“Brilliant kick! Ohh! Get over!” is what I’m hearing from the right side of the room, while I try to gather my thoughts about this post.
Now: “Noooo! Ouch….Knees don’t bend that way!” And I am firmly fixing my gaze downwards to my iPad’s screen. I do not need to see any gory injury replays. I knew these outbursts might be the case, but I had hoped for a quiet game and silent supping of beer, alongside the occasional sounds of dry roasted peanut munching. My Instagram feed is currently full of photos of knitting and crochet ‘while the rugby is on in the background’, or ‘while I watch the rugby.’ I know there are plenty of women who enjoy it too, I’m just not one of them. It’s England V France and currently 6-3 to us. I cheer when we win, but don’t watch the game.
Anyway, sorry for the sports waffle. Back to the knits; I wasn’t sure about the shouty bright pink being added to the mix in my garter stitch blanket, but it works doesn’t it? I like it quite a lot. I am sticking to it being a stash buster, so it’s going to get even more random. However the blending helps to tone down some of the less likeable shades.
I’m really enjoying this knitting, as you know I haven’t knitted much complex lace and this pattern is labelled on the Love Knitting site as intermediate. Hurray! I feel like a proper knitter. The Edenvale cowl is reversible and this is the side which faces you as you knit, but it’s definitely the other side that I prefer (shown below.)
“Are you knitting a giraffe a neck warmer?”
“Ooh look, your dream-catcher is coming on!”
I put up with a lot some days, I feel.
Not knitting, but beautiful anemones I just saw when we popped out to have a wander around a local nursery and plant centre. It’s the day to buy flowers, or a plant, as it’s Mothering Sunday tomorrow. Sainsbury’s, on Friday, looked absolutely crammed full with extra buckets and stands of flowers.
It’s been a while since I recorded what I’m reading and listening to: The Tent, the Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy is making me laugh out loud, more than any book has made me laugh for a long time. I didn’t even really know who she is, but that doesn’t matter at all. Emma writes really well and being an actress is sublime at accents, particularly Welsh. The premise of the book is to describe the family’s disastrous attempts at camping holidays, during the 1970s. So, of course you get a bit of context of what’s going on in the country at the time, the food they eat and encounters with other holiday makers. Highly recommended. I’ve got 3 hours left to listen and I only started the audio book this week. This is probably a speed listening personal record.
I finished reading The House of New Beginnings by Lucy Diamond on Friday night. It’s nice; one of those multi-character stories, where each woman has experienced a recent trauma, heartbreak or has to adjust to a major change. There’s a fair bit of loneliness and isolation at the beginning, but you can guess where the story goes and that ultimately warm and supportive friendships gradually form. There’s nothing wrong with reading a bit of candy-floss. I also think that sometimes a story like this can encourage readers to join a new club, try something new or make an overture of friendship towards another. It can give assurances that all things pass and tricky times improve.
What about you, what are you busy with right now? Can you recommend any good reads?
The score is now 9-9 and I’ve just said SHUSH as “Argghhhhh!” was shouted and made me jump.
Linking with Ginny’s now monthly Yarn Along.
The Little Room of Rachell 
I LOVE the shouty pink in your blanket. I am hopeless at stash busting. Nothing is ever quite right. My brother has just requested a new hat, but handily I had a basket open on Love Knitting, so I just added to it!
Emma Kennedy’s book was a TV series a couple of years ago, and was much funnier than the book. As it is set in the 70’s the clothes and hairstyles, especially the men’s, are hilarious.
My book recommendation is don’t bother with Jack Kerouac.
I’ve just bought wool for a baby blanket and got some extremely good help from the nice lady who runs The Oxford Yarn Store.
I saw the tv series and bought the audio book afterwards. I’ve found the book far, far funnier than the programme. Emma Kennedy reading it and the focus of the book being their holidays is much better, for me.
The Tent, the Bucket and Me is a brilliant book/audiobook, we really enjoyed it. Have you watched the TV show, The Kennedy’s? It was fabulous on BBC and is currently on Netflix.
Ah that’s good to know thanks Jean, might rewatch it but I much prefer the book if I had to choose between the two. Glad you also enjoyed the book. I’ve spent a lot of time clipping and replaying my favourite bits to others.
Your blanket is lovely and so are the flowers.
The flowers are lovely in the wheelbarrow. Good to see you taking caer of giraffes Cheeky man.
The book that made really laugh was the The Corfu triology by Gerald Durrell.
Currently finishing off a navy baby cardigan and reading Ruth Rendalls last book.
There I was thinking the blanket would look the same both sides! I’m reading “The spy who came in from the cold.” by John Le Carre. Sometimes you can’t judge a book until you’ve read the whole thing but he writes well.
Not with the change of colour every other row. I actually prefer the wrong side – it’s pretty.
I’ve never read any of his, will have to look in the library.
Love the flowers and the colours in your knitting. I can’t knit to save my life (but can crochet, albeit right-handedly, sorry!)
I’m not a fiction-y sort of person, can’t remember the last novel I read. If biography is any good to you there’s a fellow blogger who has written about her life in a small American town and that’s excellent (and very funny), called “A Seasoned Life Lived in Small Towns: Musings, Memoirs, and Observations” by Janet Sheridan. (Her blog is auntbeulahblog.wordpress.com)
Don’t apologise for being a right hander! That’s fine by me.
That sounds interesting. I’ll have to look it up, thanks.
Actually, I’m somewhat bi-handed (there’s a word for it, isn’t there? I’ve forgotten what it is). I may have been left-handed originally but went to a school – in the 1950s – where left-handedness was frowned upon (I’m glad those days are over.) I write more comfortably with my right hand but there are a lot of things I do more comfortably with my left. I’m a bit dyslexic and have spatial problems so can never really tell if I’m ‘naturally’ left handed and the ability got lost or if it’s a confusion between the two sides. :)
Ambidextrous isn’t it?
I do use my right hand for lots too, but I think I’m left handed and not truly both. I can’t write well with both; you’d be able to read my right handed writing but it would be like a primary school child’s effort!
My left’s like that with writing. Ah yes, ambidextrous. (I have memory problems – words don’t always come to mind. It takes me a lot of writing and re-writing to do my posts, etc.)
The few I read are very interesting – so you do well.
I always, always spot mistakes and have to edit after publishing. It’s very hard to see them in your own writing.
It is, indeed.
Thanks – glad you enjoyed them.
I read the tent, the bucket and me a while ago and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Isn’t it good!
Loving the blanket, especially the wild mix of colour
Superb! I’m on the last holiday and don’t want it to end, so slowed right down with it. Definitely want to listen to more audio books read by EK.
Thank you. It’s a mixture – good way to use up odd balls.