Reading Wednesday

It’s been a tough fortnight, and mostly I've knitted oodles of garter stitch and rewatched some boxsets. There has been progress on the reading front though!

What I've finished reading
The only book finished this last fortnight has been Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts. It was exactly the cosy read I needed, and though it is rather predictable and a little trite in places, I'm quite looking forward to reading the last in the trilogy.

I have been culling my library pile all little as well (I take a lot of random books home, and they quickly build up), but I'm not counting those as it was mainly skim reading to see if I was ever going to properly read them.

What I'm currently reading
Mirror Sight by Kristen Britain. I've just started this, but I'm trying not to get too excited after the three year wait for it because of what I've read online. I was going to avoid spoilers, but after the last book I learned it really is the only way to avoid possibly throwing it against the wall massive disappointment with this series.

I've started with How to be a Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott. I love the title, but I've only really read the first chapter so I can’t comment too much. I'm finding it an easy style to read though.

What I'm reading next
I’d like to get further through Trading in Danger (although I was thinking about this the other day and it may end up being a DNF).

What I'm reading this fortnight

What I've finished reading
Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach. I loved reading it, and I thought it was a great ending to the trilogy. I especially loved how straightforward the answer turned out to be, even though implementing it wasn't straightforward at all. I really felt the Devi/Rupert in this book, and Bach completely made me believe Rupert deserved Devi's trust again, something I wasn't sure was possible after the last book. I squee'd almost as much as Devi at the ending, and all the little details sprinkled throughout (but especially at the end) make me want to read more about Paradox, especially the King and Royal Family.  Definitely a series that will be going on my reread pile.

What I'm reading
I'm loaded with a cold and sore throat at the moment, so it's Nora Roberts' Shadow Spell as some light comfort reading.

What I'm reading next
I don't even think I'm going to try naming anythng this time as I seem to keep jinxing myself lately.

Goldfrapp concert

I can't believe it's already been over a month since I went to see Goldfrapp perform in Glasgow.

I had a great seat in the second row, and I had an absolutely fabulous time. I may have filled my phone with photos. :D

I'm not always a fan of support acts, but We Were Evergreen were fabulous and I loved them from the first song. I’m currently listening to their debut album Toward and annoyed that I couldn’t make their gig in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Aren’t they just adorable? Very few of my pictures turned out as they were all frantically moving about, and the energy was just fantastic. Also, cornet! I’m a lapsed player, and I love seeing it performed live, especially when it’s not expected.

Then Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp in concert is always a great experience, but this was just fantastic. The first half was songs from the latest album, and spine chillingly brilliant is the best description. (I JUST LOVE IT, okay?)

And then it was onto some of the back catalogue, all the favourites, although I didn't get very many photos as they all turned out blurred due to my rather inept bopping about.

Did I mention how much I loved it? A fabulous night all round.

WIP Wednesday

Socks!

After finishing my first project on DPN’s (a baby hat, the FO post will be coming soon), I was looking forward to trying my first sock.

I thought I would start with something fairly straight forward so I went for Laura Linneman’s Afterthought heel sock pattern. It’s free on ravelry, and I’m finding it very clear and straight forward (though I did shorten the rib a little. It’s just a matter of personal preference, and I’ll just wait and see how that affects it).

I love it! I’m at that stage where I keep waving it in my Mum’s face (it’s all right; she does the same to me with her projects) because I love it so much. I’m using KnitGlobal sock yarn in the colourway cranberries, and it’s a nice wool/nylon mix that is knitting up lovely. I can already tell it’s going to be very cosy.

As predicted, my other big project at the minute, the hooded tunic, has stalled. I finished the front, and then pushed it to one side as I wasn’t in to mood to sew the shoulders together to knit the rest of the sleeves. Maybe when it’s a bit colder outside it’ll give me a bit of motivation to get it finished!

My words have gone awondering...

It's been a hard couple of weeks for me, both physically and mentally, and as a result my words seem to have dried up completely outside essential situations such as the day job.

I've finally managed to start taking baby steps again though, and one of those has been going over to the park across from us and talking to the dog as she has her after-dinner sniff about. It's light enough now that I can see where my feet are and close enough to home that it isn't too taxing for me. I can still really only go out on my days off, but baby steps are still steps and who can resist that cute face? 

What I've finished reading
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I loved it, and was completely invested in all the characters. I did feel it lost a little momentum towards the end when it became one viewpoint, but that wasn't enough to put me off, and I found it a little easier to read (less brain required).  Looking forward to the next one.
  
Volume three of Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples.  Repeat what I said for the first two volumes. Absolutely loved it!!

Cross and Burn by Val McDermid. I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, and not just because of my lowered expectations either. I do think this is a better book than The Retribution - it didn't feel like plotlines were competing for space on the page, and the character reactions felt a lot more natural this time around. I am quite looking forward to the next in the series now.

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs. I ended up with a physical copy and I couldn't help rereading it. I loved it just as much second time around

What I'm reading
I'm reading Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. I am enjoying it, but I'm kind of blah on a lot of things at the moment so it's not getting the full attention it deserves.

Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach arrived for me yesterday. I've read the first couple of chapters already, but I think I am going to leave it to this coming long weekend so it doesn't suffer from the blah effect. Which is incredibly hard, but I know I will enjoy it more (especially as the blahs are starting to fade a little).

What I'm reading next
I want to get Trading in Danger finished, as well as picking up Knife Sworn by Marzarkis Williams again. I've also borrowed How to be a Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott in the hope it jump starts something.

What I'm reading

What I've finished reading
Masques and Wolfsbane (the Aralorn duology) by Patricia Briggs. It was noticeable in Masques that it was Briggs' first book, but I have to say I love the characters and both books anyway. I'll be adding copies to my to buy list as I'll definitely be rereading them again. (And that takes me to the last of Briggs' back catalogue that I can easily get my hands on. :( )

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. It felt rather contrived and convenient in a lot of places, but I liked it enough to keep reading anyway. It was ideal for curling up when with a cup of tea and the rain pounding on the window.
  
Volumes one and two of Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples. I don't really have anything other to say than I absolutely loved it, and I laughed out loud and nearly cried at several points. I'm waiting not so patiently for volume 3! Definitely another one for the reread pile.

What I'm reading
After a bit of a break (my boss requested the copy I was reading), I'm back to Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, and I'm still enjoying it. It seems to be coming together nicely now, and I'm getting thoroughly intrigued.

What I'm reading next
I know I've said this before, but I really want to get Cross and Burn read this time.

I've not read quite as much this time, mainly because I've been busy focusing on painting this:

It's been years since I painted and I'm really, really pleased at how it turned out. It's recognisably a peony rose bud! I'm not sure my paintbrushes will be something I'll be picking up regularly again though, but I enjoyed stretching my muscles and having a go as well as the end result.

Spinning workshop

A wee while ago now, I nipped up to Auchterarder for a beginners drop spindle workshop run by Deborah Gray of Perfect Weather for Spinning and Knitting.

Deborah is a fantastic teacher, and I really enjoyed myself as well as learning a lot. It was a lovely small group and well worth the fee.

I ended up with this:

I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out, though I did realise when I went to take a photo that I had forgot to wash and set the twist on the yarn, hence the rather big slubs in places. I don't mind, it's all part of the learning process and hopefully I won't make that mistake again.

I definitely feel less daunted by spinning now, or rather, more comfortable with all the new skills and terminology to learn, and I'm eager to have another go. 

Plus, I'm really looking forward to attending the solar dyeing workshop Deborag is running next month!

Things I love: Silicone Teabag

It's hard to believe, but my blog is one year old today! It doesn't seem that long, but I'm going to celebrate anyway by talking about one of my absolute favourite things.

 I'm a great fan of loose leaf tea, and over the years I've tried a lot of different infusers.

This one has to be my favourite.

It's detailed to look exactly like a teabag, and the main part is a pale green colour (not discoloured through use). I've used various different sizes of tea leaves in it without a lot of tea escaping into the cup or teapot. It's soft, extremely easy to empty as you can contort the shape without permanently altering it and damaging the mesh (which I have done with quite a few over the years), and it doesn't get hot. It isn't discoloured in the photo, it is actually a very pale green colour.

It's ease of use combined with just how plain adorable it is, mean this is going to be used for a long time to come. It even looks pretty sitting on the window ledge when it isn't being used!

If you fancy one yourself, it is available from Lakeland and costs just £3.99.

What I'm reading

What I've finished reading: (aka why I've been awfully quiet lately)

Honour's Knight by Rachel Bach. Like the first, this hit all my favourite spots, though possibly even more so. Badass mercenary who keeps on going when she's frightened or incredibly angry? Descriptions that have me on the edge of my seat (quarry scenes is all I'm going to say). Romance with proper problems but they actually talk to each other? Space politics and scary odds? Sold! Plus the fight scenes are fantastic. I'm not one for them normally but Bach writes them brilliantly, and I love Devi's armour. In short, I'm once again waiting impatiently for the next one.

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. (Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne, River Marked, Frost Burned and Night Broken.) I am rather fussy about the urban fantasy that I read, even more so about those involving werewolves, but when I fall for a series I fall hard. This series is a perfect example. I raced through the books, loving every second and annoyed when I had to put them down to do something else. I love the whole world buildings, all the characters and Brigg's writing. Can't wait for there to be more in the series!

I also read Fair Game by Patricia Briggs. I was going to wait and read that series in order as well, but Fair Game came in first and I couldn't resist. Supernatural crime with a bit of established romantic angst (but not too much) and awesome women - three of my favourite things in one book. Of course I loved it and I'm waiting not so patiently for the first two books.

What I'm reading:

I'm about a quarter of the way through Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie now, and I can see why everyone was talking about it so much. I am liking it a lot, but I'm finding I have to have enough brain space to settle into reading it. It's more a statement on my brain at the moment than the book though. I'mm looking forward to finishing it.

What I'm reading next:

The other two books in the Alpha and Omega series once I get them, and I have the Aralorn ombinus by Briggs lined up as well.

Raspberry Ripple

One of the great things about having family that appreciate yarn as much as I do is that you can jokingly suggest 'Bring some wool back for me' when they leave for holiday, and three days later you get a phone call that starts with 'I'm in the wool shop*, what do you want?' (Needless to say it was one of the longest phone calls in family history. How was I supposed to pick??)

In the end I went for the yarn that was described as 'sort of like raspberry ripple ice cream and soo soft'.

It certainly lives up to that description! It's a 4ply wool/silk mix, and as promised it is indeed so soft and squishy. I'm not quite sure what I want to knit with it yet though so I think I will just sit and admire it for a while. Such an arduous task.

I love my family. *grin*

*The yarn shop in question is the fantastic Kingcraig fabrics in Brora, which I've not actually visited in person. Yet.