Thursday 18 September 2014

WIP Crack Away KAL

Way back in March, I put up a picture of my nearly finished front half of the hooded tunic. I said at the time I was probably jinxing myself and lo and behold I did as the front now looks like this:


I cast off the shoulders not long after that post and then laid out the pieces to to start seaming the shoulders. It was at that point I discovered the front was 20cm longer than the back, and to make matters worse, Mum pointed out that the shoulders were different heights as well. There was some wailing and gnashing of teeth then as I realised there really as no option but to rip back.

After that, it sat in the naughty corner.

Then there was Zuzu's Petals, which after ripping out the first version I made some progress on the new version in the Debbie Bliss yarn but quickly stalled. It's looked like this for the last couple of months:



All in all, it's perfect timing for the WIP Crack Away KAL to come along. It's co-hosted by Yarns From the Plain and Knit British and runs until the 15th of November, with the only rule being that you must have cast on your projects before the 1st of September. If you want to join in, you'll find the first week chat thread on the Yarns from the Plain ravelry board.

It's my first KAL, and it really couldn't come at a better time for me. I've got some time off before classes start, and once finished, both of these would be ideal for keeping warm on my commute. I'm also looking forward to chatting and getting to know some new knitters in the process.

Sunday 14 September 2014

FO: Hurricane Hat

This wee hat has been finished for some time (and had a happy reaction from it's new owner) so I really should get the photos up.


I used Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo in DK with 3.25 mm needles to create a baby version of the Hurricane Hat pattern by Andrea Guldin. The pattern is easy to memorise and knits up quickly, and the baby bamboo is gorgeous to knit with and creates a soft and warm fabric. Neither of the photos really do justice to the colour of the green, but it's a lovely sage colour.



This was my first project completely done on DPN's and apart from losing track a little on the last few rounds, I'm (pleasantly) surprised at how well it turned out - especially the lack of laddering where the needles met. It did take me a while to get comfortable holding the needles and get over my terror that the stitches were going to just going to slide off whilst I was knitting, but I think that is a fairly normal reaction. I quickly bought a set of Knit Pro Symphonies which helped with both of those as they gripped the yarn more than the metal ones I had borrowed from the family stash and were comfier to hold.

It's certainly given me the confidence to start a pair of socks, and I can see why the pattern is so popular. Definitely one I will consider knitting again!

Thursday 11 September 2014

What I'm Reading

What I've read
Fire Study by Maria V Snyder. I finished my reread of this, and I enjoyed it just as much as the previous two. This time around I could see the set up for the Opal trilogy (which never really stuck on me for a variety of reasons), but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book at all as I still like Opal as a character.

Now I've finished rereading all three books, I can definitely say it’s been lovely to revisit them all and see the changes as the series progresses. I’ll definitely be rereading these again at some point in the future, and I've just discovered that there is going to be a fourth book out next year, which perked me up considerably when I found out.

Blood Games by Chloe Neill. I didn't quite like this so much as the previous books, mainly for the reason it read like two books badly whittled down to one. It felt like one story line too many which diminished all of them which was a shame as the all had a lot more potential. Saying that, I did enjoy curling up reading it as I suspected, but overall I ended up feeling frustrated that it could have been more. I will carry on reading this series because the characters and the world-building are still great but this definitely wasn't the best of the series.

Shattered by Kevin Hearne. This series has lost a lot of its initial appeal for me now, but I'm invested enough in some characters and interested in the endgame enough to carry on reading. That said, I did like this book a little more than the last one, (politics and investigations will do that to me) but it did feel rather disjointed as the POV's felt out of sync time wise. Overall, I thought it was an all right read, but not one that will stick with me or that I’ll reread.

Earth Flight by Janet Edwards. Some books you can anticipate so much that the actual book never lives up to your expectations. Earth Flight was not one of those books. I loved it every bit as much as the first two, and as well as being a great book on its own, it felt like a fantastic end to the trilogy. There was a lot packed into this book, and it wasn't as involved with the dig site course as the previous two, but neither felt like a drawback to me. In fact it felt necessary to wrap up the trilogy nicely, and I really liked the way certain things had been foreshadowed in the first two books. Basically I loved everything about this book, not limited to the character, world and political development.

I still want to read more about everyone and the worlds, but I read the last page and felt completely satisfied. That, and the fact I that have already reread it, sums up both the book and the whole trilogy for me really.

What I'm reading
A reread of Earth Flight is really the only thing I'm actively reading at the moment, partly because it’s been that sort of week, but mainly just because I loved it that much.

What I'm reading next
I would like to carry on with The Queen of the Tearling again as I'm still intrigued and feeling in the mood for high fantasy again, and Jaye Well’s Cursed Moon should be ready to pick up from the library in the next couple of days. Other than that I would like to make a dent in my TBR pile before term starts so possibly either Child of a Hidden Sea by AM Dellamonica or The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler.

Saturday 6 September 2014

Progress update!

One of my goals for the year was to learn how to crochet properly (my granny taught me to crochet when I was wee, so I had a gist of the basics, but I really couldn’t remember much so I was essentially starting from scratch). I’m really chuffed to say that I’ve managed to meet at least that goal!

 
The cloth on the left was my first attempt getting back at it, and I deliberately chose a cotton DK because the cloth was something I would use regardless of how badly it turned out. In the end I don’t think it turned out too badly, though I did keep losing stitches at the end of the rows, but on the plus side at least some of the ridges are intentional!

The motif on the right was several relatively plain cloths later (both square and circular I’m pleased to say), and I am really pleased with how well I’ve come on in such a quick time. I changed over to a merino 4-ply as these motifs are part of the secret project I’m helping out with.



Since then my confidence and speed have definitely picked up as well as this pile of motifs will attest. Plus I’m managing to stay consistent in my stitches, and I can now crochet this motif whilst chatting away at knitting group. Definitely a sign of progress I think.



And I’m even feeling confident enough to follow a pattern that hasn’t been thoroughly explained by the master crocheter herself (AKA Mum). This is the start of a puff stitch hexy from Kat Goldin’s pattern on her blog. I’m using a some left over acrylic wool mix in a heavy DK, and the eventual plan will to be to use up various bits and bobs for a cosy blanket.

I think learning any new skill is always a big achievement, but I think this feels even bigger for me. My mental health the last year or so really hasn’t been great, and picking up the crochet hook and keeping on going has felt like climbing a mountain. I honestly think it’s helped me get further down the road to recovery and helped me make life changing decisions that will further help. Obviously it’s not the only reason I’m getting better (my awesome family and GP for the main part), but I really can’t put into words how great it feels to show myself that I can still learn something new, and that I’m not totally useless and stuck for the rest of my life.