Made it… By a whisker? Or a Narrow Margin? (Yarning Along 17).

Aaaaannnndddd breathe!!!!

At last school has finished. It’s a good thing too because it has been somewhat crazy. The kids were tired, the adults were tired, emotions were running high and tempers were frayed. Time for some R & R.

If you are a regular reader you will know I have been making amigurumi bookmarks recently. And here is the most recent addition….

Another mouse, but grey this time. He was adapted to have a slightly less square bottom – although he has been described as looking like a mole! I think it’s an improvement?? What do you think?? By the time you read this he should have reached his new owner so I won’t be spoiling any surprises.

In other yarn news I have planned some other projects and ordered accordingly. I ordered some random balls of Stylecraft Special DK in the necessary colours to allow for more bookmark making. But more excitingly, having enjoyed last summer’s “Chocolate Box Shawl” (look here) and after looking for excuses to try another crochet shawl I spotted two upcoming events and decided to purchase two Scheepjes Whirls (Raspberry Rocky Roads and Green Tea Tipple). I also chose two more of Lisa Cook’s patterns now I am keenly looking forward to getting started. I think planning a crochet project for my narrowboat travels is becoming a bit of a tradition. Now then, which one to start first??? Tough decision!!!!

Completed Chocolate box shawl

Chocolate Box beginnings.

In book-yarn news, I have finished The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie. I really enjoyed it. It does jump about from character to character and time period to time period so if that’s not your kind of thing steer well clear. I made a point of taking note of when each chapter was set so I didn’t get confused. I loved working out the connections between the characters and thought it was well written, better than many things I have read recently.

It must be the teacher in me but I find myself spotting glaring mistakes in the things I read and mentally correcting them. I don’t think I found any this time which is a rare event!! There really should be no mistakes when books are proof read by several people and they have technology to point out corrections too. It’s not a difficult thing – just requires an attention to detail (and I say that all the time in class – and they are only 10!!). Ok, rant over!!!

Now I am reading “Narrow Margins” by Marie Browne. Another canal based story but set in modern day and based in reality. I’m about halfway through because it’s not so long but also because I have developed an early morning reading habit recently (I’ve been waking up early – 5ish! – then struggling to get back to sleep because there’s so much in my head, so I’ve given up, got up and read and drunk tea instead).

Not sure I want to be reading about canal adventures while I am having my own canal adventure but we’ll see. It’s a humorous book and it hasn’t explained any of the canal terminology at all so I haven’t felt patronised which is brilliant as far as I’m concerned – although other people might struggle (thinking about Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 last week discussing canal accidents and his listeners).

Joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along.