"Extra Yarn"

Have you seen this book?

 It's a cute little picture book for kids about yarn! :)

 Besides the cute story, the illustrations are gorgeous.

 

 

Josh grabbed it at the library for me because he knew it was something I'd like.  I do like it.  A lot.  A want to find a copy and just look at it always.  It's gorgeous.

In which we discuss books

I read a fair amount.  Well, I think I don't read much, but as evidenced by all those "the average person only reads 4 books a year" things that seem to creep up every so often, I actually read a lot.  Since being back in school I haven't read as much for pleasure as I'd like to.  I'm on break right now and while I should be reading for a class, I'm taking advantage and reading for pleasure (as well as working on finishing those socks and watching too much Netflix).

Unfortunately since I don't read for pleasure much lately, I've been too picky about what I'll read.  When it's not for school I want it to be fun and easy and not necessarily light, but not heavy either.  Don't get me wrong, I like a good heavy book and non-fiction, but right now I don't want to be reading Dickens or anything like that.  So what have I just read?

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury by Maud Hart Lovelace.  What a wonderful collection!  It's the first four Betsy-Tacy books (there are ten total) and I can't believe I've only just read these!  (Though I guess most of them have been out of print for awhile.)  They are gorgeous little stories and just perfect.  Very like Anne of Green Gables in a lot of ways.  Just beautiful and that perfect old-timeyness I love without being dull.  If I ever have a daughter I can't wait to share this with her.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon.  Like pretty much everyone else in the country I love Downton Abbey.  Really anything PBS and/or British and/or period pieces.  Anyhow, I love Downton Abbey, so when I saw the book I had to read it.  Well, it wasn't everything I hoped, but interesting enough.  There wasn't enough about the house and the staff and the things about Downton and Upstairs Downstairs that are so good, and too much about the nursing and Egypt and not about the house.  It was still interesting, but not what I wanted.

Every Eye by Isobel English.  I think I've mentioned them before, but if not: I love Persephone Books.  Like, maybe a little too much?  I don't know.  Persephone Books publishes out of print books by mainly women authors and they're just fabulous.  I found two at Barnes and Noble once, but the rest I bought through the website (I have ten).  The B&N ones have painted covers in color, but still echo the style of the others.  The ones through the website have gorgeous dove grey, soft feeling, book-jacketed paperback covers.  They have gorgeous colored endpapers and come with a bookmark for the book printed with a quote from the book on one side and the endpaper on the other side.  The B&N ones have grey toned endpapers and no bookmarks, but have a folded cover so they still feel like they're book-jacketed.  They're also that wonderful soft feeling cover.  Anyway, I love Persephone books.  I've read five of the ten books I have so far.  I'll probably move on to another one next.  But back to what I read.  I read Every Eye, which wasn't my favorite.  Of the five I've read, three I love and two I just like okay.  This was one of the two.  It was short, which was its appeal at this moment, and the website described it wonderfully (or I wouldn't've bought it in the first place), but it just didn't deliver.  I couldn't really connect to the characters at all and the ending was over-hyped.  There were also sentences scattered throughout in French, much like the Poirot books, and much like Poirot, I just skipped them because I don't know French.  Maybe those few extra sentences would have added something?  I don't know.  It was written beautifully, don't get me wrong.  I wish I could write like this, but it didn't deliver.  It just wasn't what I wanted.  I will probably read another Persephone book next (though I have a few others staring at me...), hopefully with better results than this one. :/

I have another book I read recently but it needs it's own post with pictures.  For some reason I can't upload pictures right now or I would've done it already.  Additionally, I was going to share photos of my Persephone's because I can't describe them well enough, but again, pictures won't upload right now. :(

One down, one to go

I finished my sock!  To think I had been so worried about the heel, and that was the least of the issues.  I should've been worrying about the toe, lol.  I think I tried the toe four times before I got it to work right!  Stupid toes...  So, the first sock is done.  Now to type out the pattern from my notes and try it on the second sock and hope all of my notes are correct. :)  So, here it is:

I went outside to take these (natural light and all that), not even thinking about that it was quarter to six in the evening...  Additionally, I locked myself out of our apartment.  :(  I'm still cold...  Lesson learned on a few counts... :-/  But the sock is done and I'm happy about that. :)

Anne-girl part 2

Last May I started my Anne of Green Gables inspired socks.  I had gotten to where I wanted the heel and stalled.  I didn't want to mess up the heel especially with such wonderful yarn.  After I finished the baby stuff last week I picked them back up and just steamed ahead, frogging be damned.  Luckily I didn't really have to frog anything!  I did rip a bit out just because I didn't like the sl1, k1 heel pattern so much and just went to a regular knit heel.  Anyway, after a bit of math, I turned the heel and did the gusset and now I'm more than halfway through the foot! :)  I'm on spring break now and so hope to have sock one done this week.  Anyhoo, pictures to share: