What I made, by Sharon

I'm back from my little holiday and back at work, but that's not so bad. Sometimes I feel like I have e more time to read and knit in the regular rhythm of my life. For example, since we got back, I've joined the shoulders on my shrug, and done the "back extension". Now I'm doing the sleeves, so the end of this stripy wonder is in sight.  While I work away in it I am listening to, and enjoying V.E. Schwab's Gallant ,  It's got a similiarish feel to The Invisible Life of Addi LaRou , in that it's sort-of fantasy, and death or the devil is involved and the meaning of everything unrolls slowly.  In reading I finished (and rather hated the last half of)  Where'd you go Bernadette , and now I'm reading another review book - Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly.  Like  Tidelines   (which I loved and recommend) it's a story about siblings, families and growing up. Unlike Tidelines  this book is lighter and funnier. It has some very touching ...

Kris, Katie, Leon and I got back from the cruise this morning and I'm very tired. We had a late night last night, and then woke up when the ship docked this morning.  Generally, we had a good time. We went with Virgin Cruises, which meant that every night we ate in a different, delicious, specialty restaurant. The food, in both the restaurants and the open dining was delicious. There was also shows and general fun, and no children . there was a ship-wide party that sounded like compulsory fun, but ended up being actual fun!  And every-day I got afternoon tea. I love afternoon coffee time.  As far as cruises go I think it was very good. The weather (unsurprisingly) was not warm - we were on the Bass Straight, after all. So there was no lounging by the pool, or in the pool, for us. It was very pretty though. Despite the fun we had, I don't think cruising is really for me right now. I need action, I ned to move every day. There was a running track, which was 220 meters...

  I'm writing this on Tuesday, because we are heading off on a short cruise on Tuesday evening. We will, of course have wi-fi, but I don't love typing on my tablet.  So this week I have been crocheting away on baby-cardigans to send to Timor Leste: I've finished one and am very close on the second. I'm now allowed to take the arm brace off when I'm "resting" (which apparently includes knitting) so as soon as I'm on that boat I'm whipping out my knitting and it will be go, go, go. I'm pretty excited about it. In reading, as predicted I'm reading  Tidelines   by Sarah Sasson. That cover! The book itself is  very good, a coming of age novel about a girl, her older brother and his best friend. It's dripping in tension, and also beautiful imagery.  Next up Where'd you go Bernadette , which has been on my "to be read" list on GoodReads since 2017, and it sounds like a relaxing and fun read.  To read my all my book reviews, and t...

 At the beginning of  2023 I had 25 km of yarn. At the end of 2023 I had 21 km of yarn. In between I knit 27 km of yarn. Given that (I like to believe) I only buy thoughtful purchases for specific projects which I then knit immediately, why is this number so high? And mainly for last year it's that yarn kept coming to me (#blessed). I found some in an op-shop, I was given some. I have the willpower to not buy yarn except when I plan to (festivals, for specific project) but when someone comes to knit-night giving away a colour of yarn I had wanted to buy but it was sold out  it would be churlish not to say "thank you very much" and take it home with me. And especially when Kris has a destash and I walk into knitting and there is a pile of yarn on the table and it's all lovely and there is also this: And at the end of the night no-one has taken it and it's screaming my name and really wants to be a brioche cardigan (true story). Add to all these acquisitions that I ...

 In 2021 I ran " the dishcloth experiment " to see if we liked crotcheted cotton dishcloths. We discovered that we did - and that we liked medium sized quite thick ones. We used my original crop every-day for nearly 3 years. They are now a bit sad - the colour has faded, some have holes and the cotton has gone weirdly stiff.  So I decided to make some new ones. These two are based on the gingerbread dishcloth pattern. It's got a lovely thick texture and nobbles. This one is the diagonal dishcloth, and proves that I still don't know where the edge of a crotchet row is! I chucked some trebles in the corner and it's fine - for a dishcloth. I've very happy with these, and even more happy with not having to buy sponges that always end up full of food and smelling weird.

  It's been a bit of a week. Because of my hand , I can't really knit, so I'm doing some charity crocheting:  It's quite fun, but also I'm halfway through a shrug for myself, and I'd rather be knitting. Oh well, we can't always get what we want! In reading, I'm reading Stargazy Pie , the next Victoria Goddard. This is a comedy of manners and  lots of things happen. I can't say I feel deeply  about any of them, but that's not the point. It's fun.   I'm listening to Elin Hilderbrand's The Five-Star Weekend . It's got a lot of characters, and it took me while to get into it, but now I'm invested. Women's fiction at it's finest. Next up is a review book Tidelines by Sarah Sasson. Great cover. It's Australian, and you know how I love a local book (although I think it's set, or at least starts in Sydney). It's described as a coming of age  novel, and I love those too, so it sounds like a winner.  I just re-read t...

 On Wednesday I got home for work, played with polymer clay for two hours, and went to pole, where I made progress on my self-spotted backwards half crucifix. Go me. I rode home, and sat on the couch, reached for the tea-pot and realised my right wrist was so sore I couldn't pour the tea. I made Leon pour, we finished our evening and went to bed. In the morning I woke up, went to pull my sports bra over my head and , half-way through, discovered I was in disgusting pain. I couldn't make a fist and my wrist just hurt. My ribs were also bound and it hurt to breathe, but that's a thing that happens on occasion, so I wasn't worried, neither was the physio who poked at me for a bit and suggested wearing a brace. Oh here we go again . In 2014 I was in a brace for at least a month, and a while after I was finished with that I threw it out, because I couldn't stand the sight of it. It was a shade of blue that seemed fine when I first chose it, and was infuriating by the end...

This is part seven 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 look at a new craft, take a little trip into my childhood and work on our mental health - with chickens(Quirky!) . All books are provided in electronic form by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Punch NeedleTattoo Designs: 18 Beginner-Friendly Projects and Over 25 Additional Patternswith Style - Punch Needle Embroidery Designs for Home Décor, Clothing, Pillows,Bags, and More   Amy Buchanan   I've heard of punch needle embroidery, but didn't really know what it was. Since I have a fascination with all fibre craft, and tattoos as well, I thought this would be a good entry into learning about the craft.   It serves as a strong introduction, with information about how to begin and troubleshooting. The projects are varied, and give lots of choices. One of the strongest things about this book is that i...

Things are  going back to "normal" after the summer break. Everyone came back to work this week - I work with only 4 other people, so when two of them are on leave, it's very noticeable. Excitingly my favourite after-school activity goes back this week, so it's off to the pole studio for me! In knitting, I've been working away on my St Catherine's cardigan / shrug. It's got long, garter stitch stripes, and is an absolute joy to work on - except I failed to do a gauge swatch so I had to rip out my first attempt. Now it's going swimmingly and I will be dividing for the underarms tonight, so by next week I imagine this will look more like a garment and less like a random strip of stripes.  In reading I did, as predicted , read  Victoria Goddard's  T he Return of Fitzroy Angursell . I enjoyed it and will be reading one of Victoria's other series soon - I might start that after I finish my current book, which is a NetGalley review copy of Leaving  ...

I had a marvellous weekend. We hosted my parents for Friday night dinner - look how happy my mother is, Princess Daisy doesn't normally grace her in this way! On Saturday Leon and I went to the Triennial at the art gallery, and then to dinner and saw some comedy - just the two of us, like a date! Then Katie messaged and asked if I could make a number for her house. Apparently all numbers commercially available are boring. So on Sunday afternoon I took all my scrap clay and made a slab, and created this very not boring house number: Meanwhile I mentioned this to Elise who has been looking for a non-boring unit number for her place. I guess we all know what I'll be creating next weekend!

I pulled out the Epistrophy cardigan that I wear around the house and discovered it was fraying around the neck (or maybe it got nibbled on by moths, either way).  I have been looking at this cardigan for a while - it never fit right, and now it's pilled and faded and stained. Even the buttons are scratched and cracking! I knit it in 2015, and have been wearing it at home since 2017. It's served me well.   I knew I would need something to replace it, and then I remembered Ginny's Cardigan . I knit it in 2022 and I really like it, but I never reach for it. For work I like a lighter cardigan, and if I'm going for a walk in winter I like a jumper rather than a cardigan. So that has now been designated my "house cardigan". It's weird that that's three green cardigans in a row, but it's doing a good job so far, and at least it contrasts a little with the furniture, rather than being the exact same colour. So, goodbye to Epistrophy, you served me well ...

As promised - I'm numbering these posts, rather than trying to  think up clever names. If I was thinking up clever names, it would be "the one where everything is finished". I've just finished reading my first book and first review book of the year Sidelines by Karen Viggers.  It's a parenting drama and I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I think the characters are meant to be complex, but to me there were largely unlikable, which did not give me anything to hang my emotions on so it all felt a bit wooden. Not a bad book though. Next I am reading a Cheryl Strayed short T wo Women Walk Into a Bar . It's a mini-memoir also available for free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. And then I'm going back to Victoria Goddard  with T he Return of Fitzroy Angursell . I'm excited to find out what happens. I'm a little bit obsessed. In knitting I am also between projects. I finished Katie's Boxy last night. Now it just needs a couple of ends sewn in and...

How did I have 11 days off work, and still have not nearly enough time to do the things I love to do? (I know the answer to that. All my hobbies are time consuming and unbounded.) It was a bit of a weird time. My break started on Friday afternoon, when Kris and I did a delivery run to Katie, who was out with COVID. Then Elise, who always host on Christmas day got COVID, and on the 25th it rained all day. So much rain. Then we went to the boxing day test, which went for four glorious, knit filled days. I've only got one sleeve left on Katie's Boxy, so i got some serious knitting done - I've just got the one short sleeve to finish up, and then it is finished.  During this break I spun 200 grams of fiber, which I'm going to ply up with some other, yet unspun fibre and make Andrea Mowry's Traveller Shawl . I overdyed some left over yarn, which will be the main colour for my Pressed Flowers cardigan . I am very happy with this dark green.  Then I did some polymer clay sc...