Birthday knits

Finally, some knitting I can actually show! Hannah's birthday was on Friday, but I had until her birthday dinner on Sunday to finish my presents for her. She had asked for an eternity scarf and some fingerless gloves, made from the same purple yarn as D's Fair Isle sweater. The scarf was done on time, and the gloves were a day late. It doesn't look like she minds too much.



Patterns: Encompass scarf, by the Yarn Harlot
Ursus wrist warmers, by Hanna-Kaisa Hämäläinen [These only took two days to finish, which is good because little sis Rach has requested some as well!]

A Week in Winter

Maeve Binchy's final book came out in October, and I had placed a library hold on it in July. This past Thursday, it was waiting for me. I'm about two-thirds of the way through, and there's a very brief, touching scene that I'd like to think was included just for me (although I'm sure that wasn't the case!). A young couple  names their daughter after a woman in her eighties, who never married, but had a happy life all the same.

I was reading this afternoon when my Maeve woke up from her nap; I brought her downstairs and fed her some snacks on the couch next to the book. By chance, her outfit coordinated nicely with the cover, and I treasured seeing her little name on it. Both girls are in bed now, and I'm looking forward to finishing the book either tonight or during naptime tomorrow. It's a worthwhile disruption to my knitting. I couldn't wait for an audiobook.

I love audiobooks

As a knitter, I always appreciate something to listen to while I work: live radio, podcasts, radio drama, book recordings, etc. And in the midst of Christmas knitting, it's something of a necessity. Lately, I've had the presence of mind to peruse the audiobooks on CD at our local library branch, as well as checking out the ones you can download from home. (I'm not sure how to refer to the material I've consumed- I heard a good book? I listened to a good book? I sort of read a good book?) I re-listened to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and laughed and cried at the usual parts. It was the first audiobook I ever downloaded, back in 2010, following a cottage weekend where we read it aloud in turns. I couldn't wait to go to the library, so I was delighted that I didn't have to! The people chosen to voice the various characters were excellent, and Isola Pribby has to be one of the quirkiest characters ever.

I've also recently listened to The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom (thought-provoking and heartbreaking), and Tina Fey's Bossypants (funny, but perforated with unexpected profanity). I have two others waiting for me, one online and one on CD beside me: Ken Follett's Fall of Giants (which I've heard is good reading for those pining for the return of Downton Abbey), and Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman. Finally, I've added The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam to my online queue. Clearly, I have a thing for memoirs and historical fiction.

Sadly, no pictures of recently finished objects; these will follow in the New Year, ideally with the recipients in them. I'm planning another Year of No Yarn, which virtually guarantees that a close friend or relative will get married or have a baby. I mean, already Will & Kate have announced their pregnancy, and I only decided not to buy yarn in 2013 a few weeks ago!

Edited to add: The narrator of Fall of Giants also did the voice of Dawsey Adams in TGLPPPS! Very excited to hear more.