Pokeball Hat

 This is a Pokeball... is something that you catch Pokemon in... humm... that is what my son explained to me... anyhow he saw the pattern for this hat on Ravelry and wanted me to make one. I was a little nervous as this was a big step from the scarfs that I have been making but I was really getting board of them and ready for a new challenge...

 Here I am switching to double pointed needles from the circular ones that I started with. It was much easier than I thought that it would be... thank goodness for some help from a friend though...

 Ta dahhh.... here is my first hat and my first pokemon hat!! It took me about a week cause I was pokey... on my Pokemon hat but next time it will be a very quick hat to knit up!

 The pattern called for the center "button" to be double stitched but I really did not like the way that it turned out so I picked it out and crochet this little black and white button and sewed it on in the middle. I really liked it much better and it gave the button a 3D effect that it has on an actual pokeball!

This hat is great project for beginners. The next hat that I make I would not do as many rows in white however so that the black band sits a little lower on the head. My little Pokemon lover is super excited to wear it to school tomorrow! 

*The original pattern is from Sasha Knits on Ravelry.com

Quote of the Day- Scrapbooking

 I made this quote of the day board using a picture frame and a piece of metal sheeting cut to the same size. I glued the paper on to the piece of metal and then inserted it in to the frame without the glass. This way I can change the quote that is on it by using magnets to hold it on.

 I made this for my office at work. I love putting a new quote up to keep me inspired while at work...

 The flowers and leaves are made from felt. I believe that they are from Chatterbox.

I love the way that this project turned out and I love the colors and just the small splash of sparkle...

Book Club - February

Written by Peter Mayle

Description from Amazon: 

Beginning, appropriately enough, on New Year's Day with a divine luncheon in a quaint restaurant, Mayle sets the scene and pits his British sensibilities against it. "We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers," he writes, "looked with an addict's longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreamed of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window." He describes in loving detail the charming, 200-year-old farmhouse at the base of the Lubéron Mountains, its thick stone walls and well-tended vines, its wine cave and wells, its shade trees and swimming pool--its lack of central heating. Indeed, not 10 pages into the book, reality comes crashing into conflict with the idyll when the Mistral, that frigid wind that ravages the Rhône valley in winter, cracks the pipes, rips tiles from the roof, and tears a window from its hinges. And that's just January.

In prose that skips along lightly, Mayle records the highlights of each month, from the aberration of snow in February and the algae-filled swimming pool of March through the tourist invasions and unpredictable renovations of the summer months to a quiet Christmas alone. Throughout the book, he paints colorful portraits of his neighbors, the Provençaux grocers and butchers and farmers who amuse, confuse, and befuddle him at every turn. A Year in Provence is part memoir, part homeowner's manual, part travelogue, and all charming fun. --L.A. Smith

This was our book clubs second pick and it received mixed reviews. A few people liked it and felt that it transported them to the French countryside in a relaxing light novel.... the others (myself included) struggled to even read the book. 

I did not like this book, it seemed wordy to be wordy, there were to many descriptors on the countryside and food and not enough on the characters and their lives. I felt like there was random french words thrown in with out explanation. The book is divided into months and after a few they seemed repetitive. The book club found it difficult to even find this to discuss regarding the book. I struggled every night to read this book and in the end could not Finnish it.

I do not give this book a buy... 

Christmas Scarf

 This year for Christmas I decided to knit everyone some scarfs. I have never really done any knitting before so had to seek some outside help (thanks Caitlin). After I had all of the scarfs knitted I thought they needed something extra so I searched the web to find out how to crochet some flowers to go on them.

 I have never crochet before so I watched videos and read many blogs but could not find just the right tutorial that I could actually follow... until I stumbled upon Attic 24... an amazing blog with great tutorials that just made sense to me.

So here is my first kitting and crocheting project... some Christmas presents!

Book Club - January

 

Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Here is the description of the book from Amazon:

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to Asha. But in a culture that favours sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of baby Asha from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and Asha, "Secret Daughter" poignantly explores issues of culture and belonging. Moving between two worlds and two families, one struggling to survive in the fetid slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite their diverging cultural identities, this powerful debut novel marks the arrival of a fresh talent poised for great success. 

A bunch of women in my community and surrounding area's started a book club called "Reading between the Wines".... I just love the name! January was our first meeting and we read Secret Daughter. 

I loved this book, as did everyone in our book club. This book raised three hours of discussion and everyone is eagerly awaiting her next book. I also loved that on her website you can apply to have her call in to your book club and you can order signed copy's of the book for your book club. She states that she loves to support book clubs as she has been a part of one for many years. I recommend this book for everyone! It was a quick read and draws you in right from the beginning. 

Defiant buy!