Oolong knits

My introduction to William Trevor was made through "Summer and Love", the last of his novels. I absolutely loved the unpretentious, nostalgic, tender, and absolutely perfect way this simple (but not simplistic, much less soppy) love story was told. William Trevor, who has also written novels and plays, is better known for his short stories and "Summer and Love" feels like a short story that has become too long to be one. After that I have read quite a few of his books, but I did not appreciate what Hermione Lee calls Trevor's "sensationalist appetite". In his stories, there is an excess of perversion (sexual or otherwise) that I prefer too believe is rare in real life (thank god for that) and why dwell on it more than necessary? Life is already cruel enough as it is. So I had put "A bit on the side" aside several years ago and did not read it until now. And it is thinking of this sensationalist appetite that I first notice that the first ...

Cabin Boots with Flip Flop Soles by Jess Coppom may not be pretty enough to be called eye candy, but they are definitely a good idea. Notice that the pattern is crochet, not knitting (I believe this is the first time I include crochet in this blog). You can easily adapt the idea to knitting though.

I am going through a very busy time of my life right now. So busy I struggle to find the time for this blog. It may not be obvious, but blogging takes more than just the time it takes to write a post. You need time to engage with the subject and find inspiration. The truth is that lately I have not had time for knitting either. The cardigan I have started to knit last November, and for which I have started writing a tutorial, has been left as it is, with only the body pieces finished, waiting for its sleeves to be knitted. Which explains why I have not written the last post on it. Thank god I have no readers and thus no one attempting to follow my tutorials. So this is the most boring post I have ever written, just to explain why I missed last week's post, why I have nothing interesting to say today and why I'll most probably be missing more posts in weeks to come.

Constellate by Hunter Hammersen is just a beanie, but I love how neat and perfect it looks. Check out that top. So pretty! And I don't even like pink.

I confess, this is the first book in my book club, just because it is the book I was reading when I started it. If you'd like a professional review, I can recommend this one . What follows is my humble opinion. This book is written through out in the first person. What you "hear" is the voice of Eily, she is a young Irish girl who has just moved to London to attend Drama school. In the beginning, you hear of her excitement for London and the people she meets, the friends she makes, the grown-up life she's just beginning to live. Then she meets a much older man and their relationship turns in to a vortex in her life. With him, she learns sex, desire, heartbreak, anguish, pleasure, and more. Their relationship is not an easy one, partly because they're mismatched (by their difference in age), partly because they each have to deal with the inner demons created by their past lives. Still, it is these inner demons that allow them to find a common ground, a reason a...

I'm not sure I'd wear that skirt or that colour, but I really like the stitch pattern. I'm thinking I should do one of those pretty gansey sweaters. This is "She's Electric" Aztec Pattern Bodycon Skirt by Lauren Riker. Really weird name, it looks a lot more Irish than Aztec to me, but whatever...

Just a list of links I have found on this subject: How to dye yarn with Kool-Aid Handpaint Your Own Yarn   on Knitty Very complete guide by Daisyhead Creations Information on natural dyes

Rules: not many, not any, just reading a book after another at one's pace. Because some books are faster to read than others, I don't want to set any sort of deadline, like a book per month or something of that sort. To begin with I'll just follow my own pace, writing a review when I finish a book or, if I feel inspired, while I'm reading it. If someone else joins the club, I wish!, the choice of books and the pace will become democratic. I'll be very happy to share ideas for books to read and opinions on books read. That would be lovely. A list of books… I must think about this. The first book is easy, just the one I've last finished reading: The Lesser Bohemians, by Eimear McBride . I'll write my thoughts on it next week. I know this is not fair, nobody else's going to have time to read it so fast. But nobody else cares either, at least as long as nobody else joins this club. The second book is not so easy. I'm also reading The Iliad and ...

Kaffe Fassett is a rarity. An artist (with a curriculum that includes a solo exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum) who designs knit patterns. His work includes, in addition to knitting, needlepoint, patchwork, painting and ceramics and his designs are famous for their intricate use of colour. Most of his patterns are not only amazing, but really hard to knit. But, like the rest of us, Kaffe couldn't resist the simple beauty of stripes. For Rowan, he has designed a series of colourful stripy sweaters and one wrap, which are easy knits and available for free if you sign up on Rowan's website. Clockwise, you've got: Belarus , a cardigan, Moldova , a short-sleeved shirt, the Unwind Wrap , and Slovenia , a dropped shoulder top. Click on the image for a larger one.

I have discovered this very useful page with links to all kinds of cast-on methods. I must warn you that, after only a short inspection, I have already found some errors in the page itself and the links. No surprise here, unfortunately the internet is full of unreliable information. We have to live with it. Particularly useful is the section on Cast Ons with Matching Bind Offs .

Last year was one of the least productive years of my life. I'm really very unhappy with what I've not accomplished. As this blog attests, knitting has become a bit of an obsession since I've started learning it about 2 and a half years ago. But until recently knitting was just one of my hobbies. I used to knit almost every day, but I'd also do other things. Not so last year and, no matter how much I enjoy knitting, I don't like the fact that it has swallowed up all my other hobbies. Nor do I want to live the rest of my life this way. Don't get me wrong, too much knitting is not responsible for my lack of achievements this last year. It is just one of the things I want to change in my life. I want to go back to making reading my main hobby. Book clubs! I always loved the idea of participating in a book club, but I've never done so because I can't find one with any books that I'd like to read. Now I'm sure there are book clubs for all tastes, b...