Monster Madness!

What's Happening?

    Thank goodness, it is finally summer time.  I have been trying to spend as much time as possible at the beach or at the pool.  This blog will probably be a little bit short so that I can go enjoy the outdoors :-).

Whats off my sticks? 

       I am having so much fun knitting monsters from Rebecca Danger's monster book.  I also have really enjoyed knitting in the round with the magic loop method.  The two monsters to the left are Charlie and Harold.  The monster below is Baldwin, he was a gift for my little sister.

What's on my sticks?

     I'm knitting another monster, this one is tiny and knit out of the same pretty yarn I used to knit Baldwin.

Knitting News
     
     I joined Audiobooks about one year ago, and have really enjoyed listening to books while I knit, ride in the car, and go on my afternoon walk with my dogs.  I highly recommend the service.  There is an Audiobook app, so you can listen to your books directly from your i-phone.  The books are cheaper than purchasing an audiobook from a retailer.

Here is one of my dogs, Daisy, relaxing while I knit ...


What am I reading?


    I have been reading so much, on my Kindle, on audiobooks, and from real books!


    I read the entire Nora Roberts', "Born In" Trilogy: Born in Fire, Born in Ice, and Born in Shame.  The trilogy is addicting and very entertaining.  The books made me feel like I had taken a trip to Ireland.

I'm almost finished reading Nora Roberts', "Chesapeake Bay" Saga.  I've finished: Sea Swept and Rising Tides.  I'm currently listening to Inner Harbor.  After I finish this series, I plan to switch to a different author for a while.  As much as I have enjoyed these books, I need a break.  Any suggestions are welcome!

On my Kindle, I'm reading, a vampire / witch romance, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.  The beginning was a little slow, but ever since the main character, a witch, attended a yoga class filled with witches, demons, and vampires, I've been hooked ;)

I'm also reading a paperback edition of Kitchen Chinese written by Ann Mah.  My mother-in-law picked up this book on her trip to China ... thank goodness this copy is written in English.  It is a very addicting novel about a woman about my age who goes through a career crisis and decides to escape her troubles by moving to Beijing in the hopes that she can succeed as a journalist.  I highly recommend this book.

Yoga, Running, Knitting, Reading ... my favorite things :-)

What's Happening?

Easter was very nice.  My mother-in-law visited from Chicago.  We dyed Easter eggs and did a little knitting.  We attended a lovely Easter service at St. Paul's in Wilmington, NC.  Afterward, I cooked a brunch: grits, an egg dish, salad, and banana pudding for dessert.

Also, I really enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding over the weekend!

What's off my sticks?
I finished knitting my mom's socks for Mother's Day just in time.  I think they turned out very well, my best socks yet :)


What's on my sticks?

I started knitting "Charlie the Ceiling Monster" out of Rebecca Danger's The Big Book of Knitted Monsters: Mischievous, Lovable Toys.  I'm going to use Charlie as my yoga monster since I have gotten back in the swing of yoga again.  My work, Wilmington Access for Teens or WHAT, is offering a free yoga class starting this Monday.  I'm very excited.   

Knitting News
The exciting part about knitting this monster is that I learned some new skills: 1) how to cast on using the long-tail cast-on, and 2) how to knit in the round using the magic loop.  I learned how to do the long-tail cast on using you-tube.  The magic loop is taught very well in Rebecca Danger's book.  She includes simple instructions along with useful pictures.  I'm enjoying the magic loop, it is pretty mindless and relaxing once you get used to it ... perfect for TV knitting.  I don't know if I would want to use it for sock knitting though.

What am I reading?

I love listening to books on Audible.  I listened to Haruki Murakami's book, What I Talk About When I Talk about Running to help inspire me to train for a 5K I completed with Fred (my Border Collie), Paws 4 People.  If you run, you would probably enjoy this book.




I also listened to Jodi Picoult's The Pact.  I could not put this book down, it was a very good read.  I highly recommend adding it to your wish list. 

I really enjoyed listening to Nora Roberts's third book of The Bridal Quartet, Savor the Moment.  Only one more to read, I will be sad to finish the series.

On my Kindle, I just finished Jessica Berger Gross's enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds With a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer.  I really enjoyed this book, it is educational, but also very entertaining.  I felt like the author was an old friend by the end of the story.