Box Ticker

I finished The Snow Child and, wow, did it tick some boxes. A really good novel - tick! A not-too-challenging read - tick! Tolerant of my flighty commitment - tick! A ripping tale - tick! Beautifully written - tick! (Oh, my, such beautiful writing - tickticktick!) Did it call out to me all day long? Why, yes. It still does.

What's more, the book compelled me to sneak pages in the car at school pick-up, and sit in unwieldy postures (think one knee and one elbow holding it open) so I could grab a chapter while knitting, snaffling moments throughout my week to read a handful of words here and there.

It came highly recommended by so many - thank you, thank you! And now I will pass that recommendation, with the greatest enthusiasm, to anyone who cares to listen.

This week, with the haunting chill still lingering, I embark on another recommendation - this one from Little Macaroon (have you visited her place? She always makes me chuckle.) I've only just started The Most Beautiful Thing. I'm promised an unputdownable second half.

And knitting? Alas, no beautiful cardigans for myself, or school cardigans for my kid (it's on the list!). Just a lovely stack of squishy soft hats for the much promised Typically Red Knits newborn range. They'll be in the shop just as soon as I can grab some photos of them on a tiny head.

Joining in with the Yarn Along here.

Yarn Along

I put out the call and you responded in kind, you good people. Michelle provided a list as long as my arm. No less than six of you recommended The Snow Child, and when lovely Lori repeated the name five times, I knew I had to act. It has arrived, and is everything promised and more - a wintry fairy tale with a slightly dark underbelly. I'm only a few chapters in, and I've only caught a glimpse or two of the child of the title, but already I'm enthralled.

I promised myself I'd cast on my new cardigan by the end of the month - last month. I chose my pattern and bought it, and today tried all day to grab a moment to wind my yarn and work up a swatch. During the dinnertime madness, I began. This is how far I got.

Am I the only one who gets to the last, say, tenth of the process before caving in and letting the yarn loop fall off and tangle beyond repair? Always within a whisker of finishing I'm left with a mess that takes twice as long as the winding to set right. I need one of these. Soon, soon.

Joining in with the Yarn Along.

Bookless on a Wednesday

It's Wednesday and I've nothing to read. Who am I kidding? I've been bookless for months. Novel-less, at least. I'm not sure what happened, but I've stopped reading. I'm still dipping into the best food book I've ever read most nights. But what's sorely lacking is a novel, a really good novel. Any advice? I can't do anything too challenging, or that requires too much of my brain. It must tolerate being read in bursts, sometimes only a page or two a night. That said, it must be beautifully written and tell a ripping tale. I certainly won't say no to un-put-downable, and while a slow-burner is fine, I have to be grabbed from the get-go. If the book calls out to me all day long, so much the better. I don't mind being taunted if the story is worth it.

I'm being taunted by this yarn. Beautiful, beautiful Quince Chickadee in richest Honey. I've enough to make myself a winter cardigan - this one, this one and this one stand out - but I need to find a break between hats to get serious about it. Winter's a few months away, and I know myself well enough to realise it might end up being for the winter after this one. But for the sake of balance, and all things good, I will cast this on before the month is out...once I decide what it will be.

I'm joining in with the Yarn Along despite the distinct and glaring absence of a book.

Also, please check out my very woolly giveaway. Two of my handknit hats are up for grabs - winners choose colour/style/size.

Tiny

Knitting: A tiny hat for a tiny head. Short of stalking the exit to the maternity ward, I'm not sure how to find out for sure if it's newborn size. For the first time in a long time, I have no very tiny people to call on.

Reading: A book about a precocious 5-year-old to a precocious 5-year-old (and loving every page).

Yarn Along here.

A Little

"Or make an omelet but leave it unfilled and unfolded. Flat, round omelets are quiet, and a little serious."

I think I might be a little in love with this book, and this writer. Tamar Adler speaks of food in a way that sings to me, with poetry and humour and great common sense. I am not yet halfway through, but already I am saving my broccoli stalks and taking pause before cracking an egg to consider my intentions.

I might also be a little in love with this yarn, soft and calm and coloured this time. I am knitting a special order of hat and boots for a baby boy in New Jersey. One boot to go and it'll be on its way, in time for the February chill.

Joining in with the Yarn Along.

iKnit

I had a massage today. That's not something that happens very often. It was a gift voucher given to me - wait for it - two Christmases ago. (Thanks, sister-in-law! It expires tomorrow. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute.) I was given chamomile tea on arrival and ushered into a dimly lit, near-silent oasis for an hour of pampering. Bliss.

Not wanting the feeling to end, I took my desert-lime and mimosa scented self to a favourite local cafe for a soy latte. I should probably have ordered something cleansing and herbal, but old habits die hard. Besides, I still had to survive dinnerbathbed. I sat at the window bench and retrieved my knitting from my handbag. My iPad was in there so I grabbed that too. I've been a bit to reluctant to jump on the e-book bandwagon, but I have one that I started reading on holidays and promptly dropped once real life resumed - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

And so I sat, sipping my glorious coffee, clickety-clacking away on another hat, and reading. Yes, reading. I'm not new to the knit-read combo, but I've always had to choose carefully. Something that lies flat. Something that doesn't need to be re-arranged every time you turn the page. Something with large-ish type.

It wasn't until I'd 'turned' three or four pages seamlessly - just a quick tap of the screen - with minimal interruption to both the knitting AND the story that I realised what I'd hit on. Are the Apple people even aware? The perfect device for the multi-tasking knitting reader. Or reading knitter.

I am delighted.

My book shelves may suffer as a result, but my 'book shelf' is about to get some new additions. What next? Audio books, no doubt.

Joining in with all the other lovely knitting readers and reading knitters here.

I did seriously consider getting my knitting out for the sitting-up foot rub part of the massage. Too much?

Taking Note

I have a weakness for an empty notebook. Ignore the many I already have waiting to be filled. Ignore the fact a 45-cent exercise book from the supermarket will do the job. Sometimes I need to buy a beautiful notebook...just because. The purchase usually coincides with a sudden burst of organisational or inspirational energy. I may have decided to begin journaling, or list-making, or meal planning, or business planning, or the general sorting and setting in place of some sort of complex system that will ensure the smooth running and general betterment of our days and lives. I will fill the first few pages with zest and enthusiasm and then...well.

On my recent shopping expedition in Singapore, I came across this trio with animal prints and red stitching on the covers, all tied up with string. Calling it a souvenir made the decision easier. And although three new notebooks should mean I don't need one more, when that one has a Fair Isle knitting pattern printed on the cover - found in my favourite local store, Made by Others - well, what's a girl to do?

Four new notebooks, and much, much planning, writing and filling to be done.

Singapore: Shopping

Singapore equals shopping for a lot of people. 

Budget, multiple toddlers and a general lack of interest meant I didn't really hit the high street on our holiday. But I did have one lovely morning with my sister in Tiong Bahru where, after our requisite coffee and pastry at the Tiong Bahru Bakery, we went in search of a bookshop I wanted to check out, and chanced upon a beautiful design/interiors shop as well. It was called Strangelets - its tag line "Militant Craftsmanship." I asked if I could take some pictures, and the woman behind the counter said, "It's too pretty not to."

I wasn't polite enough to ask next door in BooksActually. I just snapped away. Oh, how I love a beautiful, eclectic, overstuffed bookstore.

I think I'd find myself in this little corner of the city quite regularly if I ever lived in Singapore.

Ambition versus Reality

I have a dear friend who had a birthday just before I went on holidays. Having long wanted to knit something for her, I quickly set about choosing a pattern and yarn for my suitcase, expecting completely and without question that it would be a finished gift upon my return to Australia. I even packed two other holiday knitting projects to fill all those anticipated empty days after I finished the first. 

Sigh. There are never enough hours, even on holidays, to knit everything that needs to be knitted. I would estimate my progress on the shawl, after two weeks, to be about 5%. Oh, dear. I'm sure all the wool and patterns enjoyed their time away, even if they didn't see the outside of the suitcase.

I did finish a book on my holiday, and make hefty progress on a second. This Anita Shreve novel fit the bill perfectly for poolside reading. My attempts at poolside knitting were less successful, but at least I tried...

It's left me wondering about those tropical climates, as I sit here at home in chilly, ridiculous-for-November temperatures. Could I live in a place where knitting seems, well, crazy? Would the dumplings and noodles make up for the lack of fireside clickety-clack? I just don't know.

Joining in with the Yarn Along here.

And thanks again for your fabulous and supportive comments, both here and at my new Facebook page, for the launch of Typically Red Knits. I'm looking forward to a couple of fun giveaways in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Yarn Along: The Holiday Edition (and a winner)

I'm between books and between knitting projects, and something tells me things will stay that way till I'm on the plane. Please, don't ruin the elaborate fantasy I've woven in which I knit and read all the way to Singapore while three small children sleep the trip away, behaving immaculately in the 27 minutes they're awake. 

The two books in the photo above represent my holiday reading. They've been waiting patiently for their time. The two handknit hats are winging their way to a little girl in Queensland, who's about to embark on a very exciting adventure to New York. 

Stella and Pearl did a little modelling before I packaged them up. They know woollen bonnets won't be required where we're going.

My holiday knitting plans are a bit fluid at the moment. Initially I thought I'd just keep working on the hats, but I've decided to leave them at home and indulge in something fresh and different (for me). On the radar is this lovely shawl which would be the perfect gift for a dear friend whose birthday is fast approaching. I may have even gone so far as to order some beautiful squishy organic yarn today, because, of course, there was nothing appropriate in the stash. 

And the lucky winner of last week's giveaway, 'How Tea Cosies Changed the World', is Kylie from Canada. Congratulations, Kylie. Email me your address and I'll ship it off to you. I look forward to seeing an elaborately adorned teapot on your blog sometime soon! 

Joining in with the Yarn Along because it's Wednesday and that's just the way it goes.

Yarn Along and a Giveaway!!!

One tiny summer baby knit complete! It's in lovely, soft, drapey organic cotton, and I took a gamble and made it in the 6 month size, based on prior knowledge of the above-average height of both parents and rather hefty birth weights of his older siblings. He's only a couple of weeks old, this boy, but I reckon he'll be able to wear his new vest all summer long, even if it does reach all the way down to his skinny little knees.

Almost as exciting as a new baby in a handknit is a giveaway! I was lucky enough to be given a second copy of this gorgeous book after buying my own copy at the launch back in May. If you haven't heard of Loani Prior, she wrote 'Wild Tea Cosies' and 'Really Wild Tea Cosies', and this book, 'How Tea Cosies Changed the World', is the third in the series. It's not just a book of knitting patterns but a hilarious and wonderful read as well. I chuckled my way through it, I admit. I've heard of knitting patterns that make you cry, but how often does one make you laugh? There are 18 spectacular tea cosy patterns as well as a scarf, a beret, a bag and more. Just in time for Christmas, these would make wonderful gifts for tea-loving friends.

So I've got one copy to give away, and I hope all of you knitters, and even you mysterious and strange non-knitters, will love it. All you need to do is be a follower of Typically Red (click over there on the right) and leave me a comment here before next Wednesday. I'll happily post worldwide. Good luck!

Ravelry notes for the tiny vest here.

Yarn Along here.

My dear friend Briony, mother of Max, if you have read this far, surprise! The vest is on its way x

Series

I listened to an interview with Ian Rankin the other day. I realised I'd never read one of his novels, nor ever watched 'Rebus' on the ABC, though it seems to be on constantly. Apparently there are 18 books in the collection already. Something about working through a series appeals to me at the moment. I've read very little crime fiction in my time, apart from the Peter Corris books that line the GM's shelves. But I love Edinburgh, and reading about Edinburgh, and when the Ian Rankin book I picked up at an op shop last week happened to be the first in the series, I took it as a sign. A-murdering and abducting we shall go.

Back in the real world, there's a series of new babies - one already here and a couple waiting in the wings. Highly inconvenient, these warm-weather newborns. It makes things a little tricky for us knitters. I couldn't bundle them up in one of the gazillion hats I've been churning out lately, so I've turned my attention to what must be the perfect summer baby knit - tiny vests in organic cotton, just like this one I knit way back when. 

Joining in with the Yarn Along after a brief absence last week.

Grateful to be knitting something other than winter hats.

And so looking forward to seeing what everyone else is creating.

Spring Tee

The Yarn Along has me in its grip. I awoke was awoken early this morning, and had a busy day ahead, but most of the morning's energies were directed towards getting this little top off the needles, the ends woven in, buttons added, and the washing and blocking done, all so I could meet the Wednesday deadline.

It happened, miracle of miracles. A second version, slightly adapted, of this other little tee. I cast on fewer stitches to make the neckline less gapey, and played around with the increases because I felt the other one was a bit puffy on the yoke. The yarn is Jo Sharp 8ply wool. My Pearl thought it was itchy today, but that's because I made her wear it with nothing under it for the photos. It will no doubt spend most of its time over a long-sleeve top because, as much as I want to declare winter over after this run of glorious sunny days, I suspect it would be a bit foolish of me.

I'm still working my way through The White Tiger and, despite my incremental progress, it has become a book I want to retire early for each night. A good thing, given the early starts these days.

Ravelry notes here.

Beautiful wooden buttons from here.

Yarn Along here.

And the pattern for this t-shirt coming soon.

Pink Enough

It was the jumper that jumped the queue. And then the queue got its own back, and toilet-training sisters caused unforeseen delays. 

But then it was done, and it was lovely, and all was right with the world.

And there was dancing to prove it.

The pattern is Rubble by Alison Brookbanks. The yarn is Cleckheaton. The colour is pink enough to please her and not pink enough to displease me.

I'm reading a novel. About something other than parenting. It's good.

Ravelry notes here.

Yarn Along here.

Speaking of 'queue jumping', are you (Australians) watching Go Back to Where You Came From on SBS. Throat-constrictingly powerful stuff.