Crafting as of late

I haven't read a single book since finishing The Rest of Her Life. I tried reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, but I knew I didn't want to waste my time reading a million pages about how kids so picked on this one student that he lashed out in a school shooting. Just too much.

So instead of reading being my stress relief, I have returned to the yarn. I've completed several projects and keep buying the yarn for more!

First, I greatly expanded my knitting skills by making my first knitted garment, a baby bolero from OneSkein. I totally messed up the edging, so the fronts do not match. It's so wonky I can't even give it as a gift. Oh well, it was good practice.

Next, I finished a baby blanket for the newest Baby Riley two and a half years after buying the yarn with the intention of making it for her older brother. I really like how this turned out. A couple of days ago, I finished a crocheted cardigan for Baby Brooklyn. It is a 3-6 month size (the only size the pattern was written in), so I hope it still fits! Even though it took me many tries to get the neckline right, I liked this pattern and would totally make it again.

And now I'm working on a cardigan for Addie. It's going to be light blue and edged in a contrast color (but I don't know which one yet). I'm crocheting it with alpaca yarn and it is so soft!

Even though it seems like most people prefer knitting, I feel like crochet comes so much more naturally to me. I can do both, but I guess I just have more confidence in my crochet skills. Next in the lineup is a knitted toddler dress for Addie in some pink alpaca yarn. I'm getting the right sized needles today after work, so I hope to cast on tonight.

K

Christmas baking--a bit late

Although we didn't decorate for Christmas besides putting up the tree, we did quite a lot of baking around Christmastime.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies and Three Layer Bars for Mother's Day Out teachers:

Shaped Chocolate Pretzel Rods (using Wilton candy molds) for Aaron's work colleagues:

Somehow we didn't take pictures of our favorite new recipe, Caramel Chocolate Drops. These take a bit of work, but they are awesome cookies!!

K

my new favorite thing

I love the website Ravelry. I finally got my invite yesterday after probably 2-3 weeks on the waiting list. It's so fantastic, it makes me wonder why I didn't think of it first! My favorite parts are how you can post the projects you are working on, including the yarn you used and hook/needle size. The pattern and yarn fields are searchable, so I can search for a pattern I am interested in and find others who have already completed the project with a different yarn or color. This morning I just searched by yarn and found all the projects I hadn't considered when starting my latest project using Red Heart Baby Clouds. This is a dream come true for knitters and crocheters! I encourage everyone to sign up for it, and if you are already a member, my username is kewillia.

K

The Rest of Her Life

After finishing My Sister's Keeper, I could hardly return to my typical breezy chick lit novels, so I searched for something a bit more serious. I read The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty. Since nothing could ever compare to My Sister's Keeper, this book was a disappointment, but when viewed independently, it was an okay book. This novel follows the story of what happens to a family when the daughter accidentially kills another student while driving. The daughter is obviously scarred and irrevocably changed, but the novel spends too much time on the mom and what she is thinking and flashbacks to her damaging childhood. It was just too depressing, too devoid of hope and optimism. I didn't really enjoy it, and wasted time finishing it.

K

My Sister's Keeper

In recent history, never have I read a book so fast. This amazing novel by Jodi Picoult, which put her on the literary map (for most people), follows the story of a thirteen year old girl named Anna whose reason for being born was to provide her older sister Kate with the cells, marrow and organs to keep her sister alive and hopefully cured of a rare form of leukemia. Instead of continuing to be a constant donor for her sister, Anna decides to take a stand and sue her parents for medical emancipation so she can make decisions for her own body, even if they are the same decisions her parents would have chosen. I loved the characterization of the sisters' relationship, even when it means for one to live, the other has to suffer and perhaps even die.

I hate to be so banal and say the writing was wonderful, but there just aren't any better words for it. It was wonderful, incredible, unbelievable. It was certainly the best book I have read all year. The ending was tremendous, and left me a river of tears even after I finished reading. Picoult's writing left me wanting more, and I'm sad I finished it so quickly. I have read reviews of Picoult's other works, and as is her habit, she illuminates tough ethical questions. While reading this book, I couldn't figure out what I would do in this situation. As a parent, you would do anything to save your children, but I guess there are even limits on that. I can't blame Anna and Kate's parents for simply trying to keep their family together the only way they knew how.

A thought-challenging, stimulating read that kept me turning the pages.

K