What I made, by Sharon

  Previous years here: 2022,   2021,   2020,    2019 ,  2018 ,  2017 ,  2016 Another year gone, with some changes and also lots of rhythm and routine. This year I quit powerlifting and started pole dancing, I did studio yoga regularly and then  decided to do it virtually. we had three hiking holidays, including finishing the Grampians Peaks trail, tropical rainforest and four days in a desert. We had a lot of fun with family and friends.  In reading I continued to read sci-fi and fantasy as well as a general mix of books. I read 114 books,  65 of which were review books, which is quite a high percentage. The most surprising thing that happened in books is that I requested a book about making polymer clay earrings and now that is one of my hobbies. In knitting I made 44 project and used 27,662 meters of yarn, which is slightly fewer projects and quite a lot more yarn than in previous years.  The group I was charity knitting...

and it looks a lot like last week! I'm off work from Christmas eve until 2nd January, so it's very relaxing. This week is all about the Boxing day Test (cricket) which is up to 5 days of attending the only sport I go to all year, and sitting and watching and knitting. The knitting is going very well, I've divided for the sleeves and almost finished the front. Here's a picture from the cricket: I'm still reading  The Hands of The Emperor  by Victoria Goodard. It's a big book, but so enjoyable. Yesterday after we got home from the cricket, Leon and I sat one the couch and read for two hours. I love holidays.  Next up is my first review book of 2024 Sidelines by Karen Viggers, some Australian contemporary fiction. I'll be back later in the week with some end of year reading and crafting wrap ups and evaluation. To read my all my book reviews, and to see everything I knit, you can find me on Ravelry as  Sharondoublekni t and on GoodReads as  Sharondblk .  I...

This is part six in a series of non-fiction book reviews, based on the idea that the books I request tell you everything you need to know about me. Today we have one book about a vintage movie, one children's book about LGBTQIA2+ signs and signals and one children's book about meditation. I don't know why I requested so many (any) children's books lately, but I'm rather enjoying them, and it's interesting to see some examples of what is available to children - and caregivers today. I think the main commonality of these books is that they all release  a little way into the future, but I've read them and want to get my reviews out there. All books in this post were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm always honest! Rainbows, Unicorns, and Triangles; Queer Symbols Throughout History by  Jessica Kingsley P ublishers (Releases 21 March 2024) This book doesn't quite know what it wants to be. It is definitely aimed at young chil...

This jumper is very pretty, but it was a pain in the arse to knit. The colourwork is all non-repeating and I had to look at every single stitch on the tiny chart. Most of the knitting on this was done sitting at the dining table.  The finished jumper is delightful  - the yarn is Purl Box Oyster Yarns Maven DK  and it's a merino, silk and yak mix. Quite stunning. I love the way the colours came out, it feels like a sunset.  I even (accidentally) made matchy flower earrings! I was a bit surprised that it was cool enough in late December to wear this for a full evening - the story is we had 7 people booked for trivia on Wednesday night. We were going somewhere different, since our normal trivia had finished for the year. And then Monday night's knit night ended up being a bit of a COVID spreader event and we ended up with three of us at trivia, some sick friends and some who were waiting to see. It all felt a bit like 2021. I didn't go to knitting on Monday night -...

 After finishing both my shawl and my jumper last week I didn't pick up some small project to get a quick win. No, I started a Boxy  jumper for Katie who is very tall. So here we are, going around and around with magenta yarn.  In reading, I've also picked something chunky - The Hands of The Emperor  by Victoria Goodard.  Glorious fantasy, well written, compelling and really gentle. It tells the story of a senior civil servant and his lawful attempts to change the system from within. Also its a thousand pages long, so no discussion this week about what I will be reading next. It's this, I'll be reading this for a while. To read my all my book reviews, and to see everything I knit, you can find me on Ravelry as  Sharondoublekni t and on GoodReads as  Sharondblk .  I'm joining in with Kat from  As Kat Knits  for Unravelled Wednesday and Kat from the  Bookdate  for It's Monday, What Are You Reading.  This week I'm also linkin...

 On Friday we kicked off the weekend with our now traditional run down the beach - and the  I worked from home for the day. I had my parents for dinner, and since it was the Friday before my birthday I made my traditional, and favourite, meal - chicken soup, chicken mains and chocolate mouse for dessert. Yum. On Saturday I went to my last normal Pole class for the term - I'm doing some workshops in this final week before Christmas, which should be fun. Then I went to Milk the Cow (a cheese restaurant) with some of my faves: When we came home I decided to start a new spinning project, spinning up these beauties :   Sitting and spinning is one of the most relaxing things I know how to do and this is Ixche l fibre, so it's got a lot of interest and a variety of fibres. Dinner was a delicious celebration of me at Future Future  a delicious modern Japanese restaurant. I got a candle with my dessert! Sunday was my actual birthday, and also Leon's family Christmas. On...

The Electric Village shawl pattern is part of Kate Davies'  West Highland Way collection. When it first came out I was indifferent to the pattern,  but  I was pretty excited to read about Kinlochleven, since we were there when the pattern was released. And then about three months ago I got obsessed with knitting it. I can't remember what kicked it off, but I had to make it. I bought the yarn on the 30th of October, cast on the 11th of November and finished a month later. It would have been quicker, but I was also knitting a Drawing Sweater.  I really love the way the yarn (from Passioned Flower  a new to me but relatively local dyer) plays together. They are such different colours, but seem really cohesive. The knitting was pleasant - garter stitch and simple lace, although it did feel like whenever I was knitting alone in a well lit place I was on the garter stitch, and when I was out with bad lighting and lots of friends I was doing lace. That's ju...

 Yes, I got my NetGalley 200 books badge. Very exciting.  Despite this, non of my books this week were review books. As predicted last week I'm reading The Thursday Murder Club.    It's silly and interesting and feels like a good read for this time of year.  I'm listening to Ice Station   by Matthew Reilly. It's silly bordering on stupid. So far I've listened to 4 hours of it, and three and a half have been an ongoing battle between some marines and some french soldiers, in Antarctica. I actually eye-read this when it first came out in 1988 and vaguely remember the battle, but nothing else. Look at that vintage cover!  In knitting I've finished the two projects I have been talking about for the last month and they are both blocking. Up next: If you hoped for more varied knitting conent, I'm going to disappoint - I'm knitting a Boxy jumper for Katie, which is a big project. I'm going to read Victoria Goddard's Hands of the Emperor, which i...

This was a super busy, very fun weekend for me, and there are lots of things I failed to take photos of. After work I finished some polymer clay earrings for gifts On Friday night we had Chanukah at my parents with the whole family, which is always lovely. On Saturday I went to the final rehearsal before my end of year pole dancing showcase and then rode in the rain to meet my old school friends for lunch. Di brought a whole lot of 100% wool yarn she had picked out of somewhere (hard rubbish?) It's mainly old Cleckheaton, and I'm rehoming much of it, but keeping some for the contrast colour in a Clam  dress. This photo is only part of the haul! and this weird fluff for a Lovenote.   Then it was time to ride home in the rain and get ready for the Richmond Knitters Annual Christmas Party.  We have developed some very strong traditions over the years, and they were all in evidence. (For previous years see 2022 ,  2021 , 2020 ,  2019 ,  2018 ,  2017 ...

This is part five in a series of non-fiction book reviews, based on the idea that the non-fiction books I read and request tell you everything you need to know about me. All books in this post were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm always honest. T his instalment takes us outside, with books featuring lavender, children's plants and coyotes.  Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City’s Top Predator   Stanley D. Gehrt Ph.D,  Kerry Luft (publishes 6 February 2024) Before reading this book I knew next to nothing about Coyotes - except someone I follow on the internet's cat stayed out one night in Nevada, and never came home, and she thought perhaps the coyotes got him. She saw this as a lesson in keeping her cat in, not in eradicating coyotes. Anyway, I live in Melbourne, Australia and have also lived in England and Scotland. I've lived with urban foxes, and many possums but not canidae. This book is thorough and engaging. It talks about how to...

I'm reading  Loving Day  by Matt Johnson, which is about a man with an Irish father and a black mother, who has a child with a Jewish woman and then gets involved with a "biracial" community. There is a lot more to the book, but that's the very bare bones. Then I requested a children's book called Kwanzaa Every Day ,  because I knew nothing about Kwanzaa and I thought a children's book might be a good way to learn. I could have just read the Wiki article  Kwanzaa - Wikipedia , but this was more fun - and had very well behaved children, behaving very well!  Next up is The Thursday Murder Club , by Richard Osman, because I'm in the mood for a little light murder. The knitting is exactly the same as it's been for a months, progressing nicely but looking very similar. I don;t normally work on two big project concurrently, and this is why! The shawl has an extra two stripes on it, with only one more lace stripe to go.  And the jumper has acquired a slee...

 Like I keep saying, Christmas isn't a thing for me, but this year I'm really getting into the (secular) spirit of it. After I gave Kris and Katie their candy-cane earrings, a couple of the Richmond Knitters asked if I could make them some, so I did: I also decided to make candy-cane stitch markers for the Richmond Knitters Christmas party next weekend, so it was a bit of a production line. (The beer cans are to hold the objects while the varnish is drying. I try to keep the drinking to after the crafting.) Then Kate Davies posted a recipe for biscuits ( festive oaties – KDD & Co (katedaviesdesigns.com)   that need fruit mince, so I made some fruit mince and the biscuits. I  had heaps of mince left over, so next I might make mince pies. I love mince pies. Fun fact, when I was young and had a bit of an eating disorder, I basically lived off mince pies for a season. You would have thought that would cure the love for them, but no, I still think they are delicious.

Reading has been rather good this week. I finished  Orbital  and gave it 5 stars for being lyrical and beautiful. Then, as predicted I started Penny Reid's Homecoming King .  I'm pretty close to finishing it and it's also looking like a 5 star read. It's tropey romance, and also well written, sweet and (unlike many romance novels) full of communication, trust and consent. It's just so sweet - except the bits which are sexy, which are genuinely sexy. I'm often more of a closed door kind of reader, but, maybe because I liked the two main characters, this didn't seem intrusive. It is a bit of a Christmas novel, which is weirdly themed with my unusually Chistmassy activities this year. Next up I think I'll read Loving Day by Matt Johnson, the oldest book on my Goodreads "want to read" shelf.  Still the same two knitting projects as last week but they are both ticking away nicely. I've added a stripe and a half the the  Electric Village  shawl...