Re: Read 2017

I’m listening to early evening fireworks going off so it is definately that time of year… I’ve listened to reviews on the radio, looked at lists of reviews in the papers, so now its my turn… And you know, I can only do this because of one of my New Year’s resolutions from a couple of years ago has stuck – keeping a list of things I’ve read. No apologies for nerdyism, without it I forget. I absorb them and move on;  now I’m reminded what I’ve read and that reminder brings them back to life.

So, this is what stood out: The Outrun (Amy Liptrot) – I absorbed the cold, wind open landscapes of the Orkneys and also wanted to live in a remote cottage and listen to corncrakes; The Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela) – fascinating to read his perspective on those long hard years and life. I’ve visited classics in the form of Villette – the French took me by surprise and currently Hard Times – Dickens’ descriptions and characterisations are so good despite his mysogenist characterisations (realistic I guess). On a lighter note, the May Coffin Road and Lewis Trilogy took me to the islands again; Dawn French to NY; and Jackie Fleming’s The Trouble with Women made me laugh out loud and reminded me of those treasured cartoon books I collected in the 80’s.

And now, I feel a New Year’s snack and beverage coming on; …think I’ll  leave Hard Times for a few hours…

Solution

I’ve found a solution to yesterday’s problem. Yeh! Yes, it involved buying more wool but the yarn is in plentiful supply so I only bought three balls and will go back for more if the colours and weight work well together. The three balls are different colour ways which hopefully will be similar to the colours I’ve used so far. The next challenge is to blend them all together! Watch this space…

Making waves

I’m just listening to a programme about good ideas for tv shows. Its a bit like a Dragon’s Den of ideas but without the dragons and people with products. Anyway, after talking about all the recent good shows, the best ideas they could come up with are pretty lame. Why is this relevant? Well, its a bit like my idea of a craft project for the week. I really fancied doing some wavy crochet (ripple pattern), and I really fancied a scarf/wrap thing and I really fancied using up some of my stash. Anyway, it turns out my good idea has shortcomings. It took about four goes for me to get the pattern right (my fault for not noting it down correctly) when I eventually went back to the original pattern and mastered it, (and it looks quite good) I realised that I’ve got less than a third of the yarn I need. Hmm, and its discontinued, and I’ve not got enough of alternatives. Hmm, back to the drawing board, or shops, so much for a stash busting holiday project.
Think I’ll find another project…