What I've Been Up To

It's Saturday afternoon and I was sitting in my reading chair with my book for the Victober reading challenge "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde when suddenly I started feeling a little guilty.
At the beginning of 2016 I promised myself to give this blog a chance for another year, with a post at least once a month.
My last post was in August and all it did was show my gorgeous copy of Winnie the Pooh and the announcement that I was taking part in the Hundred Acre Read Along.

So here goes. This is what I have been up to.

I have made a lot of progress on "The Bookshop" and still enjoying every stitch.
You may remember I was stitching this for our son's birthday in 2015. When it wasn't finished then I figured his birthday in 2016 would be no problem.
Well, his birthday was at the end of August and still I'm not finished. However I now have less that 6000 X's to make and I'm hopeful that I will have it completed by the end of the year.
Wouldn't that be a grand way to end 2016?

I have been meeting some friends to sit and chat as well as knit, crochet etc.
Most of the women knit on a round needle. This is something I had never done but when I saw this pattern I realized it would be easier on a round needle as the entire sweater is knit in one piece.
My friend Vicki suggested I borrow one of her round needles to see whether or not I liked the experience.
So, with a skein of With Love 'Waterlily' 100% acrylic by Red Heart I knit this little sweater for my granddaughter's baby doll (actually her mama's baby doll Kimmy).
The pattern is called "In Threes" and is by Kelly Herdrich.

Since knitting the sweater on round needles was quite a success I decided to buy some myself and knit a scarf.
Now you are looking at the picture and thinking that these do not look like round needles. Right you are!
I figured it would be easier to start the pattern on straight needles and then to change to round needles once I had a good start.
I knit about 20 rows (four patterns) and transferred. On the next row I immediately made a mistake and had the hardest time correcting it.
So, long story short, I pulled it out and started over again on straight needles. I'm much happier with them on this project.
The pattern is "Seiren" by Roko and looks more difficult than it is.
I am knitting with Loops & Threads Woolike 'Denim Blue' yarn which is 85% acrylic and 15% nylon.

Here is the pattern up close.

While we were still living in Las Vegas I bought several Halloween panels.
Now that I have a new sewing machine and have taken a quilting course it is time to do something with them.
So I bought some cute polka dotted fabric for the borders & backing and got to work.
Sewing those borders on was no problem. Getting the layers laid out and pinned no problem.
But now I'm at the point in this project which is giving me a lot of headaches - the kind you give yourself because you are to anxious about what you are doing, keep on putting it off and then worry even more that you are putting it off till tomorrow.
I really have to finish it at the beginning of next week or I'll just put it away until Halloween 2017 with exactly the same feelings I am having now.

For November I've signed up for Non-fiction November #NonfictionNovember2016 which is being hosted by Olive  and Gemma.
I have chosen my books for the four categories.

1. New - "Whatever You Do, Don't Run" by Peter Allison


My cover looks completely different as I am reading it in Dutch (bought for 1 eruo at Zeeman a few years ago when we were visiting The Netherlands under the title "Voor de Leeuwen".

2. Controversial - "Alive" by Piers Paul Read



3. Important- "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali



4. Fascinating - "The Face of Tutankhamun" by Christopher Frayling



I will also be taking part in  Lesley's  "readkidslit in November"
Although I don't know how many children's books I'll be able to fit in with the other challenge I will do what I can and will probably start with Roald Dahl's "Matilda".

Until next time,
Margaret