Friday roundup

Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I do a little summary of what’s been making me smile this week, and a quick catch up of what I’ve been working on.

This week I have been mostly trying to climb back on my reading wagon, having rather dramatically fallen off it some weeks ago. I set myself a goal of reading 52 books this year and whilst I got off to a roaring start I came to an abrupt halt sometime in March. I really love the way Kindle tracks your reading streak but for me, when I break the streak my brain seems to give up completely. It’s as though it gives my brain permission to say ‘nah, may as well not bother then’.

I seem to be lacking inspiration in the fiction department so I thought a knitting book might trick my errant brain into paying attention - and boy, did it.

I picked up a copy of Betsan Corkhill’s Knit for Health and Wellness (that I think I mentioned in last weeks newsletter) and it really helped get me back into reading as a daily habit. I’ve learned so much from reading it and it’s encouraged me to dive off down a little reading rabbit hole of related books. I’ve now just started A Stash of One’s Own by Clara Parkes and I’m really enjoying it.

I’m sure I’ll get back into my fiction reading groove soon but for now I’m really enjoying the knitting and craft content.

About the Knitting…

I’ve just finished a DK weight baby blanket as a commission for the lovely folks at Urth Yarns, so that will be coming out shortly. And of course I’m really pleased to be hosting the 3rd Comfort Blanket KAL. I ran this in 2020 and 2021 - missing last year - and so it’s really exciting to be running it again with both new and returning KAL’ers.

Nothing cheers the spirits as much as a mitered square sock yarn blanket - colourful, thrifty and with a pleasing sense of accomplishment for each square completed - I love to see how everyone’s blanket is as unique as they are. We start on May 1st so it’s definitely not too late to join in.

Making me smile this week

• Tues 25 April was World Penguin Day - penguins happen to be my favourite creatures after otters so I couldn’t resist finding out a few fun facts about them. Did you know that penguin poo is pink - and that you can see it in large colonies from space. You do now :). Check out this link for more penguin facts.

• My Tuesday Tip this week was about slipping the first stitch of each row in my Fuss Free Festival Shawl, and why I prefer it. I couldn’t talk about slipped stitches though without referring to the very knowledgeable Modern Daily Knitting folk - their article on slipped stitches is really informative and a great reference.

• Daisy Jones and the Six. I’m probably very late to the party on this one but this series on Amazon Prime has just had us enthralled. It’s very Fleetwood Mac-esque - if that’s a thing. But it’s a great story about a fictional 70s rock band, told in an really engaging way and with brilliant music. Definitely worth a watch.

And of course, if that wasn’t enough it’s a bank holiday weekend here in the UK. May is going to be a little weird with 3 bank holidays rather than the usual 2 (thanks to the coronation). So whatever you are doing, I hope you have a good one and manage to squeeze a little knitting time in there.