Catherine Wheels and Book Reviews

It seems appropriate that THIS week being 4th July- a big fireworks festival here in the USA- I am making something with the same name as a firework :)

This blanket, which is crocheted, is made in the Catherine Wheel or Bavarian Crochet pattern.

The only problem is here that the camera and computer screen conspire to distort the colour of this blanket- which I am attempting to make look like this one here.  I loved the rainbow of colours, and the fact that this uses up stash yarn so quickly.  In fact, I actually had to buy three balls of yarn to make my rainbow- 1 because I did not have the colour and 2 because I actually RAN OUT of colour!
This is already the size of a decent lap blanket, but since my husband has declared he likes the blanket, it shall be for him- which means full size!

As for the book- it is the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel from Charlaine Harris.  I have been reading these books for years now- about 9 in fact!  I discovered them when they were still in the mystery genre, and have thoroughly enjoyed them ever since.
That being said, I have a few books I have read this summer I *did* want to mention (in case you are still looking for something to read!).

You saw the other day when I mentioned the Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri.  I loved this read.  It is slightly paranormal... but not quite in the paranormal genre.  If you like Sarah Addison Allen, you'll enjoy this book too.
When Nora's husband is caught cheating on her, she moves herself and their two girls to the town of her birth, on a small island in Maine.  Here she tries to come to terms with her marriage and decide its future, and at the same time she is trying to find out a little more about her mother, whose mysterious death precipitated her father removing her from the island at a very young age.  With a mysterious fisherman who is washed up by a storm, an aunt who is hiding something and locals of all flavours, it is up to Nora to make some very hard decisions.

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  This is the continuation of a series- the Alpha and the Omega.  It is a paranormal series I enjoy, and in fact the author has a second series (Mercy Thompson) set in the same world.  If you enjoy paranormal/Urban fantasy series, you'll enjoy this one.  When Charles, who is acting as the enforcer for the Marrock, starts acting oddly, he is sent to Boston with wife Anna to take his mind off of things.  There, they must uncover a serial killer, who appears to have targeted Werewolves.  When Charles' guilt starts affecting his relationship with Anna, they must find a way to fix it, because her life might depend on it.

The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis.  This is the first in a detective series starring Detective Wesley Peterson.  This series features a detective whose hobby is archaeology.  It is set in South-Western England, and is rather enjoyable.  Wesley has just moved to town when a local archaeological dig unearths a skeleton, and a young lady is discovered dead on the cliffs.  As he investigates, the parallels between the two cases strike a chord, and one might hold the answer to the other.

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens.  This is the second in the Graveyard Queen series, which is about Amelia Grey, graveyard restorer, who can see ghosts.  This series sticks the paranormal stuff firmly in the evil column, and is more in the nature of mystery/thriller type reading.  If you get spooked reading, you might want to avoid it, but I love the series.
Amelia has left Charleston for a job in a remote town in North Carolina.  When she arrives, the town seems to be full of ghosts, and not just the literal ones.  As Amelia gets into the restoration of the small town cemetary, she starts to uncover the town's secrets... and the secrets of her own, personal history.  As she does, her life becomes threatened by some unknown danger.

Juliet by Anne Fortier.  What if Juliet of Romeo and Juliet really existed?  And what if she were a twin and what if there were descendants?  This story (which is fiction) is based off of the tale made famous by Shakespeare.  It switches between the modern story of Julie Jacobs and that of the original Romeo and Juliet.  Julie's Aunt Rose just died, leaving behind instructions on how to find out her mysterious past in Italy.  When Julie gets there, she doesn't find what she expects to find, but is also thrust into danger because of the things her mother hid, things that prove the story of Romeo and Juliet was real, and involving the curse that has affected the families involved ever since.

These are not all the books I have read recently- just the ones I really liked and wanted to recommend ;)  Happy reading!

Yarning along with Ginny.

A Jumper from 1941

Well not quite. It is actually a pattern from 1941, which I found in a local antique shop and proceeded to make. The pattern is a repeating cable which alternates across the whole thing. It has little puff sleeves, and a fairly high crew neck.

You have seen this jumper in progress before ;)  I think if you click on it you can see the pattern in much better detail.
The yarn is a cheap acrylic because I was experimenting :)  1.  I have to have something that will not irritate my neck (wool does, as I have found to my cost :(), and 2. I wanted to check what type of yarn I could use. I discovered that a sportweight yarn is very consistent with the 4ply used back in 1940s America (it is an American pattern), and will get me 7sts per inch on a no. 4 (US) needle (I think that is a 3.25mm).
I did one thing special to the sweater, and that was how I bound off the collar.  I used the Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. It was wonderful for a collar- no getting my big head caught in the opening ;)

And because I am thinking about adding this to the Yarn Along (click here to see others), you can see my current read, The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri. I love her books. They are well written and fun to read. I highly recommend them, especially for summer reading.

In Memoriam 1921-2012

Nan on her 80th Birthday

My Nan passed away two weeks ago.  She was 91, and had lived a long and full life.  It was my Nan who taught me to knit.  I think she taught my Mum too- and Mum taught me to crochet.
Nan always said that she learned to knit on two matchsticks in school.  And I always had this image of all the little girls in her class, happily knitting away on matchsticks.

She lived in the centre of London for most of her life.  The last dozen years, she was in a home nearer family, but far away from the city she loved.  Nan was a Londoner through and through.  My siblings and I have fond memories of going to stay with her and Grandad.  Taking the train, riding the bus.  Walking the streets of London, standing on the crack at the centre of Tower Bridge.

The kids stood on the crack too.  Well DD did.

It is the reason I made the kids stand on the crack when we went to London a year and a half ago.

We took the kids to see my Nan.  She looked frail and old, and yet happy to see us.  My husband charmed her, he says she had stunning blue eyes.  I like to think my grandad thought so too!

Nan and Grandad, ages ago :)  Sometime in the 80s I think.

They were married almost 50 years.  Nan soldier on another 26 years after he died.  And never remarried.

There were things Nan did that I remember well.  She would pick up pensions for local elderly people who were not able to get it themselves.  I remember one old man had a budgie on his shoulder.
She would walk 'down the blue' to shop.  I never did understand why she called it 'the blue', and I could never quite figure out where it was in relation to Nan's house- because walking took us a totally different route from cars or buses!  There was a market there and some little shops.

I remember going with nan to help clean a building, and her taking me to a library where I got a cartoon book.
I remember 'cooking' with the copper fondue set on her glass table, and getting fingerprints over everything.  I remember watering the plants in the windowsills of the flat, getting locked into the bathroom - and grandad rescuing me.
I remember sleeping on the camp-bed in their bedroom- and it folding up on me ;)
I remember running down to the playground near their house (I loved the slide) and her taking us over the road to the BIG playground.

Nan lived in London during World War II.  While Grandad fought in India, Nan was raising their children.  She lived there through the blitz, and I am told, would go down into the underground for shelter.
Mum tells me she met grandad when he was a baker's boy.  They married when she was 17, and shortly afterwards World War II started and Grandad went off to fight.

She was part of that 'greatest generation', she and grandad both.
So today, my knitting and reading are in Memoriam.  I am knitting from a 1940s pattern.  I am reading about the 1940s.  And I am thinking about my Nan.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

1940's Pattern (copied to work from), Grandma's Wartime Kitchen by Joanne Lamb Hayes, and the back of the jumper- plus the sleeve, which I knitted as a gauge/tension 'square'.

Catch more yarn alongs over at Ginny's place and at Keep Calm and Craft on at the Frontier Dreams Blog.

Keeping a Home

Yarning along with Ginny again this week, you can check the blog for all the other yarn alongers :)

I was torn between making a new yarn along post this week, or just linking to my Easter post from yesterday, in which I display my knitting for this week.  Instead I decided on a new post with a link to the old ;)

I blogged about this bolero I made my daughter yesterday. It is from a 1930's pattern, and totally went with the outfit I made her for Easter (also blogged yesterday).  I found the pattern online ages ago, and since it was made in a chunky yarn, I took the opportunity to make something quick while I took a small break from my very fine gauge cardigan.  Which I am still working on ;) I hope that link for the pattern works for you because it is playing up for me right now!
Anyway, I used a doubled worsted weight acrylic yarn.  Acrylic is important- I can attest to the fact that the dress from yesterday needed to be washed because of chocolate on it, and all children's wear suffers that same fate.  So... acrylic!

The book is an interesting story all its own.  The housekeeping book was one I saw mentioned on another blog- it is a wonderfully comprehensive guide to housekeeping, from 1941.  There are a great deal of good ideas contained inside, and it was not the easiest book to get hold of (probably because it had been mentioned on other blogs!).
The garden book is another story.  Just this weekend, while walking through an antique mall, I ran across the book.  I recognised the cover instantly- it was a dead ringer for my new housekeeping book!  A matched set, obviously.
I snatched it up ready to read once I finish its companion!  I might test the cover's claims to be washable too, since it is looking kind of grubby...

Springtime Knits

 

Yarning along again with Ginny this week :)
So this week finds me still knitting the back of my cardigan.  It is a lot of knitting in a very fine yarn, but I am plugging along.  I am almost at the point where I decrease for the set in sleeves, so I am getting rather excited!

See the fabric in the background?  That will one day be a beautiful blouse.  Vintage style of course.  I fell in love with the fabric at Hobby Lobby this weekend ;)  There was a sister to this fabric, with tiny orange flowers on it that I also picked up!
The books there are Mandy's Legacy by Barbara Blanchard Coley.  The author is a personal friend of ours, and her husband (who has known mine for years) helped her with the book.  She is a lovely lady, I hope some of you are intrigued enough to want to get her book :)  They sent us this copy, signed.
The other book dates from 1961 and was found in a local antique shop... for $3!  I am hoping to learn a lot from it- it has all kinds of dressmaking techniques!

Then there are these.  I found these this weekend at the same antique store.  It can be a lot of fun to go digging through the old paper ephemera in shops when you find such gems!  They date from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and have some gorgeous patterns in them.  I'll try to remember to get some pictures of the insides next week- this week I almost forgot and had to photograph it at night (hence the flash glare on the front!).

But although it looks like I haven't done much in the way of knitting this week... I can explain.

I've been sewing, and planning out sewing!  This lovely lady is modelling a prairie bonnet I made her.
I used these instructions from Mother Earth News.  Click on the image gallery link for the photos- but you have to click 'next' to see the pattern images.

This is the adult size.  I think she kind of looks like Holly Hobbie like this ;)  She loves her bonnet though, and has worn it ever since I finished it yesterday.  One of her little friends complimented her on it even :)  She loves the idea that she is like Laura Ingalls ;)  The hat fits me, but there are no photos to show this :D
I think 1970s bags must have been bigger though, because it would not quite fit onto my paper bags, and I had to tape the pattern together!

Snoods and Gloves

Yarning along with Ginny again this week :)

So I managed to finish my lacy crocheted gloves last week.  I am glad, because I plan to wear them for Easter ;)  You can see my Ravelry notebook page for them here.

Here you can see them both, with the back of my cardigan (it is a little bigger this week) and my current mystery book.  This was a suggestion from another yarn alonger (who is reading another in the series).  I am rather enjoying it, although the format is a little unusual in that it springs from one POV to another.  The title, No Corners for the Devil, comes from the fact that it is set in a round house - with no corners for the devil :)

Also made by me this week... a snood!

From a traditional 1940's pattern, it is a very simple crocheted pattern, that did not take particularly long to make.

It was long enough though, for me to miss wearing it for St. Patrick's Day.  That had more to do with me having to frog it repeatedly because I would forget to decrease/increase or miss a stitch or two.  It is not complicated, but it does need a BIT of attention ;)
So there you go- two vintage crochet pieces for this week!

Lacy Gloves and a Present

So I figured out (finally) why it was I could not see the Yarn Along linky!  It's now fixed and the yarn alongs can proceed!

Ginny over at Small Things says:
~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

You can find the latest yarn along here.

This week, you can see "Winter in Thrush Green" by Miss Read.  I chose to show one of the illustrations inside the book because it is a very old library book, with an unexciting exterior.  And I thought the illustrations are sweet!   I got the book on a recommendation- but I cannot remember whether it was a yarn along post, or somewhere else!  Oh well, if you mentioned it- thank you!
On top of that, you can barely see my 1950's style cardigan (the green).  This is the back, and it is still in progress.
On top, is a crocheted lace glove.  A lovely lady gave me an old pattern- no idea where it originally came from, but the exact same pattern can be found in this book.  It describes it as 1950's, so I am guessing that is when this pattern came from!  It is a little complicated to make, and it is imperative you get the gauge right - I am using thread which is a little bigger than the original (since I can't find the original size) and the smaller hook size- I decided to stick with that because I have VERY long fingers, and although my hands are not very large, I have to have large gloves just so the fingers fit.  Or have the fingers end 3/8" above the end of my fingers!

 

Here is a collar, 1930's style belt and some matching sleeve decorative trim.  I adapted a pattern I found on Ravelry for a crocheted Peter Pan style collar.  I added shells at the edge for fun.  The trim on the sleeves I made up.  The dress it is on desperately needed something on the bodice (it is a 1940's pattern).  I opted initially for a collar.  When I got lazy, I went with this one - which was a lot quicker to make!  I then decided to actually add sleeve trim (as the pattern had suggested) and it helped a lot too.  Finally I made a belt from a 1930's pattern- aren't the rings really cool?  I made it a little thinner than the original.  But I thought, that just maybe, you might like to have the pattern too!

You should be able to click on it and save it to your machine.  It is a pretty easy pattern!

Knitting Along- 2 collars and a cardigan front.

Knitting Along- 2 collars and a cardigan front.
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta
Since my batteries are dead in my camera, and all the fresh batteries are gone, I am writing from my iPad. That would be the reason you don't see any books in the picture because I am taking the picture WITH the book I am reading ;)

Here you can see the front of the 1950s cardigan I posted about in my last post.

On top are two crocheted collars I made to liven up a dress I love the shape of but find rather bland. Neither of them took long to make, and both have free patterns online. The lavender one I added shells to the outer edge to make it prettier ;)

I changed my mind about the cardigan I was making from my Madelintosh. Instead I have a 1950s 'slipon' on the needles. It is not pictured as it is currently resting ;)

Book wise I have been reading several novels on my iPad, borrowed from the library. Nothing exciting! Maybe I'll have more exciting reading next time!

Catch other Yarn Along Posts over at Ginny's Place :)

(Sorry I have tried and tried to see the linky there, but I cannot :()

Knitting AND Crocheting

 

I am yarning along again, with Ginny and the rest over at Small Things.  At least it keeps me blogging regularly ;)
This week, for your appreciation, you can see a really cool book I found in a local antique shop, Janet Marsh's Nature Diary.  The title caught my eye, and I grabbed it up to keep it.  It is similar in some ways to the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, only a bit more modern, and set up a little different.  It is still English though :) If I didn't actually squeal when I found it, I felt like squealing!  The other book, the new Abs Diet for women, has been sitting in my library basket for a while.
As for my projects, well you can see I haven't got very far with my cardigan.  It is in LACEWEIGHT so, not really a surprise I guess!  Here is a nice closeup so you can admire the yarn.  It only took me a few tries to get a good photo.

Isn't it pretty?  That is Cousteau, from Madelinetosh's 'Tosh Lace' range.  I found a lovely online shop that I bought it from- they had it shipped out VERY quickly.  Eat, Sleep, Knit was their name :) and I just wanted to give them a shout out.

 

My other project is more experimental than anything else.  I am sure many of you who crochet have seen and admired the crocodile stitch projects out there.  Well one, very kind person sat through the videos and made up a free scarf pattern (ravelry link) to make one.  It is a fairly easy and fun stitch, with a great ruffled texture.  The yarn, which is Serenity Garden from Deborah Norville's range, is not the best for crochet, but it looks good!
Now, I finally remembered to take a photo of the 1930's lace top pattern I made ages ago.  You can purchase the pattern from the Vintage Pattern Place on Etsy.  If I were to make it again, I'd add an extra inch to the ribbing and an  extra pattern repeat because I would prefer it just a little longer ;).

And finally, I will leave you with a couple of photos from inside the Nature Diary :)  If you want to see more, you shall have to get your own copy ;)

Finished Gloves and a Vintage Knit

So I did NOT manage to get my son's gloves finished in time for Christmas day.  Not that it mattered much, because the weather has been rather warm lately, with temperatures in the 60's (degrees F, that is around 18 degrees C).  Until yesterday, when it was a good deal colder- hovering around the 40's- and today it is sticking close to freezing.  Maybe he will get a chance to use them today!

Here they are with my latest read.  Reads.  That is my Christmas present- an iPad 2, with the kindle application working on it, with several books from the local library's digital site :)  Of course the books are relatively boring looking since they never show a front page, so you have my library screen up LOL.  On the right, is my new project- a vintage pattern I discovered the other day in a small antique shop.  Some Madelinetosh yarn, and a cardigan on the needles.  The yarn is 100% merino, and OH SO soft.  I am loving knitting with it, even though it is a very fine yarn- a 2ply lace weight in fact!  My pattern calls for 8.5 stitches per inch, so this works out just fine, but will probably take me forever!

Here are the gloves in closeup.  I used St. Denis Boreale- a fingering weight wool, USA sourced, made in the USA.  The colours were chosen because they are my son's favourite.  The pattern was chosen by him- or rather PATTERNS were chosen by him.  The griffin comes from one pattern, which wanted me to knit the fingers top down.  OK that ended up being too fiddly, and they were knitting up a bit small at that.  So instead I adjusted it and used a secondary pattern, into which I added the griffin.  And mixed up the griffins and put them backwards, so they face out instead of in!  Oh well.

I tried to get a closeup of my yarn, but it came out blurry.  Instead you can have a closer look at my knitting and the pattern- I am making the cardigan from this twin set.  I have been unable to date it at all, but suspect it to be quite early.  It is a 'Target' pattern by George Lee & Sons Limited.  At some point, the company is billed as Lee Target, but I have one that says just Target.  Apparently they are a Welsh company... who appear to still be around.  I shall have to do more digging :)

Yarn Along with Ginny over at Small Things :)

Gloves and Stockings

I'm yarning along with Ginny again this week.  I managed to find my camera.  In the bottom of my knitting bag- hidden under stuff.  So now you can see what I am up to :)

That blue and orange thing is my son's glove.  I started out with one pattern, which was so incredibly fiddly (I had to knit the fingers first) that I gave up.  I took the graph I needed for the back and added it to another glove pattern (with slight adjustments).
The thing with my name on is a stocking.  I am not sure if they will both be finished by Christmas- the glove set me back a bit because of the re-do.
As for my books- well there are three fun reads: a mystery (the Alys Clare book), a sci-fi (Linnea Sinclair) and a romance (Jennifer Skully) and two Advent presents from Mum and Dad on cooking English specialities :)  I was really excited to see these!  Plans for the week involve making cookies and finishing gloves- I'm hoping to finish this one in the next day.

Oh, and before I forget... many of you have been asking about colourwork in knitting.  It can be fiddly in small projects like the glove, but really easy in bigger projects like the stocking.
For more information you can follow along with Tasha's series at 'The Vintage Knitting College' where she is going through the process of knitting a fairisle sweater.  She posts as she can manage, so you should check back often, but the first couple are a good place to start :)

A Pattern and a Sweater

See the other yarn along participants over at Ginny's place :)

So I finished my 'Quick Knit 1940's Style Jumper'- the day after I wanted to!  I wanted to have it finished for last week's yarn along, but a couple of silly mistakes that meant I had to frog the sleeve, meant that it would have to wait a week.
So then today I wanted to show you that AND the other projects in my bag.  Such as the stocking for me and the colourwork gloves for my son- but my camera is missing!
Instead you shall just have to look at the jumper and maybe next week I can find the camera and actually have more than a tiny part of a tiny finger from the glove done :D

You can see my ravelry project page here for details.

There is only one thing wrong with it.  The wool gives me a rash on my neck!  ARGH!  I shall have to try a blend or a merino next time.  It is awfully comfortable and warm though!

 If you click on this image you can see some of my knitted ornaments hanging from my garland.  OK there is also a tatted ornament in there- but they should eventually appear on a proper garland if I ever get around to making it.

The hat I am wearing here is also a hand knit- and I almost lost it!  It is a blend of alpaca and silk I think (I forget now) and the pattern is an early 1900's one (1904), with a most fascinating stitch.    I shall have to dig it out and scan it in for you.  Anyway, I left it behind in the restaurant we ate at- we had to go back and get it the next day!  I would give you  a close-up... but as I said, my camera is MIA!
And through the instant magic of me writing ahead of time, here you go :)  Just click on the image and save it.  I would make it a pdf, but the hosting of that gets squiffy, so images it is for now.

I THINK this is the pattern.  I made it a few years back and now I can't remember- and I am not 100% sure.  All I know is that whatever I did made a most interesting looking stitch!  This particular one though, comes from a knitting pattern book dated 1904.

Christmas Stockings

No change in my reading matter since last week (well except to add a few things) since I have not had much of a chance to actually READ between homeschooling and knitting!  I did have to return Outliers to the library before I got to finish it though- hopefully I will be able to get it back again soon!  I shan't put a hold on it though until I have finished what I have in my list- starting with the James Garner biography, which I have been enjoying :)

My knitting has been doing quite well though.  I finished the second stocking (the red one) for my son.  It turned out rather larger than the first because I switched to a circular (16") to knit it- mainly because I had tension issues with the double pointed needles.  You can see the changes I made to some of my charts in action on his stocking- such as the slightly larger gap between snowmen.  You can also see that I plan to go back later to do the stripes on the candy canes- although I am not entirely sure this bought me much time (if any).  I tried out one or two new patterns there too.
Underneath you will notice my 'Quick Knit 1940's Style Sweater'- to which I have added a sleeve today.  I shall start knitting the front next, while I wait for my wool for my son's Christmas gloves.  I shall probably start my own stocking soon too!

Yarning along again with Ginny this week- take a gander at the other participants!

Dickens, Garner and Mittens...

So there is really no connection between all three of these- except that they are in my photo :)
For this week's yarn along, you can see several projects going at once.
I took a short break after finishing DD's stocking, before starting her pair of 'plain mittens' that she asked for as a Christmas gift.  You can see the crocheted 'string' which will hold her mittens in place within her coat sleeves.  I have always loved these because they seem so sensible.  I saw once, either in a knitting book or on a knitting blog, where a knitter made these for herself so she could not lose her handmade mittens.  Since I don't want her to lose her mittens, and I am sure she doesn't want to lose them either!
Now they are finished, I am waiting on a yarn delivery for my son's gloves.

I could only work on these at night, when she wasn't around, so during the day I started work on DS's stocking.  This time my main colour is red :)  Same pattern as before, messing around with the motifs a little and of course changing the order so they are different.

And then, I just had to start one of Alan Dart's Dickensian Mice (or click here for a similar pattern if you cannot see Ravelry).  I managed to get hold of this pattern last year, after Christmas :/  So I REALLY wanted to make them this year.  I learned a couple of things.  1.  Sport weight is too heavy for this really- even though it says DK (it is an English pattern), sport is too thick to use easily on the small needles.  Maybe go up a size or two?  2.  The fingering weight yarn worked find- but not really in conjunction with the sport LOL

Finally the books- you'll noticed two previous (unfinished) books there, and a new one.  The new one (on top) is the James Garner memoir.  It's a very good read, even though I do not agree with him politically!  The writer has managed to write it as though Garner is talking directly to you- very well done!  It is called: The James Garner Files and is by James Garner and Jon Winokur.

Join in the fun or just visit the yarn along over at Ginny's Place: Small Things.

Two Finished Objects

Today you can see TWO finished objects!  I spent today knitting- because we're having an Indian Summer, and I have taken the opportunity to let the kids out to play rather than keep them inside- the next few months will do that enough!
First up, the Christmas Stocking:

I finished this one LAST night.  It is far from perfect- as can be seen in the photo below!  This is the back- complete with ad-libbed extra stitches which I used just to carry the extra yarn across.  I eventually fixed my graphs- but too late to do the back of this stocking (since I finished it before fixing the graphs!)

But that is OK, no-one really looks at the back anyway- here it is hanging.  You can see that the heel is maybe a little large, and perhaps the foot could be bigger.  I am still pleased with the way it came out.  I shall try my changes out on the next stocking!  Then I will upload a pattern to share.

Here are the fixed graph- arranged in number, with a couple of extra charts I made.  I also made some changes to the tree graph to make the yarn carrying a little better.  The graphs are upside down so you can knit from the cuff down.  I would highly recommend knitting the candy cane in two colours and duplicate stitch the red stripes on because they don't look as good knitted in as I did it.

And finally, my second finished object...

The three hour sweater.  Yes I adjusted the colour again- so you can see the detail.  This indoor lighting is killing my photos!  Unfortunately I only just finished this one tonight.  It probably took a total of about 8 hours or so- maybe 10.  But there were a couple there taken up with frogging and re-knitting things.  Like the sleeve I mistakenly used the wrong needle for.  Or the re-knitting of the body to lengthen it.  So certainly NOT a 3 hour sweater, but it IS a quick knit :)

And the book?  Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  It is a fascinating story about what makes for successful people.  It uses some well known success stories as examples.  An interesting read!

I am joining in with the yarn along over at Ginny's again this week.  You can participate or see the other participants here.

ETA: I keep meaning to post the link to Tasha's Vintage Knitting College- where she is giving tips and techniques for those who are interested in doing their own colourwork.

Knit Along: Wednesday 9th November 2011

Not much in the way of reading this week.  I have spent almost all my time trying to get my kids to do their schoolwork.  Which means constant supervision- which means that although knitting might get done, no artwork and no reading (because those take WAY too much concentration!).
On my needles this week is a Christmas stocking for DD.  I was originally going to make ME one, because I dislike the store bought one I have.  The idea of a country style, folk art stocking really appealed to me.
Only once I got my yarn, DD wanted HERS first!
I started out by using some worsted weight yarn- acrylic, so I could wash the stocking.  It was HUGE.  Except to DD who told me it was not big enough -she, apparently, wants it big enough to put a folding scooter in.  At least that is today.  Yesterday it was a trumpet.  The day before it was a recorder...
I am not a huge fan of huge stockings.  My house is small and four of them would just NOT fit.
So instead, I went with my own design, using some of Knit-Picks Palette yarn.

I cast on 96 stitches, joined to knit in the round, and K2, P2 for 1 inch.  Then I knitted  2 rounds before starting the holly chart below.
I have a chart for each of the family member names too- with a slightly more fancy font than you normally find :)
I knit that chart, before knitting 2 rows, then a green diamond pattern, 2 rows, 2 rows in snowman background, then the snowman chart.  When I am finished I shall type up all my instructions for you!

2 of the charts I am using, come from the Little Cotton Rabbit's Mini Christmas Stocking charts.  I highly recommend her stockings and mini bears for Christmas decorations!  Another chart I also got online, but the bird, holly, candy cane, snowman and swirl are all my own.  Not all of them fit ideally into 96- you might have to add a couple of stitches surrounding them- or do as I did and totally forget that and just make a joining pattern on the back.  I will show you that next time- when I hopefully remember to photograph it!

My art has not totally gone.  Apart from knitting charts- I have also been working on this...

A portrait of my son :) in pastel pencils.

P.S. You can click the pictures for more detail.

P.P.S.  See the other yarn along participants over at Ginny's Place :)

Yarn Along: Wednesday 2nd November

Ginny over at Small Things Says:

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr.

Not much knitting has been going on here.  Well... SOME has.  I had to frog my 3 hour sweater yoke after I realised I had not yet made my top long enough.  Here it is in its almost completed form.  I toned down the colour in my photo so you could actually see detail and not a red blur. 
I am knitting the yoke flat so I didn't have to figure out how to knit the sleeves.
The book is an anthology of urban fantasy stories by a bevy of authors- from straight mystery authors to fantasy authors.  A lot of fun :)
I still have other books on the go, but this is my 'strictly for fun' book right now. 

Catch the other Yarn Along Participants over at Ginny's Blog :)

Yarn Along and Knit Along together

I thought I would get this yarn along post up early, because... well because it is also part of Twila Jean's knit along :)

If you want to see more in the Yarn Along series, you can go and visit Ginny's site at Small Things.  Twila Jean can of course be found at her blog, Twila Jean, and her 3 Hour Sweater Knit-Along can be found here.

So, back to my sweater for the knit along- the 3 Hour Sweater can be found here- it is a 1930's vintage pattern, which usually needs a little tweaking.
So far, my tweaks are to go down a size of needles from my last time (I did not like the gaps) and to knit in the round.  I added an extra inch to the ribbing, and I shall add another extra inch in the body- because my torso is longer than those of the 1930's- even with high waisted clothing the sweater was too short for my liking! (I prefer it to cover my belly button at least!).  I kept in the side stitches that I would have normally eliminated from knitting it in the round, because I felt like I would need the extra room ;)  I have spent about four or five hours on it so far, including one section of frogging when I realized I had mis-measured it.  I can't be certain how much time I have spent on it- because I usually watch TV or homeschool the kids while doing it.

I have such difficulty photographing red.  And the top is a really pretty colour, it lives up to it's cranberry claims :)  If you have never used Wool-Ease, it is certainly a nice, cheap option.  I would not claim it to be the best yarn out there, but it is easy to find and has lots of colours.
You'll note my reading this week.  yes, I am a huge fan of the ABC show Castle.  So I always read the books from the show.  They are not the most well written books, but the entertainment value is that you see little tributes to the show in there!  This one is better written than the previous two though!  And there is the October edition of Country Living UK beneath it- it was the LAST one in the store- Barnes and Noble never can keep it in stock for very long.  I know a lot of us Brits in the USA enjoy it for the flavour of home- but there are just as many Anglophile Americans who enjoy it too!  I would totally subscribe digitally- if it wasn't for the fact that my primary enjoyment in it is the feel of it when I read it.