Wanna come on vacation with me?

I've been back for 2 weeks now but I spent 5 relaxing days on Mayne Island. I wanted to post a couple of pics so I could share the beauty of the island.

The cabin on the right hand side is where I stayed with my best friend, her husband, and their 2 kids (ages 2 and 3). You can only see half the cabin but there were 2 bedrooms and they kindly gave me one to myself so I could sleep-in even after the kids woke up at 6:30 everday.

You can see one of the kids chasing the soccer ball. I had such a fun time with them. I spent plenty of time on the beach with the kids as all they wanted to do was "Go frow wocks in water".

I learnt that kids are LOUD! As a single gal I'm not used to that. Also knitting around kids is not a good idea. It's just too distracting to get anything done.

Below is a shot of the end of the road and what the property looked like from the top of the hill. (This was taken beside the houses shown in pic 1)

On our second last evening on the island we went out for dinner and sat outside on the patio over looking the ocean. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a great way to have dinner. I'll leave you with the view we spent our dinner seeing.

WIP Wednesday

There have been 2 projects I've been working on lately:

The first is the Falling Water Scarf. I'm not sure what the yarn is as it was gifted to me by my brother-in-law's sister. The length of the scarf will depend on how far the yarn goes (there was no ball band so I'm not sure how many yards I have). I'm pretty excited about this scarf as it's the first lacey thing I've ever knit!




















Below is the Baktus Scarf which is being knit with Cherry Hill sockyarn. I absolutely love the colous! This is my comfort knitting (all garter stitch). I had to start something new because it's way too hot to be working on my wool sweater (which is in hibernation until fall). This one is about half done.

Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

"Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these [3] women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed."

Summary taken from the author's website.

This great story is told from three view points: 2 from black maids working in 1962 and 1 from a progressive young white 1962 college grad. Each of them want to change the world they live in but are afraid to do it publically. So they secretly meet to work on a special project and hope and pray that no one ever finds out they're worked on it.

I think the best thing about the book is the characters. I know it's just a story and it takes place in the 1960's but I really want to meet the ladies within the book, expecially Aibleen. I thought that being a maid would just be your 9-5 job, but Aibleen really loves the kids that she is taking care of as much as if they were her own. She seems like such an awesome woman. All of the characters were similarly well written.

I loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone!

Knitting WIPs

My current works in progress are:

Wicked It's being knit with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes. I've finished the body, and I'm mostly done the pocket. I just need to attached the pocket, knit the lower cuff and bind off, and knit the sleeves. It's going a little slower because knitting with wool it really no fun when it hot outside.

I'm also working on:

The Falling Water Scarf. It's being knit from some unknown yarn that was gifted to me. I don't think I have enough to do the full length called for in the pattern but I'm going to see how far I can get.

More Finished Knitting Projects

As promised here are a couple more items I've knitted this year. These are the slippers I knit for my sister back when it was still winter. Made from Lion Brand Homespun. I wished it used the whole skein but sadly I still have enough yarn left for another pair.















My most recent FO is this neck warmer called Tudora. This was made from the yummy Malabrigo my Secret Swap Pal gave me!
















What? Can't you tell from the above pic what it is or how it should be worn? Alright this is me wearing it. (Beware: Bad picture alert!!)

Don't say I didn't warn ya!

It's been way to long since this blog has had any knitting content. I finally got around to re-charging the battery on my camera and found all these old FOs! So here are a couple dishcloths I've knit in the past couple of months.




This is the Waffle Knit Dishcloth and is knit with the remains of 2 balls Bernat Handicraft Cotton.






This one is the Bamboo Cloth made from from some left over Bernat Handicraft Cotton and Sugar n' Cream.






I liked the pattern for the Bamboo Cloth so much I made another!







This is the Linked Hearts Dischcloth that I made from Sugar n' Cream. Both the yarn and the pattern were gifts from a past swap.

This is the No Holes Dishcloth made from Sugar n' Cream, Plum Pudding.

If you've stuck around this long... well thanks! I know dishcloths are not the most interesting knitted items. I have some more knitting stuff to share but will save it for a latter day. :)

Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

"Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory--the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

When Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called Tiburon, South Carolina--a name she found on the back of a picture amid the few possessions left by her mother. "

The above was taken from the author's website.

I read this book for the Southern Reading Challenege and boy was it southern! South Carolina in 1964 is a long way from British Columbia 2009.

What I liked about it: The relationships. Since her mother had died I liked seeing how young Lily Owens related to her caretaker, and then the 3 women who take her in after she runs away from home.

What I didn't like: The Mary statue (and honey) that the ladies pray to and have celebrations for.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the movie. I want to see how my view of the characters and the actresses portrayals are different (or maybe the same!). Plus there are a bunch of famous people in the movie.

Want a different view? Go check out Monica's or Jen's review.