Yarning Along: Counted rows never grow

Hello! I feel like it's been a while... We've spent the past couple of weeks split between Cornwall and Somerset, and are now back to reality (and a lot of laundry), which means I have access to a proper keyboard again (rather than an iPad screen), woo hoo (if anyone has worked out the secret of using Blogger from an iPad, let me know; the situation is very much 'computer says no')!

Cornish holidays: Mousehole Harbour

I packed *a lot* of knitting to take away with me for the two weeks we were on holiday (1.5 kilos), but only actually managed to complete one baby blanket (400 g of Caron Cakes* to make a corner to corner baby blanket) and half a sock. One day I will learn to be less ambitious in my holiday packing. So this week I am working on two children's jumpers that have deadlines associated with them, and seem to be spending a lot of time counting the rows, only to find that I still have rather a lot to go. Maybe I'll aim to get the second half of that sock done this week (it's the second sock of the Felici pair); finishing things can be so satisfying.

On the book front, we have The Miniaturist, which has been out for ages, and on my Kindle for pretty much the whole of that time. I did start reading it a while ago, but having picked it up again I think I must have read only the first page or two before abandoning it as none of it sounds familiar. The book is set in 17th Century Amsterdam, and tells the story of Nella, who has just moved to Amsterdam having recently married a merchant, Johannes Brandt, and moved into his household. Johannes pays little attention to his new wife, until one day he brings her an enormous dolls house to decorate. I'm a little on the fence about this book so far; there are a lot of mysteries in the book: what does Johannes job actually entail; what is the back story for his mysterious sister; why won't their servant Otto travel on the sea? But I'm struggling a bit with the writing style: this book seems to make good speed-reading, but I find that if I put the book down I am thoroughly lost when I pick it up again. I will finish it as I want to know what happens, but I'm not certain I'm going to enjoy it.

I did get quite a lot of reading done while I was away, so have updated my Books Read in 2017 page - head there to find out what else I've read recently. What are you currently reading?

Linking up with Rachel for Yarning Along. Head over to her blog to find out what other people are reading and crafting on.

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Yarning Along: Grandma

We've had Grandma staying with us this week, which has been lovely, and has freed up quite a lot of time for knitting and reading. I've taken a week off from work-knitting (pretty much unheard of) and have been knitting a corner-to-corner baby blanket for a friend's new baby, who should be making an appearance before the autumn term starts. I'm using Caron Cakes* in Faerie Cake, and the blanket will take two balls, so the only thinking I've had to do is how to switch from increasing every row to decreasing every row when I moved on to the second ball. Such an easy mindless project, and so satisfying. I pulled the first ball from the outside and am pulling the second from the inside so the colours reverse halfway.

As for reading, I have just started reading The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie and am enjoying it so far - the book involves several stories set in different periods of time, all linked by sewing machines. I'll let you know next week how it pans out, but for now I'm enjoying it.

I have also read two books this week from start to end: Bridget Jones' Baby and The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan. The Bridget Jones is much the same as the earlier books, which I've enjoyed. This one is based on the film that was out last year: Bridget gets pregnant after two one night stands; who is the father? The book diverges slightly from the film in that one of the parental candidates is different, and I am a bit baffled that this book (and the film) completely ignores the earlier third book Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, in which Bridget is a widowed mother of two. But enjoyable all the same. I whizzed through it in under 24 hours.

I read The Summer Seaside Kitchen having read a few of Jenny Colgan's books and enjoyed them. This one is set on a fictional island off the Scottish coast (called Mure). Flora escaped Mure to go to university and is now a paralegal at a London firm of lawyers. One day an American billionaire approaches the firm to get them to fight his case to get a planned wind farm relocated to stop it from spoiling the view from his hotel on Mure; he knows Flora is from the island and wants her on the case. Flora is sent to the island and is forced to address some home truths. I loved this book; Colgan's writing style is so warm, and the book addresses place and identity so beautifully; there are also a lot of references to food, which absolutely had my mouth watering. By the time I had finished reading I was desperate to pack a suitcase and fly immediately to the northern isles.

What have you been reading this week?

As ever, linking up with Rachel for Yarning Along.

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