Monday 16 January 2012

Knitting and reading

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2012 will be fantastic for you all!


I love knitting............. and I love reading.......... but often find myself frustrated when doing one because I want to be doing the other too.  So I had a lovely time in November and December sitting at the kitchen table with my Gentle Art of Domesticity open in front of me while I happily knitted away.  Here was a book that would kindly stay open for me releasing both hands to knit.  But normal books aren't so co-operative.  Then my mum bought my dad a Kindle for his birthday so I tested it for knitting and reading ability and found it to be very user-friendly.  

So with my Christmas bonus from work I bought my own Kindle earlier this month and have been knitting and reading quite contentedly - until I get so absorbed in the book that the knitting falls by the wayside - or find I'm not all that hooked on the book and would rather knit.

So far I have re-read Twilight which was ok - less good than the first time I read it, read The Island (finally!) which I loved and I'm currently reading One Day - which I'm just not getting into as quickly as I thought I would.  In an attempt to educate myself I have also downloaded A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations as I have never actually read any Dickens.  


And so far I have knitted more of my Christmas socks (ok, so they are late), a cover for my Kindle, some mittens for a friend's 50th birthday present (that I forgot to photograph before I gave them her to her on our walk this morning), a mitten for me - that I have frogged and started again because it was too big, and part of a Hitchhiker in dk wool.


I still prefer real books and could never imagine my house ever not looking like this
 (Dot's wall)
(the sitting room "wall" that is actually a bookshelf built into the space between two rooms)

but I do love the multi-tasking made possible by my Kindle.

I have also been playing with paper after finding this fabulous book


Just look at the pages inside:

It has 32 cut out models to make and the paper is really good quality.  I saw it in my local Dunelm Mill for £15 but found it on Amazon for £10 instead and I'm really pleased with it.

I need to invest in a proper cutting knife rather than scissors but had fun last week making a toaster - that actually moves up and down (albeit rather stiffly)

and this tortoise.

If I hurry up and get the washing up* done quickly I should have time to do some more tonight with Fred before I cook the childrens' supper :o)

*whoops! I've just revealed that I still have last night's washing up to do - so why am I blogging??!