BLANKET 2

I finished a second blanket this month! I'm not sure that I will continue at this rate for the whole year as I am at the moment choosing all those "just about finished" projects, rather than those that have a long way to go.

There are a few crochet blanket designers who I love to follow and whose patterns I find well written and easy to use.

One of these is Lucy from Attic 24 (https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/). Her blanket designs are colourful and reflective of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales where she lives (Lucky girl!). Also, and this is most important for those of you who might want to make this blanket, is that the pattern repeats every two rows, so once you have mastered it (and that takes no time at all) you can watch TV or just zone out and crochet at the same time. Lucy also has lots of photo tutorials on her blog and so you can see exactly what you are supposed to be doing.

The blanket I have just finished is the Hydrangea Stripe Blanket and I absolutely love the gorgeous colours. So reminiscent of hydrangeas in the Summer in full bloom and a hint of brighter things to come in the next few seasons of the year. (https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/hydrangea-stripe-blanket.html).

I am a bit ashamed to admit that this blanket has been languishing in my pile of unfinished objects since I started it in April 2017. I have no idea why or what distracted me, but once I had decided to complete it, there was no going back.

The finished item is soft and cosy and perfect for the Winter chill ahead. Great to snuggle up under on the sofa with a good movie and a hot chocolate.

BOOK 2 - DODGERS (Bill Beverley)

So my second book was definitely not something I would have chosen whilst browsing a bookshop.

This book came from a subscription service called Blind Date with a Book (blinddatewithabook.com). This services costs £54.99 for 6 months and each month you receive a mystery book based upon your stated preferences. I excluded science fiction and horror, but basically left all the other options.

At the beginning of every month you receive a book bound in brown paper and tied with string and a label giving clues to the book inside.

I read the book without reading anything from the back cover so it truly was a blind reading, with no clues to the content other than that on the label.



This book has won many crime awards, but as we are told what the crime is right at the beginning and we know who the perpetrators are, I wouldn't personally have put it in this category. It is much more a story of growing up and potentially maturing away from a difficult start in life.

This book is in essence the tale of American children caught up in the shady world of drug dealing and the crimes associated with such a life, including fraud, money laundering and murder.

The main character, East, starts out as a look out, but then once the drug house he is watching is raided by the police, he is given the task of killing a judge who is about to try some of the drug gang's associates. He is then sent on a road trip of 2000 miles cross country with three associates to carry out the execution. Along the way, the group do some incredibly stupid and unbelievable things (such as trying to go into a high class casino in Vegas, guarded by security guards) before finally arriving at their destination. The book gained more momentum as it reached the end and although not a "happy ever after" ending, it did have some sense of conclusion.

Throughout the book we see East struggling inwardly with his life and watch his actions lead him to some sort of redemption.

The most striking point for me was the sense of futility in the lives of such young children (the youngest, who is already living on the streets and carrying a gun he is not afraid to use, is only 13) and the sense of the perpetual nature of their existence through the generations.

Did I enjoy it? Not really.

Would I read it again? No.

Would I recommend it? Well, it would seem to be the sort of book that would be attractive to young people (late teens and twenties) who are more aware of the kind of world that Bill Beverly writes of.

BLANKET 1

It is very satisfying to finish off a blanket. The sheer size of the project gives the most amazing sense of achievement and at this time of the year, they are a handy project to both do (the weight of the growing blanket keeps you warm) and practical once done. Who doesn't need a blanket to snuggle under on the sofa whilst watching a film or over the top of the duvet on a cold night.

So my first finished WIP this year is the Continuum Blanket by Helen Shrimpton. (https://crystalsandcrochet.com/crochet/continuum/). The pattern is available in Helen's Ravelry store online.

My 21 year old son has a bedroom with light grey painted walls, a black bedstead and bedding in shades of white, grey and black, so a palette with those colours seemed to be appropriate. I chose white and black as the background and contrast colours and three shades of grey. Working with black yarn is very tiring on your eyes (though a good tip is to work with a white pillow case underneath), so my next choice of a project to finish is likely to have brighter colours.

The full details of the shades and amounts I used can be found on my Ravelry page. (https://www.ravelry.com/projects/karen2611/continuum).

BLANKET* CHALLENGE

When I'm not reading I like to spend my time with craftwork. I have always done lots of knitting, but had never tried any crochet up until a couple of years ago. For some reason it had always looked very complicated, even though I could tackle very challenging knitting patterns, such as fair isle and lace work.

However, when it comes down to it, crochet only has one basic stitch - yarn over, pull through. To make variations on this stitch, you can yarn over more than once -so changing a UK double to a treble, double treble and so on depending on how many times you yarn over. Each variation makes a different stitch. Even more variations can be made by combining more than one stitch together.

And the best thing about crochet....it makes up much more quickly than most knitting. Which leads me to the blankets.

I have never knitted a full size blanket, purely down to the time that would be involved, but then one day I came across a website called Crystals and Crochet (https://crystalsandcrochet.com/)with the most amazing crocheted blankets. Never one to shirk a challenge I thought I'd start with one of Helen Shrimpton's designs. They look very complicated and everyone who sees a finished blanket is amazed by their intricacy. But once you get going (and so long as you remember to count, count, count and count again!), they are not that difficult after all.

So, as well as my reading challenge I am embarking on a WIP (Work in Progress) challenge this year. I have more "just started", "part way through", "one sock of a pair" and "almost done apart from sewing in the ends" projects than I care to think about. And I'm not going to bother to count them! And even more yarn tucked away in cupboards or under the stairs to keep me busy for many a year.

This year I am endeavouring NOT to buy any more yarn (well, unless I see the "perfect" yarn that I absolutely must have) and to finish off as many of the WIPs as I can. There are a fair few blankets, some shawls, lots of socks and a few jumpers. The only logic to choosing which one to do will be start with the ones that are almost finished and then move onto the rest.

*And lots of other items!!!

READING RESOLUTION 2019

I used to read a lot - an awful lot. Book after book...mostly when I was waiting in the car to pick my children up after football practice, netball practice, hockey practice, gymnastics, dancing, school, the supermarket.

No! That last one is wrong, just wishful thinking. I never sent them to do the shopping for me.

But as they have grown up and gone to University I have barely read at all. Where has all my time gone? Surely I must have the same amount of time. Maybe if I sat in the car by myself I would read more? Maybe not, there's something a little sad (if not downright odd) about sitting in a car reading for hours on end without a reason to be parked wherever it is.

So last year I set myself a personal reading challenge of 26 books (two a month. What can be so difficult about that?) and I failed miserably, managing only 8.

So this year I am setting a harder challenge of 52 - yes, one a week and I'm determined to do it this year.

I have no rules about what I am going to read - fiction, non-fiction, bestseller or classic. I am going to take my inspiration from book club reviews, what my friends and family are reading or recommending, gifts, the library, Kindle free books, whatever happens to fall into my lap.

I will post a review on this blog - good and bad - and I will read to the bitter end of each book I choose (even if I'm not enjoying it).

So, please come along and read with me!

BOOK 1 - THIS IS GOING TO HURT (Adam Kay)

Did it hurt? 

This book is a selection of diary entries following the career of a junior doctor. As such you can pick it up and put it down without ever losing the thread, although having said that I read it pretty much straight through (well it was the time between Christmas and New Year with no work to do!). Due to the style in which it is written, it does become a bit repetitive and the constant footnotes explaining the medical terminology were sometimes longer than the diary entries.

The book is funny in parts and sad in others, but on the whole I found the self-pitying tone of writing and the fact that at times it became a forum for the author's politics somewhat wearing.

Based on all the five star reviews I was disappointed with the book overall. Glad I read it, but would not bother to do so again.

(This review also appears on GoodReads, where you can find me as Karen Whittaker)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2654266682?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1