mildy obsessed

Oh yes, another Dovetail. What can I say? It's an awesome pattern. This time I used Malabrigo Worsted Merino in the Tortuga colour way. I actually goofed up the pattern by repeating rows I shouldn't have, but since it's a mirrored design I just repeated the mistake on the other side. It's taller but still very wearable. This is destined as a gift if only I could put my wrapping skills to work.

I managed to finish up Tell it to the Trees but I'm definitely feeling unsettled by it. I wasn't expecting to dislike the characters so much, especially ones that are children. The writing, the setting, the building suspense - it was all good, it just ends in a way that you can't feel good about. Which is actually...good.

For more reading and knitting, visit today's Yarnalong.

sweet snoflinga

Milo's entry into Junior Kindergarten has resulted in the loss of 2 hats and one scarf - all handknit of course. But this doesn't upset me as much as it should because I see it as an opportunity to knit more.

Enter the Snoflinga hat pattern by Jenny Gordy. It's for adults but I followed a recommendation to cast on 80 stitches instead of 90 which worked out perfectly for Milo's 4 year old head. It's a simple design and the bobble row is so cute for a child's hat. The yarn I used is Malabrigo Rios in a deep blue (the colour reminds me of the Crayola crayon "midnight blue"). As much as I generally avoid blue, I can't help but admit the colour - in all its forms - really suits him. And luckily the hat has been making its way home every night this week. Fingers crossed this one lasts for a while.

As for reading, I'm working on Tell it to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami right now. It's my sixth Canadian Book Challenge entry and I'm really enjoying it so far. Hopefully I'll have it finished by next week's Yarnalong.

Happy reading and knitting!

oops

These days a month passes too quickly. Suddenly we're wearing hats and scarves, it's dark at 5pm and four weeks have passed since I last wrote anything. So, yeah. Oops.

But there are two things I never neglect: knitting and reading. Jonas Jonasson's The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared was for the most part, pretty interesting. I liked the characters, the implausible set-up, the historical lesson - the only negative was that I found it progressed slowly. I never thought to put it aside, instead it was like a good movie that was just one hour too long. Enjoyable, but could have been snappier. Happiness, on the other hand, is fast and fun and thought-provoking. That Will Ferguson imagined a world taken over by happiness is awesome, especially when that world is a big fat bore full of automatons. It may seem counter-intuitive, but I'm okay with thinking that life is amazing because of our fleeting moments of happiness. I can't say the characters were likeable (May Weatherhill being an exception) but it didn't matter, the story was great on its own. I'd like to check out more of Ferguson's work now.

I gave veryshannon's Dreiecke Hat a try and loved how the purl stitches formed a simple pattern of triangles. It's a slouchy style which means both Sadie and I can wear it (is it wrong to share hat styles with your 9-year-old?) and the wool, Garnstudio Big Merino, has a nice heather effect (the palette is full of soft, muted colours). Highly recommended pattern and a really quick knit. Doesn't everyone need a new hat in November?

(The Yarnalong is on hiatus this week as Ginny, our wonderful host, has just welcomed a new baby boy. Congratulations Ginny!)