Quick and Simple Knits for Babies and Children - Book Review

As is usual with my book reviews, I was sent this book for free by the lovely people at F&W Media, the UK distributors. And as is also usually the case, this book is aimed firstly at the very much larger USA market.

The title is a little confusing, Quick and Simple, yes, but only for the experienced knitter, simple in the dictionary definition "not complex", but if you are a beginner to this wonderful world of knitting, please dont be fooled into thinking that simple is the same as easy.

As stated on the outside front cover, this book contains 8 Designs from Up-and-Coming Designers

and very attractive designs they are, too.

Every design has a full page, full colour photograph of the finished project, and all the patterns are printed in an easy to read typeface, with, in most cases, a fully detailed, with dimensions, plan of the finished shape

and, where necessary, i.e. for colour changes or for cable stitching, a grid is also included.

I like this book, and I expect that over time I shall knit some of the designs for my two granddaughters. My only criticism is the usual one and that is that the general knitting information, which includes US/UK terminology and abbreviations, is at the back of the book - I would really like to see them at the front so that the reader/knitter is fully aware that they are included.

The list price for this book is £6.99, but you can purchase it here for only £6.73 plus postage.

I've been away . . .

. . . for a few days, to see a few people.

Firstly I went to my Mum's and met up with my sister Jan, who had celebrated her 60th birthday a few days before. We all went out for a lovely meal together at lunch time, then Jan went back to her place to do a few jobs and I spent a few hours with Mum. I went to Jan's for the evening, we shared a bottle of wine and she, to my huge embarrassment, reminisced over all the times I'd led her astray in our youth (I'm older by 5 years).

Jan is a doggy person, her house is full of dogs - if you don't like dogs, you simply don't visit her!

She has lodgers,

and a few dogs of her own.

These are my favourites, Riga, Geordie

and Wilma.

Then I was off and away round the M25 to see my two older sons, their partners and the grandchildren. This is my very newest granddaughter Abigail, with her Mum and Dad,

and my older granddaughter Marissa

 with her Dad.

My grandsons, now a teen and a pre-teen, kept well away from the camera at all times, so sadly I have no picture to show of them, but they are well and it was lovely to see them both - their Mum is threatening to bring them to see us in Wiltshire during the half-term week, which isn't far off now.

And so now I'm back home, with a pile of washing to do, a garden to weed, a couple of pen-friends to write to and a silver wedding anniversary to celebrate (quietly).

Please say hello

. . . to my newest grandchild, the gorgeous Abigail May Poole, born 12th May 2013.

Another "Then and Now"

I love it when I find old photos of our town. Back along I borrowed a library book with loads of photos, but as they were already photos of photos I couldn't get a decent photographic copy of any of them. However, while in our lovely old stationery shop Coates and Parker yesterday I found a postcard depicting East Street cir. 1900.

I live just off of East Street, so this view is the one I see when walking home from town. I couldn't stand exactly where the photographer stood over a century ago, or I would have been mown down by traffic, but here is the view from as close as I could get.

As you can see, the buildings are all more or less the same, only the drinking fountain has gone, and I'm pretty sure that the building furthest right, which now houses NatWest Bank, is new, as the window and roof heights don't match the original.

The reason I was in Coates and Parker yesterday was to buy a card for FO, my second son, and his partner to congratulate them on the birth of my granddaughter. I'm off now to see them, so look out for some baby pics when I get back, sometime at the weekend.

Ten on the tenth, May

As I wasn't sure if I would actually be here or not today, with the birth of my newest grandchild now overdue, these photos were taken over the course of the last few days.

1) Don't you just love this label on my new(ish) oven glove?

2) It was my birthday last weekend, I had a couple of late cards in the post during the week.

3) I am a Taurus, a typical bull in a china shop, very clumsy.

4) I currently have two lovely pen-friends, one in Cornwall and one in Virginia, USA. I was lucky enough to receive letters from both of them this week.

5) I've just started to jot down amusing mis-hearings that happen between the Green Man and myself with this pen in this colourful book. If I get enough, which I fully expect to, they will eventually appear in book form.

6) I love the colours of this petunia, although it's just tipped over from being at its very best.

7) In honour of the sun, who made a brief appearance at the weekend, I have bought myself a new white shirt.

8) Home made pasty pie for tea? Don't mind if I do.

9) GT has very fair skin and burns easily, so this bottle will live on the kitchen worktop from now until the end of September.

10) And finally, just look what's happening in the garden, runner beans are up and climbing, woo hoo.

Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten at A Little bit of Sunshine.

Bank Holiday Weekend, Part Two

This is the view from our bedroom window.

The tree covered rise centre right is Cop Heap, and the more distant hill top left is Arn Hill. I had worked out a route that meant we could climb both, and as Bank Holiday Monday looked to be warm and dry that was the day we picked to do the double climb. We had made a resolution earlier in the year to attempt a walk/hill climb each month, but after a very muddy walk in January and some pretty cold weather since, all our good intentions were thwarted, so we were both really looking forward to getting "out there".

We had to cross the railway to get to Cop Heap, so went via the Station.

(I forgot to check the camera settings before taking this shot, so sadly its a bit overexposed.)

There was a pretty straight path up the side of the hill, this shot doesn't quite capture the steepness of it.

The view from the top was well worth it though, you can see Cley Hill, another of our favourites, quite clearly in the distance.

Another view as we start to descend the other side

and now, in front, is Arn Hill, with the golf course Club House on the summit behind the rather conspicuous row of conifers planted as a wind break.

We walk the perimeter of the golf course, around the edge of Kidnappers Hole, with another favourite, Battlesbury Hill, in the distance.

Further round and the view across towards Westbury is looking decidedly yellow.

We saw several people out playing golf on this glorious day, these were a couple of teenage lads. What a view.

Having walked around most of the course we started our descent, though Arn Hill woods,

with the odd view back towards town.

As we reach the end of the woods we descend again towards the road,

past the sign,

and back over the railway.

Having now been walking for two hours without a sit down (there were no seats on the route and we hadn't taken our own folding chairs), we decided to stop in the park before going home.

I'm linking this post to Lucky Snapping in 2013, as this weeks prompt is The View.

Bank Holiday Weekend, Part One

The Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend was my birthday.

I wont say it was a big one, because it didn't have a zero at the end, but sadly when you get to my age they are all big ones, or so it seems - the numbers just keep on getting bigger. Lets just say if I was a man I'd be drawing my pension now (but as I'm not, I already am, if that makes sense). But you're only as old as you feel, so that makes me about 35.

The day was perfect,and I spent most of it pottering in the garden, in between phone calls from GO (ginger one), DO (dark one) and D-i-L, FO (fair one) and D-i-L, Mum, and my S-i-L and B-i-L, and various texts from friends.

I had lots of cards

several presents, my two favourites of which are chocs from GT (ginger two)

and some Fairy Dust from one of my bestest friends

we had my favourite tea, roast beef

with wine

and even Cassie enjoyed the relaxation whilst warming up my favourite chair for me.