to start my own version of a home. I am feeling very done down by the economy. I earn too much for most schemes, too little to get a mortgage without tens of thousands of pounds as a deposit and it will take me years and years more to get to anything like that. I never thought I'd be 35 and still renting with no end in sight. Ah well. No sense in wallowing.

Things could be a lot worse.

Festival of Quilts 2013

Straight to the good stuff - all my photos are here if you want to have a good look by yourself without my commentary. If you want to hear what I thought of it...read on!

My personal best-in-show? I am going to split it. In no particular order we have Out of Africa.

As you can see in this close up...

...this is made up of triangles sewn into hexagons. However they all use just one fabric print - I love that. So clever! I find this very inspiring. Then we have Little Stars.

I am a big fan of paper piecing and this is diamonds, triangles and parallelograms.

Impressive. I'd not considered paralllelllograms before. Then we have a quilt with a funny name which is on Flickr if you want to know it.

I loved the movement in it. This is also very inspiring - could there be a HUGE paper pieced quilt in my near future?! Another one I mean.

As usual I did look forward to the miniature quilts and I thought this shot gave a good idea of just how mini some of these miniatures really are.

On a tiny quilt...

...you get tiny stitches.

Puts my great gallumphing sashiko stitches to shame! Back to the big quilts and this one is made entirely of old ties.

This one was enormous - that wall is about 10ft high.

I am not going to show any more since they are all on Flickr but I did deliberately take fewer photos than last year which gave me more time to focus on the ones I really liked.

Mumsy and I also managed a little shopping although we were remarkably restrained. I now know what it means to have your fingers itching. There were SO many lovely things and I wanted to bring them all home with me but budget and potential moves kept me holding back. The only fabric I bought was for the ten (TEN) xmas stockings I will soon begin. I didn't want to go with the traditional bright red, gold and green so started off with the snowman print, then added a few others, then a few more until I had the final bundle.

So it is still kinds red, green and gold. But not..I mean..you know...better. I also got a knitting kit for a shawl Mater admired which she tells me is to her only xmas present.

We'll see. On the way to and from Birmingham I was at work on my Pop Pots shawl - the edging will begin soon! Knit, knit, knit...

Fabric

It is the Festival of Quilts this week and I will be attending with my Mum once again. I always take lots and lots of lovely photos and then mull over them in the following year. Last year's are here on Flickr and very well mulled.

It will be a strange one for me this year as I'm destashing. The only thing I 'need' and that is christmas fabric for stockings. So I guess I'll be focussing more on the exhibition.

Despite not adding to my stash I had a voucher for the Fat Quarter Shop which I got before I knew about a potential move. I love that shop as even though they are in America they are very understanding when it comes to posting to the UK. This is what I spent it on.

I set myself a little challenge to put together a bundle I could make a complete quilt with in a colour range that I liked but wouldn't usually go for. I think I got it ok although I'm not sure about that green one. It's always so hard to tell on screen.

I haven't felt like doing much crafting this week other than plugging away on the popspots shawl. There are more than 500 stitches per row now so perhaps it makes sense that in contrast I've turned back to some Sashiko.

This is one of the pre-printed squares you can get from EuroJapanLinks and other places. I do prefer the ones with curves and find it aids Mindfulness (deliberate capitalisation there) and reflection. The only thing is what to do with them afterwards! I feel this one might become a bag.