Belated Christmas Report

Ok, so Christmas was almost a month ago, but I never got a chance to show off the handmade gifts that I created for my family and friends. So, since I'm lacking in inspiration for posts, I'm going to do so now.

First, is the scarf that I made for my little brother. He never actually GOT the scarf because I missplaced it while moving. I think it was a blessing in disguise because it turns out Noah isn't a big fan of scarves. :)

Next, is the hat I made for my BIL, Andy. It's the Irish Hiking Hat (Rav link). I was worried about it being too small, but turns out it fits just fine. Real quick, I finished the poncho-that-became-a-shawl for my sister, but didn't get any pics of it. She loves it!

Here we have the Fetchings (Rav link)I made for my mom. It's a really bad picture, I know. They're made from Dream in Color Classy in the Beach Fog colorway. They remind me of mermaid tales.

Finally, we have the two Foliage (Rav link) hats I made for my nieces, Tessa & Lexie. I am SERIOUSLY in love with this pattern. I impressed my mom by finishing it in about a day. And I'm also now SERIOUSLY in love with Malabrigo. I just kept petting the pink one while I was making it.

I also made another Foliage hat for a co-worker (again in the Malabrigo) and a pair of Felted Clogs for a friend, but don't have any pics. I am very proud of myself for getting that much knitting done in such a short amount of time. Now, if only I could finish my CPH!

Happy Reading

Greetings to you all and Happy New Year! (Nine days late, but it's the thought that counts!)

I'm trying to get out of the resolution business. I always feel so guilty when I don't follow through. Instead, I'm going to try one thing for a month. Not to say that it won't last LONGER than a month, but I only have to commit to it for a month. One thing that I want to commit to is reading more. I used to be quite the avid reader. If you look on my blog, you'll see a little widget for my GoodReads account. While I don't have as many books as my friend Claire (and really, who does?!), I do have quite a few. However, with my new job came a new commute that didn't allow for as much reading. There's also my knitting habit, which can't be ignored. Between all of this, I have let reading fall to the wayside. Well, for this month, I am committing myself to reading more. There, it's in writing, therefore, it WILL happen! (Or at least should.)

Anywho, WHAT shall I read first?! I have a lot of books in the "To Be Read" category. There's Labyrinth. I have had this book in my cue for well over a year now and I have picked it up and started about 15 different times. There's also Pillars of the Earth. I actually got about a quarter of the way through this book, but then put it down and forgot about it. I have a few Neil Gaiman books I could read, like Anansi Boys and Fragile Things. After reading and being awed by American Gods, Good Omens and Neverwhere, I asked my folks for more of his work and these were the two that I got. I also got a Terry Pratchet book (he cowrote Good Omens with Gaiman) that I could read.

So, all of those books on my shelf and what do I do? I BUY the first book by the first in the Southern Vampires Mystery series by Charlaine Harris to read. I (like so many others) got hooked on the HBO series True Blood this summer and now have been sucked into the books. The first one, Dead Until Dark, is pretty much the entire premier season of True Blood and has been OK. It's a quick and easy read. Nothing to write home about, but is still worth a read. I'm not sure if I'll read the others though. I DO know that if I do read the others, I'll be checking them out of the library though. They're definitely not worth paying good money for.

Next, is going to be either Labyrinth or Pillars of the Earth. What about you? What are you reading? Do you have any recommendations for me? I'm always interested in new reading material.