Monday, April 28, 2008

KAL, house manoeuvres & The Book Thief

This weekend I started the Bainbridge Scarf KAL. I have more or less finished it, just the ties to do which I will probably finish this evening. I have used Rowan Bamboo Soft and it is REALLY soft!! I also started a pair of Tidal Wave Socks after I finished the Zoknis, using the Opal Neon I have in my stash. The Joma jumper is moving along slowly, it is quite a boring knit, loads of stocking stitch. Pics will be in the next post (whenever that is because the computer will be moved tonight to make way for the decorating!!!)


On Tuesday evening I met up with Becca at Borders. She started a Clapotis while we were there, and she is using a gorgeous yarn in a pale bluey colour, I'm rather jealous of it actually! I think it is this one. It will be lovely when its done.


George is getting on well with the decorating. At the moment we are sleeping in the back bedroom and we have now been turfed out of the living room as he is starting that today. Poor Colin ended up moving all the books yesterday because the dust really got to me and I spent the day sneezing and with a streaming nose. The living room needs to be finished by Wednesday because the new carpet is coming then.


I had wanted to go to Wonderwool Wales this weekend but Colin was due to be on a course all weekend and I didn;t fancy driving down through deepest darkest Wales on my own for 3 hours each way! But Saturday luchtime he abandoned the course so we could have gone. However, with all the removals needed its a good job we didn't. But he has promised to take me to Woolfest instead at the end of June. Mel and maybe Chris are going to this too so we may be able to meet up. I think we are going to make a weekend of it and stay over for a couple of nights in a nice hotel. It is in Cockermouth in Cumbria, somewhere I've never been before.

I have just started reading Grave Doubts by Elizabeth Corley. I'm only a few pages in so no comments on it yet.

I finished The Book Thief yesterday. I really enjoyed it even though it was set in WWII Germany. It was interesting because you get some idea from the German perspective of life during the war on a normal street. They were just ordinary people same as everyone else, running to shelters when the air raids went off etc. There was a slight Anne Frank-ness to it, with the family hiding a Jewish man in the basement for part of the book but the main character is a 9 year old girl called Leisel who is sent to a foster family after her brother dies and her mother is "sent away". She comes to love her foster parents and settles into the local community. They are very poor and she takes any opportunity she can to get hold of books which she reads over and over, finally writing her own book in the basement. The narrator of the book is Death, who comes to carry away the souls of those who don't survive for various reasons, and who takes a special interest in Leisel throughout her life. If that sounds interesting, get yourself a copy! Another bonus is that there are short chapters!

3 comments:

Nina said...

Oh, a woolfest sounds grand! Is driving through Wales really all that bad? LOL you make it sound gruesome! Here I am thinking, hmm, 6 hours all alone, plus a couple hours shopping and who knows what other "trouble" I could find...a little slice of heaven!

Good thing you're about done with the scarf KAL. Are you going to have to put the Tidal Wave Socks aside? C'mon!! You are cool as a cucumber--have you got gauge yet? Aren't you getting just a liiiiitttle bit keyed up for SOCK WARS III???!! (can you tell *I* am?)

Sarah said...

Looking forward to seeing your finish ed Bainbridge.

I've got a copy of The Book Thief so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Chris said...

Have you booked anything for woolfest yet? If not, be as quick as possible 'cos it books up fast! There's always acommodation available a little further afield if you've no luck in Cockermouth, Keswick's about half an hour's drive away if you get desperate. I am booked in a B+B and camp site so we will definitely meet up 'cos Mel's booked there too!
I don't blame you about Wonderwool though, I wanted to go but when I found out how far away it was I reconsidered. Too far to drive on my own, too long for hubbie to drive me and leave the dogs. Next year with a stopover perhaps...