Project updates
VS Spring Box: I had this out with the intention of working on it but then I got a bad flu and was coughing so bad I couldn't hold my needle to stitch so it went back into the rotation for the next go around.
Central Park Hoodie: This project, on the other hand, got some extra time in because I could knit while I was sick. I decided to make the body a little longer so it's not quite up to the armhole shaping now. It probably only needs another pattern repeat. I'm also going to make it short-sleeved now. I'd thought about it before but now that I'm adding the extra length I may have to so I don't run out of yarn. I LOVE the colour. I'll get pictures the next time it's out.
Psalm 23 by My Big Toe: I've been working on this the last week, this is the before picture. I've got more of the left hand and top border done now. I'm planning on working on it a little more today before I take it to work for the week. I'll take another picture when I'm done the second week. It feels wonderful to be working on such an intricate pattern that is only two colours and only cross stitch. I'm hoping my mom will like it for Christmas.
L&L Celtic Summer: I've had this at work this week and managed to get some more of the beading done on the left border. Here's a before picture. This is another one I'm really loving though the beading and gold thread takes a bit of patience.
Tatting: This week I took my first beginner's tatting class. We were given a fantastic pattern for a bird that I can't wait to try.
For the coming week, I'm going to work on the backstitching of Mrs. Tiggywinkle so I can get it sent in for the charity quilt and I'm going to make a start on some bookmarks for the literacy challenge.
New Stash:
I ordered the last of the L&L Celtic patterns so I have Spring done, I'm working on Summer and I have Autumn, Winter and Christmas patterns now. I managed to find them on Ebay.
I also ordered a tatting shuttle and some yarn for my beginner's class.
Seminar 2012 registration, class fees and optional tour of the RBCMuseum needlework collection has been paid for and I've booked my dorm room at UVic. I'm getting very excited about the trip.
Books:
I bought two physical books from Amazon this month. The first was A Guide to Quaker Parakeets as a reference book for Bobby. The second is One Year to Organised Life, you can probably guess what that one is for.
For my Kindle I bought the following books: Savor, The Incredible Slow Cooker Cookbook, A Tale of Two Cities, Stupid History 2012 calendar, Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis, Face the Winter Naked, The Grind Show, Unicorn Bait, State of Mind, Cold Lonely Courage, His Last Duchess, Cleopatra and Antony: Power Love and Politics in the Ancient World, The Lady Queen, Tyburn. Most of the Kindle books were inexpensive suggestions from Goodreads.com
I finished reading Gwenhwyfar early in the month and returned it to the library. It was an excellent King Arthur tale in the Welsh tradition from Gwenhwyfar's point of view. You can read my Goodreads review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/253838716.
I also got through a couple more chapters of Pillars of the Earth before I had to return to the library. I just got the notice that it was back on hold for me so I'll pick it up again this week.
Mostly I've been reading Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey. I'm about 1/2 way through and really enjoying it. It's about her life from childhood to when she ascends the throne. I've read quite a bit of non-fiction about her in the past but it just touched on her early life so this has been a really good change. It's a novel so there's a lot more detail.
I had my Bird Talk and Knits magazines in this month and read those fairly quickly.
I've also been hired as a book reviewer. I get paid by the book but it will be a little extra money.
Fids
Bobby is fitting in really well. We're still working on getting him to eat good food. He eats some veggies and fruit now but still not too keen on pellets. The cockatiels are pretty much ignoring him. Hawk seems to sometimes panic when Bobby comes to visit on my chair but Bobby hasn't paid any attention to going over to their cage and I'm feeling a little more trusting of him. He's decided I'm his favourite now so I at least have one fid that prefers me and I'm not getting bitten as often. He's started biting Bill now though so we're working on that. I'm not sure what he's going to be like with the bird sitter yet.
Llew the hedgehog is his usual self and enjoying the tunnel we bought for him. He's been enjoying his ball again too and spent quite a bit of time rolling around the floor in it the other night after the birds were locked in. Bobby wasn't too sure about the whole thing but Llew had a good time.
