Special Delivery!

No point to this post, just wanted to share this very cute picture of Millie!!

This Week I will mostly be ...

... fed up. Got a horrendous week at work ahead.
... reading 'Geisha of Gion' by Mineko Iwasaki
... watching 'Brokeback Mountain' and/or 'Capote'
... finishing the tea cozy (depending on whether I can borrow a teapot to help with the seaming!)

200 word review: 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott

I first read ‘Little Women’ when I was about 12, but over the years I’d forgotten a lot of the story so thought I’d revisit it for old times sake. Reading it as an adult (if I can describe myself as that) I didn’t find it as enthralling as I had when I was younger. Perhaps I had a more objective view, as the characters were no longer a similar age to me, but the moralising tone seemed more prevalent than I remember. It feels more like a series of connected cautionary tales than a story, although much of its charm is in its apparent disjointedness. It doesn’t have the strong plot I usually look for in a novel, but I still got involved in the trials and tribulations of the four March girls, albeit not as much as I did as a teenager. I’m pretty sure I vowed to follow their example and become patient, humble and industrious myself. It probably lasted a week!

For a little reminder of childhood, this is a good book to revisit. And whilst it seems very patronising to an adult, I still believe that it is an essential book for any ‘little woman.’

This Week I will mostly be ...

... ill if today and the weekend is anything to judge by
... at home more - not going to theatre group tonight and singing course is over
... reading 'Little Women'
... watching whatever LoveFilm sends us
... knitting a tea cozy
... hoping that the sunshine will last through the weekend

This Week I will mostly be ...

... reading 'Little Women'
... knitting a tea cozy
... watching 'Monsoon Wedding'
... playing rockstar on Wednesday night (my final LCM concert!)
... trying to get more sleep, seeing as I woke up this morning still tired

Baby bits!

Well, part 1 of my stash wars has been completed - I've managed to reduce one-and-a-bit skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton into half a skein by creating these little beauties for a friend who is pregnant.

Aren't they cute? They are the One Hour Baby Booties from 'Stitch n Bitch Nation' by Debbie Stoller and the Umbilical Cord Hat from 'Stitch n Bitch' also by Debbie Stoller. I love Stoller's books, the patterns are all very modern and funky and because they are contributed by lots of different knitters (mostly non-professionals) you get a lot of variety and varying levels of challenge. There aren't many baby patterns in her books but the ones there are tend to be more modern than in other books whilst still being really cute.

I'm really pleased with how these have turned out and I hope they will be appreciated. Luckily enough, the remaining half-skein may be enough to make some more booties for when I have a baby (whenever that is!)

This Week I will mostly be ...

... a bit late blogging (sorry)
... reading 'Little Women'
... watching 'The Da Vinci Code' (yes I know I hate the book, but the film features Lincoln Cathedral and my brothers' old scoutmaster!)
... knitting a baby hat for a friend
... sleep deprived (Millie's nocturnal activities are getting noisier and more persistent)
... lacking in blood (just gave a pint away - oww, hurts to type after giving blood, must remember that!)

200 word review: 'The Summer Book' by Tove Jansson

Before reading this book, the only thing I knew about Tove Jansson was that she created the Moomins. I know nothing about the Moomins, so that didn’t help me imagine what the book would be like. Thankfully, no prior Moomin knowledge is required as this is one of Jansson’s novels for adults, and a Scandinavian modern classic.

The style feels very strange. There’s no plot, just a series of anecdotes about summers spent on a Finnish island by a little girl called Sophia, her father (not a major character) and her Grandmother. Normally I hate books without a strong plot, but this was refreshing. It felt like summer: leisurely, warm and peaceful. Most of the action revolves around the relationship between Sophia and Grandmother, which is really charming. Old age and childhood are explored truthfully and without sentiment. Sophia comes out with funny comments, but this isn’t written in a patronising way, it’s just accepted as part of her youthful character. And Jansson portrays neither Sophia nor Grandmother with the usual saccharine saintliness. Sophia has tantrums, Grandmother is cantankerous, and they feel real.

If you need a nice light read without the usual sentimentality, I thoroughly recommend ‘The Summer Book.’

This Week I will mostly be ...

... working as of tomorrow! At last!
... reading 'The Summer Book'
... knitting a baby hat (a hat for a baby, not one made of baby, that would be wrong)
... out a lot - three nights in the week and maybe Saturday too
... trying to get early nights - my new job involves getting a bus at 7.37am, not nice when you're used to a short train journey at 8.31am!