Wednesday 8 July 2015

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny today for Yarn Along.

Remember Peppa Pig from a while ago? Cuddlepie's birthday finally arrived! This must be the very first knitting gift that was ready ahead of time - no frantic 3 o'clock in the morning knitting to finish!




Now on to a Minecraft pickaxe for Whirlwind!

So how are all the projects from last week, I hear you ask?! Dare I say that I have added another one?! In my defence, I have to finish this one as it is for our annual wool festival - I have not just randomly decided to start another project. No, not me, ever; I'd never do that!


Baby jersey (in green and yellow), Girl On Fire shawl and blue Shoulders jumper

Girl On Fire Shawl

I have just started the second contrast colour in the Girl On Fire shawl. I am having a great time knitting it; it is SO simple, yet interesting with the colour and pattern changes.Fantastic TV knitting! I am up to the second series now of River Cottage Australia, so cannot wait to sit down after everyone has finally trotted off to bed. But there is a bit of competition for the TV at the moment as the Tour de France is shown here late at night!
I am really enjoying my reading this week. This type of collection of facts is just what I love. A while ago, I read Odd Type Writers by the same author, so had to read this as well. 
The book (Dancing With Mrs Dalloway) features the inspiration behind great works of literature. I also liked the fact that it gave you a reading list for all the books you probably should read. I seem to have read a large percentage of them - there are many old favourites in the list. 

Some examples: 

  • Charles Dickens had a talking raven who was the inspiration for Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven'.
Grip the raven was stuffed after death and was later purchased by an American collector. He is now living at the Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia.

  • William Golding (author of Lord of the Flies) was a schoolteacher at a boys' school and used to pit the boys against each other as 'research' for his book.

  • J.R.R. Tolkien was strongly against the publication of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. He told C.S. Lewis that 'it really won't do.'

  • E.B. White had a spider named Charlotte in his barn that was having babies. Rather than miss out, the spider was taken on a trip to New York and the babies hatched in New York. Here is an article about E.B. White and the real Charlotte.
E.B. White on his farm in Maine.

And so many more fascinating facts. Easy to read as each book entry is about four pages long, so I can just pick it up whenever I have a few spare minutes. Well worth reading if you love literature.


This is so true. Books often keep me going when my days are not so great. I'm sure we've all had those days, where getting lost in a book really helps us cope. Nerdy as it sounds, my books are truly my friends. 



25 comments:

  1. I am so pleased you would never embark on a new knitting pretty before finishing the others, Jayne. ;) I too adore books. I love escaping for a li'l while within a book's covers. What a fascinating book revealing all that wonderful trivia about the authors. I must seek it out. I still remember reading the tale of poor Piggy and those other horrid boys in Lord of the Flies at high school. I remember that book precipitated lots of discussion. I also remember my favourite book on the curriculum at school was, To Kill a Mockingbird...loved it.....and it is still high on my list of all time faves.

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  2. .....ooops...I forgot to say that Peppa Pig is very sweet. It looks as if 'she' will be your Cuddlepie's new best friend! :)

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    1. Thanks! We must have had a similar curriculum - I did both those at school as well! Love To Kill A Mockingbird - I cannot wait for Go Set A Watchman to come out soon.
      Cuddlepie does loves his Peppa Pig. Although everyone knows how much he loves Peppa and he was given quite a few different Peppa items!

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  3. What an adorable Peppa Pig [she is very popular here when Emerson is visiting].. And you r Girl on Fire Shawl looks like it's a lot of fun to knit.
    Books have always been a part of my life and I am so happy to say I passed on the love to my babies.
    Happy Yarn Along.

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    1. Thanks! I certainly couldn't be without either my knitting or my books. It is wonderful for you that your babies enjoy reading too. Mine are becoming too captivated with TV. I would get rid of it entirely if I could!

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  4. What a photo of a pig being well loved :) So happy the present was a success!!

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    1. Thanks! It is lovely when your knitting is well loved!

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  5. oh Peppa Pig, our daughter is buying a blow up bed for our granddaughter as she loves Peppa. Yours is so cute. Was it difficult to make? Remember I am a beginner knitter.

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    1. I don't think Peppa was too difficult, but there were some fiddly small bits. A lot of plain knitting like the dress and I found the pattern to be well-written.
      Cuddlepie also received a Peppa Pig sleeping bag for his birthday, which he sleeps in inside his real bed every night now!

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  6. Happy birthday to your boy! I love those pictures, he looks thrilled. That book sounds really fun and I may need to look into it- so interesting!

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    1. Thanks! It is an interesting book. I found out about some books that I haven't read before. I am thinking of using this book as a reading list and reading through all the books mentioned.

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  7. Of course you would never cast on randomly; neither would I! ;) I love the stories behind those famous books.
    Peppa Pig is darling beyond words!

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    1. Thanks! He did love his Peppa! I seem to suffer sporadic bursts of casting on multiple projects and then I have to work hard to finish them so they are off my mind!

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  8. Aw, what a thrill to see a project so well loved and appreciated! Happy b-day wishes to your adorable son, Jayne. :) Oh, and thanks for the wonderful book quotes! So funny that Tolkien didn't think so highly of Lewis's treasure!
    xo Lisa

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    1. Thank you for the birthday wishes! It is strange, isn't it, considering Lewis had nothing but praise for The Hobbit.

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  9. Peppa pig looks fab and that collection of books takes me down memory lane :)

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    1. Thanks! This book has inspired me to do a bit of re-reading as there were so many great books mentioned.

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  10. Awesome job on Peppa Pig! And I can't say that I am ever done with projects early - there is always some late night craziness in my home, especially around Christmas. Why is it that I think I can start everything at the end of October and actually be done by December 25?

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    1. Me too! I start thinking about it early enough but keep putting off the actually doing as I have 'plenty of time'. Then plenty of time is gone and it is a mad rush!

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  11. Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway sounds really interesting! I love learning little behind-the-scenes stories about famous books and authors. :) I had heard about Charles Dickens' raven- it feels so odd to me somehow that Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe interacted!

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    1. It was a really interesting book - pretty sure you would enjoy it, with your love of books.

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  12. Peppa Pig is adorable! We like to watch that here too!

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  13. I hope you enjoy the second series of River Cottage Australia. I'm waiting for it to be returned to the library at the moment. Hopefully it'll come in Friday.

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