Yes, I’ve been horrible about blogging recently. I don’t even have any decent excuses to make, so I shan’t waste your time and mine.
One shabby FO to show off, this tunisian crochet dishcloth, pattern from the Harmony Guides, for the Dishcloth KAL, where I shall shortly be claiming the prize for the slowest dishcloth knitter 🙂
We’ve been to Chennai to see my latest nephew (for whom I knit the diagonal blanket and the –shcloths). The first thing I did in the metropolis was to hit the bookstores. So we went to Odyssey, Landmark and Crossword. I only found knit/crochet books at the first, and I promptly bought up the Harmony Guides. So now I have 5 of the seven. I think I shall do without the Aran stitch volume and the basic knitting technique volume.
While in Chennai we made a short trip to Pondicherry and I went on a shopping rampage, buying up vials of “mitti” (smells like the first rain) and peppermint, and orange-scented soap, and handmade paper and marbled fabric (marbling is a technique where oil paint is swirled on water and the surface to be dyed is laid on it and lifted away. Each time you get a unique pattern).
I did precious little knit/crochet while in Chennai, except that thing up there. I met Viji again and marvelled anew at her work. She’s made some gorgeous drawstring bags with the silk thread, but says she cannot find a good place in Chennai to have them lined.
Now back in Vizag, I am working to finish the spike stitch cardigan I blogged about a few weeks ago. I decided to rip out the back and start afresh, working the fronts and the back together in one piece. I’m through with the body now and have begun one of the sleeves and shall probably take it in with me when I go for my radio duty this evening.
In Chennai I read Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, one of those Dan Brownish medieval/modern mythical stories. Why everyone picks on France for these medieval tomes is something I don’t understand. Do mysteries of faith sound better in medieval French?
Also read G (is for Gumshoe) and I (is for Innocent) of the Kinsey Millhone series, as well as my first Reginald Hill (A Pinch of Snuff) (What is the logic behind pronouncing D-a-l-z-i-e-l as Dee-ell???) and Mary Daheim (Bantam of the Opera). Regularly swimming in intrigue I’ve been.
On the other hand, I also finished On Beauty by Zadie Smith. It was an uncomfortable read (no happy endings a la murder mysteries – not that the victims in the murder mysteries have happy endings, but you know what I mean) and reminiscent of EM Forster’s Howard’s End (but only just, but then it’s been ages since I read the latter).
Enough of a ramble…
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3 comments
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December 12, 2006 at 9:28 pm
JulieT
The France setting is due to the fact that France really did have a whole lot of heretics and other non-Catholoic church types roaming around back then. Plus one of the ruling houses is rumored to have descended from Jesus and Mary Madgalene. Historically speaking. Really. (I know, I’m not buying it either, but that’s what the history books say.)
Good luck on the crafting. The fabric sounds beautiful.
December 13, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Woolly Wormhead
Great – some Tunisian! The Harmony Guides are a must have for every knitter and crocheter – the best series of instructions and stitch directories ever. I only have 3 but wouldn’t be without them 🙂
December 16, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Heide
Please, ramble on! I was an English major in college and I miss reading since becoming a stay at home mom! There’s just never time, especially to waste on a not-so-good novel so any previews are greatly appreciated. This past year my reading has been reduced to whatever could be grabbed off the shelf near the checkout stand at the grocery store. Not exactly high quality writing, but at least it’s something mindless to read while trying to fall asleep. Your washcloth is really pretty. I need to crochet more. Currently I’m in the midst of gift knitting for Christmas.