Reading, Knitting and Someone Else's Crochet: what could be better?

Ta-dah! I finished these last night, to the entertaining accompaniment of several episodes of Big Love. The pattern is from Mollie Makes, Issue 33, and they've worked up pretty well. They're made in 4-ply, on DPNs, and as I don't often use wool that fine, I found they took quite a while to knit up. The instructions are clear, though, with really good photos so that you can check how your pattern is going! The snowflakes are crochet and I cheated a bit on them by using DK and a size 14 hook, so they don't look as fine as the ones in the magazine. I realised, once I'd sewn the snowflakes on, that the gloves can be worn with the snowflakes on the palm or back of the hand - lovely. There will be more on my Ravelry page soon about little changes I made to the pattern. I was going to give these away as a Christmas present - but I might keep them for myself instead!

This week, I also finished a brilliant novel: Charlotte Mendelson's Almost English:

I expected to enjoy this as I've read all of her novels; she has a gift for articulating precisely what a character thinks or feels. Her choice, for this novel, to alternate between writing about a teenage girl and her mother (as well as their brilliantly-drawn troupe of Hungarian female relatives and friends) means that the novel also demonstrates how a mother's and a daughter's experience of an event can be. Marina's experiences at her new boarding school are particularly entertaining and Mendelson effortlessly recreates the mix of mortification and exploration that characterises teenagers. Laura's anxieties about her absent daughter as well as her own romantic life show a loving but cautious and reserved kind of motherhood which, I think, is rarely the subject of films or books. Mendelson's novel is beautifully written, right down to the level of the wit and clarity of individual sentences. Possibly, if you want a thrilling plot, this might not be the novel for you. But if you enjoy superb observation, convincing characters and pitch-perfect writing, then it most certainly is.

Finally, I saw this fabulous crochet bike basket. Is this yours?! Get in touch, if so! I love it!

 

 

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In Which I Read a Book, and Finally Finish The Interminable Jumper!

Great cause for celebration! The cardigan I've been knitting for absolutely ages is done!

I'm really pleased with it. I'll put more details about how I adjusted the pattern on the pattern notes in Ravelry, but it's Sirdar 9730 and I think it's turned out really well. It does look, from that photo, rather as if I have excessively long arms, but these are at least an inch shorter than the pattern said! I'm also very glad that I made it an inch longer in the body than they said, as it's only just long enough. It's exactly what I wanted: a 1950s style cardigan which I could wear with jeans. It's made from rather luxurious Sublime yarn, which I bought on sale in Norfolk, so the whole thing cost about £30 - though I do have two balls left over. Hurrah! Most definitely going to be wearing it to Stitch & Bitch today!

Some rather nice treats to ease me into this week: I've finished The marvellous Merivel by Rose Tremain, and, as if by magic, Charlotte Mendelson's Almost English has arrived today! I ordered it from The Book People after reading this guide to ethical booksellers: http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/buyersguides/miscellaneous/booksellers.aspx.

Merivel was just fantastic. Tremain's writing is simply never awkward or verbose, despite the novel being in the first person and full of the eponymous Merivel's musings on love, sex, animals and royalty! It is superbly observant and the seventeenth century settings and characters simply spring to life. This is a unique novel - a delight.

 

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Other People's Photos Have a Restorative Effect

For some reason, all my crafting and knitting this week has seemed like *hard work.* In fact, there's a pretty obvious reason: I've had to undo a lot of the jumper for my girlfriend as she wanted the next size up. Although the pattern lists the same amount of yarn for the original size and the new, bigger, size, it really isn't looking good on the yarn front - and I've got a whole polo neck to come...! So, I was particularly pleased to get this photo:

 

This lovely baby is my friend's daughter, wearing the cardigan I made for her! I really appreciate my friend taking this photo (in fact, four such photos!) and sending it on - it's lovely to see it looking so nice on her little girl (see my earlier post on Ungrateful Recipients!). The pattern is from the fabulous More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I have blogged about this pattern before - it's great, all knitted in the round, in speedy Aran. My only emendation was to add buttonholes. Hooray! Looking at this successful #FO heartens me as I contemplate more unravelling of the chunky tanktop....

 

Also: over on Ravelry, at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-christmas-snowflake/people , I have been so flattered to see that two people have made my Christmas Crochet Snowflake and posted up pictures! So, many thanks to EyesOnSaturday and MinnehahaSybyl for posting their pictures and showing that the pattern really worked, rather than being just an idiosyncratic jotting of my own....

 

OK, now I've boosted my knitting confidence - better get unravelling....