Summer WIPs & books

Our holiday was the relaxing break we'd hoped for and there was plenty of time to enjoy the gentle sounds of sheep in the field opposite our room, three good books and the usual family activities of swimming pool antics, too much food, and (dubious) entertainment. Sadly the sheep were only kept in the field after dark so I didn't manage any photos - please feel free to use your imagination below.
Room with a view (of sheep)
So there are three books to tell you about. Firstly I finished EDEN by Dean CrawfordUnconventionally for a published author (his Ethan Warner series has been on numerous best-seller lists) Dean is experimenting with self-publication alongside the traditional release of his other books. (It's an interesting experiment which you can read about on his blog.) I really enjoyed this one and would go as far as to say that despite some typos/errors in the version I downloaded, this is my favourite of Dean's books so far. It's a post-apocalyptic thriller in which 'civilisation' breaks down following a natural disaster that wipes out modern technology. The story (based on science-fact) and character development are interesting, and the effects of the new world order on the main characters was something I found both chilling and easy to believe (and not totally dissimilar to the 'human' aspect of the characters in The Walking Dead) I'm looking forward to the sequel. 

Next I finished listening to something completely different - Behind The Scenes At The Museum, another great book from Kate Atkinson. If you liked  Life After Life (which I recommended previously) and haven't read this one, check it out. I would dearly love comments from anyone outside the UK who has read this book already - I wonder whether it is as enjoyable without the cultural references, and suspect it is as it's another multi-generational tale full of wonderfully written characters. I've just downloaded The Cuckoo's Calling for my next listen, and if you have any really good audiobook recommendations please leave a comment as I have another credit waiting to be used.

I also downloaded Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and finished it in a couple of days - it's not at all my usual thing (monsters, angels, a LOVE story...) but the fact that I read it in a few sittings is proof enough that I became totally absorbed into the worlds and characters within.
Hexipuffs on holiday
The perfect poolside project turned out to be my Beekeeper's Quilt - it was great to knit while watching the kids play, or listening to an audiobook and unlike most knitting projects, wasn't too hot to work on under the Mallorcan sun, although I quickly realised that in warm weather, metal circulars are easier to use than wooden DPNs! The leftover yarn from Whippoorwill resulted in such lovely hexipuffs I'm going to get more Kauni yarn just for this project. I managed to make fifteen or so before the filling ran out - when the Kauni was almost used up I mixed it with scraps of handspun, before finally moving on to sock yarn scraps. Despite suggestions (from Instagram friends) of sacrificial cuddly toys or ripping apart the hotel pillows, the end of the stuffing put an end to my holiday knitting but not to worry. I now find myself in the fortunate position of having only a couple of WIPs (handbag socks and my Pick A Boo kal shawl) which means I can definitely cast on something new this week.... and I'm spoilt for choice.

There is also some spinning in the works - my apologies to anyone who was looking for a Show & Tell link yesterday. There was a lot of exciting (and secretive) stuff happening and I didn't manage to get to my computer in time to post the link. Normal service will resume next Tuesday, and I'll tell you all about our exciting day just as soon as I am able to! In the meantime, I'm tending to a sick boy who is feeling very sorry for himself as we had fun things to do today. Hopefully it's just a 24 hour bug (and not contagious!) as we have another trip planned for the weekend that I don't want to miss.

*By request, here's the link I posted previously - click here to start the 30-day free trial with Audible, including one free audiobook download (that's yours to keep).

8 comments

  1. Sounds like you had a relaxing holiday. Love the hexi puffs but I'm still not tempted to do any myself. I've just bought a copy of The Cuckoo's Calling and once I finish up what I'm reading I'm starting it. I'm hoping it's going to be much better that The Casual Vancancy which I just didn't enjoy. Looking forward to seeing what projects get cast on, nothing quite like a bout of startitis.

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  2. ahh Mallorca, such a lovely place. you are making great progress on that beekeepers quilt!

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  3. Lovely place for a holiday and great knitting. I love all of Kate Atkinson's books and I don't live in the UK. I used to spend a lot of time in Scotland but sure that I miss a lot of the British cultural references. The books are still as good.

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  4. Beautiful photo! I like those green puffs, too.

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  5. Sounds like a lovely holiday! Love the puffs too!

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  6. Lovely Hexxi! so cherful colors.

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  7. Great! I have that Daughter of Smoke and Bone on my to-read list to remind you how much you liked it. Up my alley since I'm a Twi-Mum.
    What a lovely view from your lanai! How neat to be close to sheep. You certainly got a lot of hexis done on your holiday. What a great accomplishment.

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  8. I'm enjoying The Cuckoo's Calling, listened to it on the flight home last night...( didn't realize it was JK Rowling when I chose it...not a great fan) but, I'm hooked on this story, wonderfully descriptive.
    Looking forward to hear all our 'secretive'adventures, have a lovely time and I hope your son feels much better very soon x

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