Thursday 10 November 2016

Book Review - Me Before You



I wasn't sure what I would think of this book when I received it to review from SocialBookCo, but I jumped right in to this title and I loved it!

This was a very touching story that kept my tears flowing freely. So much so that I had to put the book down at the last chapter over last weekend as I was at my expo and I dared not take it with me as I was sure I would be sitting in my stand with red, puffy eyes!

In my teen years I was a big Chick Lit fan, but as I grew older I tended to
choose to read historical fiction instead, so it was a nice to be able to just sit down and enjoy some great light reading for a change.

This title revolves around a set of very likable characters, who each drew me into their world from the start. I found that I could relate to each characters state of mind and position which they played in the story-line.

The two main characters are Lou and Will.

(Spoiler Alert)

Lou Clark loses her job at the Buttered Bun Café as it closes down. She doesn't have many other options open to her as she isn't qualified for much and after trying out a couple of odd jobs, she takes on the opportunity to become Will's carer.

Will has been in a freak accident that has left him as a quadriplegic. Before his accident he led an active lifestyle and now he is stuck in a life that requires constant care and help for the smallest mundane tasks. 
He refuses to live this way and chooses to be euthanased in Switzerland after he has given his mother 6 months more of his life.

Lou overhears of Will's plans in Switzerland and is determined to change his mind, ultimately falling in love with him and unfortunately having to come to terms with the fact that Will plans to go ahead with his original plan.

Lou as a character was believable to a point, there were times where she could have been portrayed in a different way. Considering that she was more or less the bread winner for her family, it didn't seem to phase her as much as it would have bothered me to have the burden of getting 5 adults and 1 child through day-to-day life. As much as this aspect of her life was included in the title, I didn't find that it was necessary to the story-line on the whole. 

Most adults upon losing their employment tend to have a certain urgency to find another job, so I did find her family situation to be superfluous, and a bit irritating if I am being totally honest.

Of all her family members, I think her sister annoyed me the most.

I found the idea of her sister, having a child, and then still living off her parents and sister, without having the slightest inclination to help out financially, starting to grate my nerves. There are such things as "Learning on the Job", "Night School", and "Correspondence studies" whilst earning an income and raising a child.

Will's character did get me thinking....

How would I react to losing the use of all of my limbs?
Would I move forward or be stuck in the past?

Overall, the story touched on a sensitive subject and it was good to mull over my feelings on the topic of Euthanasia and to understand why it could be a choice for people in dire life situations; if that would be something I could come to terms with if I had to be faced with it as a choice, or someone I loved chose it for themselves.

Moyes' writing ability had me gripped.....to the story line and the characters.

Throughout the book I found myself holding on to the hope that it would have a happy end.

If you are looking for an easy, moving title to read, then I would warmly recommend this book.

I award this book:


4 Owls


Thank you to SocialBookCo for this opportunity!

Be sure to visit their Website to find your next great read at the best price!

Thursday 27 October 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party



Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

October is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Thursday 20 October 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party



Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

October is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Friday 14 October 2016

FO Friday Fun


Welcome back to another FO Friday :)

This week I am sharing my finished dress with you.



Burda 6/2016

The original - Burda 6/2016 102B

I really love the way my dress turned out!
Unfortunately the weather turned before I had a chance to wear it, but next year will be another year :)

What have you managed to finish this week?

Feel free to share your FOs with us all below!


Thursday 13 October 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party



Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

October is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Friday 7 October 2016

FO Friday Fun


Welcome back to a new week of Finished Object fun!

This week I would like to share an English paper piecing pin cushion which I  made in the weaving studio with my clients this last week.


english paper piecing

pin cushion epp

This was my first attempt at this quilting method and my sewing definitely needs some work, but overall I am very happy with it :)

Here is my second attempt:



What have you managed to complete this week?

Feel free to share your finished objects with me below :)


Thursday 6 October 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party



Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

October is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Wednesday 5 October 2016

Warm....

wip

At least it is warm inside and I can get to knit up a storm while it is cold out :)

Let me share what I have been up to over the last week:

blueberry waffle socks

I am loving the blueberry waffle pattern, and the yarn that I am knitting it in is so great too!

This is my progress of my October socks for the Sock-Along. 
The month is still very young and if you want to join along in the fun, please do :)

You can find all the info HERE

arne and carlos

Before I could get my teeth into my October socks I had a couple of days to work a little more on hubby's socks.

I am just about done with the patterned yarn and then all that is left is the cuff for these babies to be complete.
As soon as my October socks are complete I will focus on this pair again.

grandling

I also managed one more colour change in my Shawl, which isn't that much, but I hope to give it a little bit more attention over the next couple of days as it is such a lovely mindless pattern, with such great WOW effect :)

cotolin

Yay, my warp is finally off my loom.
I have cut and washed my pieces and hope that time will allow me to finish them up over the weekend.

I can't wait to get my new warp onto the loom and hope I will be able to share that with you next week.

Reading wise: I am still just looking through all of my Handwoven mags making mental lists of all the projects I still want to attempt - there really are just not enough hours in a day to do all that I would like to!

How has your week been?

I will be sharing a quilted finished object with you all on Friday and I would love it if you came by and shared your FOs for the week with me too :)

Until then.
x

Sunday 2 October 2016

Winners of the July-September Sock-Along Draw

marigolds' loft sock-along 2016

The winners of this tri-monthly draw have been pulled :)

They are:

for July - deesnotes

tincanknit winner

for August - knitfan28

spinnwebstube winner

for September - lmecoll

wunderwolle winner

Congratulations to all our winners :)
I will be in contact with you shortly!

Thank you once again to all of our wonderfully generous sponsors.

For the sock-Along we have the privilege of receiving prizes from:

Antje @ Wunderwolle
Baerbel @ My Babs Design
Alexa and Emily @ Tin Can Knits

Please support our sponsors by visiting their Websites, they are all well worth a visit I can tell you ;)

The next draw will take place at the end of December 2016 (probably on the 3rd January 2017). 

To get yourself a place in the next draw, all you need to do is knit along with us :)

You can find all the info pertaining to this year's Sock-Along HERE

I look forward to watching your socks grow!

x

Friday 30 September 2016

FO Friday Fun


Welcome back to a new week of Finished Object fun!

This week I would like to share my finished Avalanche with you.


avalanche

handspun merino

sidispinnt

This project took my nearly a year to complete, not because I didn't want to knit on it, but because other smaller things got in the way :)

I really like it and am glad I finished this project.

Here the details for this project:

Pattern: Avalanche
Yarn: Sidispinnt Merino Single
Needle: Knitpro 3.75/4mm

What have you managed to complete this week?

Share your Finished Objects below :)




Thursday 29 September 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

tutorial thursdays

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

September is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Wednesday 28 September 2016

Wednesday


This week I have managed to make some progress on my wips.

I finally managed to finish my Avalanche and will show it to you all on Friday, do come along and link your FOs for the week with me too :)


I worked a bit on Hubby's socks and have turned the heels and am working my way up the legs. I will be knitting until my Regia yarn is finished and then will make a small cuff.


Because I finished my Avalanche, I allowed myself to begin my Grandling :D

I managed to work the first 3 sections last night and am so far enjoying the project.

I am looking forward to beginning with my October Socks on Saturday and hope you will consider joining me?

You can find out more about the Sock-Along HERE

I will be sharing this post with all of my weekly creative friends, so do pop over there and be inspired :)

See you soon.
x

Friday 23 September 2016

FO Friday Fun - Free Flip Flop Sock Pattern


Welcome back to a new week of Finished Object fun!

This week I have my Flip Flop socks to share with you:


I did mention last week, that I did have a pattern for these once upon a time, but I was not able to find it and so I made up my own.

I would like to share it with you today in case you fancy knitting yourself a pair too :)

Yarn: Fingering
Needles: 2.5mm circular (Magic Loop)

Cast on 60 stitches, join in the round.
Knit 6 rows of 2 x 2 Rib.
Knit 30 rows of stockinette.

Place the last 10 stitches of the front needle and first 10 stitches of back needle onto scrap yarn.
Next row: Knit and at the end of the first needle cast on 4 stitches with a backward loop method.
Decrease Row: Front needle - K1, SSK, knit until picked up stitches, SSK, K2tog.
Back Needle - Knit until 3 st before end, K2tog, K1

Knit 1 Row

 Decrease Row: Front Needle - K1, SSK, knit till end
Back Needle - Knit till 3 stitches before end, K2tog, K1

Knit 1 Row

Bind off with stretchy Bind off

Big Toe:

Place stitches back onto front and back needle.
Knit 1 round and pick up 5 stitches where the toe meets the foot section.
Next Round: Knit and reduce picked up stitches as follows - K2tog, K1, SSK.
Knit 4 more rounds.

Bind off with a stretchy bind off

I hope you enjoy your flip flop socks :)
Let me know if you have any questions.

What have you managed to complete this week?

Feel free to share your finished objects with me below :)




Thursday 22 September 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

tutorial thursdays

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

September is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Tuesday 20 September 2016

Wooly Wednesdays


The weather has turned!

Last Wednesday they told us on the weather forecast that it was the last day of Summer, but I wasn't so sure as it was quite hot then - 

Come Thursday it was like we had been in Autumn for a while already....BRR.....

I went from having a mediocre knitting Mojo to diving into Ravelry to decide what I should cast on first!

As a knitter I am sure you know the feeling?

How I love the cooler weather :)
I am as happy as a pig in mud!

I did make myself a promise to finish what is already waiting to be finished FIRST before I cast on another thing......

Oh dear, I am now knitting my fingers down to the bone, I just want to cast on!!!!!!

I hope I can resist!

Let me show you what I am busy with and what will be worked on for the rest of this week:

avalanche


I barely remember it....I started this project in December last year :O

Anyway, I have decided it needs to come off the needles, and as such I have been working more-or-less monogamously on this project over the last week.

I am just about done with the sleeves which have roughly 10cm to go, so I am hoping she will be done by the weekend.

When I am done with my pullover, the next big project is just about ready to be put on needles :)

spinnwebstube

Yesterday, I received my gorgeous sock yarn subscription from Rita @ Spinnwebstube

She mentioned in her accompanying letter that the yarn combo would work out well in a Grandling Shawl and I tend to agree with her.


So, as soon as I am finished with my post today, I will be winding up my yarn so that I am ready for a swift cast on for this lovely piece once my Avalanche is done :)

Would you like to join me?

I will be opening up a thread in my Ravelry group for an informal shawl-along should you wish to join in :)

Besides these two projects I will be hopefully finishing hubby's socks before I cast on my October pair.

Talking of October pair, I have found the perfect yarn for the month, the receiver and I hope, the pattern :)

ponderosa autopsie

This is my October yarn

Isn't it delightful?
And the name.....Autopsy :D Perfect for October don't you think?

I have changed the pattern I will be knitting in October as I really need a mindless pattern to work on in the upcoming month and I have been wanting to try a pair of Blueberry Waffles for quite a while now, so I have decided October is Blueberry month!

If you would like to join in the Sock-Along fun, I would love to have you over.
You  can find all the info regarding the KAL HERE

My Flip-Flop socks from last week are finished and i will be sharing them as well as their pattern with you on Friday, so do pop over then and share your lovely FOs for the week with me too :)

I will be sharing this post with all of my lovely creative friends, so do pop on over and be inspired :)

See you soon
x



Friday 16 September 2016

FO Friday Fun


Welcome back to a new week of Finished Object fun!

This week I have something to share with you too :)

brainless

These are my September socks which I managed to finish last Saturday :)

This was my fastest month so far as it took me just over 10 days to complete this pair!

I really enjoyed knitting these socks and love the detail on the heel.

I knit them according to the pattern, and I think I should have made them a little longer.

As much as I love the heel, I am not too sure about how I feel about the fit. I guess it will grow on me :)

brainless heel

With this pair complete, my tally of socks knit this year is - 11 Pairs!

Here the details of the socks:

Pattern: Brainless
Yarn: Ponderosa Sock
Needles: 2.5mm Knit Pro Nova Metal

Mods: None, knit according to pattern.


What have you managed to complete this week?

Feel free to share your finished objects with me below :)




Thursday 15 September 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

tutorial thursdays

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

September is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


Tuesday 13 September 2016

Busy....


My days and weeks are beginning to blend a little.

Did I tell you that we are still busy with our renovations....no, oh well, they are still underway a whole year later!

As we are trying to do the build on our own we are, and have been, living on a building site since last October. 

The second floor is just about done and then we can start on the floor below....I am just finding that it is wearing my nerves rather thin as of late and I am finding it a little hard to be inspired and motivated to continue most days! 

I just want it done already! 

Have you ever been through something similar?

The things that are keeping me sane, are my needles, my yarn and all my other creative ventures, which help me to dive into a world of relaxation and fun.

I actually find that happens a lot. When I have a lot on my plate, the need to knit gets that much stronger as I feel it is my meditative middle.

So let me share these projects with you now....

flip flop socks

These are my Flip flop socks.

I finished my Brainless socks (Will share them with you on Friday), and decided to use the rest of the yarn to knit up some quick flip flop socks.

These little socks are great for when the mornings have a chill in the air but I am not quite finished wearing my flip flops yet!

Know the feeling?

I did have a pattern for these kind of socks once upon a time, but I have not been able to find it and as such will be making up the pattern as I go along.

When the pair is finished I will share it with you :)

Other than that I have managed to work a little on my sewing project between my hectic soaping session :D

burda 6/2016 103

I am busy making the red dress you see above (Burda 6/2016 Model 103) as a last minute summer/fall project before I get down to sewing more things for the winter season.


This is my fabric for this dress, and I have chosen a black chiffon as the lining.

I am actually really enjoying this project and am almost done with it.

I still need to insert the sleeves and add finishing touches, but I am hoping that I will have it finished to show you next week.

Reading wise: I am still on the same title as before. 

I have decided that 2016 is obviously not my reading year, and I am okay with that.

I prefer to browse through my weaving or sewing magazines and getting inspired that way.

What have you been up to this week?

I will be sharing this with all of my creative weekly link up friends.

See you soon
x

Friday 9 September 2016

FO Friday Fun


Welcome back to a new week of Finished Object fun!

This week I unfortunately do not have anything much to show you, but hopefully next week that will change.

What have you managed to complete this week?

Feel free to share your finished objects with me below :)




Thursday 8 September 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

tutorial thursdays

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

September is here!

This time of year lends itself to loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.


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