Thursday 15 November 2012

Book Worm

Hello gorgeous people!! How are you?
I'm just splendid, although I (like always) can't quite believe how fast time is whizzing by. Before I realised the weekend had come and gone and we're back around to mid-week. Golly Gosh!!! :-)

Last week I posted about my Birthday and the lovely day I had. I recieved some fabulous gifts from my amazing family and friends. Craft material, chocolate and...books. Since then, I've been on a book reading frenzy and It seems not a spare minute has passed by without me having my nose stuck into a good book.


I thought I'd share with you my new books and why I'm so excited to be reading them :-)

Similar to my crochet projects, I struggle to only have one book on the go. I guess I have a short attention span or something? My way around getting bored with one book is to have a second one I can turn to.
That's why I have two books lying on my bedside table. The first being "My awesome (awful) popularity plan" by Seth Rudetsky. I was delighted when I saw that my Mum had bought this for me, I am a big fan of Seth. I've read his other books and they're never short of laugh out loud moments.  This book is actually a "teen novel" and is making for a very quick read. Its hilarious and full of lots of camp comedy, the reason I'm such a fan of Seth.
I first came across Seth Rudetsky while watching some of his Youtube videos. He interviews Broadway Musical performers and de-constructs their performances, It's a lot of fun! Tons of Broadway references with a little bitchiness and sparkle, It gets me every time :-) Have a look at one of my favourite videos of Seth and you'll see why I'm such a fan of him and his similar style of writing.


The second book that I'm stuck into at the moment is "the Casual Vacancy" by J K Rowling.
To say I was a fan of the Harry Potter books would be an understatement!! I read those books sooooo many times and just had to buy J K Rowling's new book to see what it was like. I was prepared that it was a "grown ups' book and was not going to be anything like the oh so lovely Harry Potter series. It's true they are not comparable, although I am still enjoying this book very much. It's just a little tricky to shake off the fact that J  K Rowling is writing other things now....makes me sad......I miss Harry!! :-(


Having already read books by Paulo Coelho I was thrilled to receive Aleph. I have heard lots of great things about it. I haven't started it yet!  (Lets finish one of the other two of first!) But am very much looking forward to jumping into it!!


Now those of you that are on facebook with me, would know that I've been giving knitting a whirl. It's a struggle to say the least! I've been trying to learn continental knitting as I've been told that it will be easier for me as a crocheter. Continental knitting is going well. Purling is a DISASTER!!! I just can not do it!! I've had tantrums, I've thrown my work across the room out of pure frustration and now, I'm turning to this lovely book for help and guidance!
I'm hoping it will be my savour with it's big bold pictures and simple wording. I'll keep you posted on how my lack of knitting talent (hopefully) progresses.


The book I'm most EXCITED about getting stuck into is "Is it just me?" by Miranda Hart!! I love her!! I have watched her television series "Miranda" over and over again and it still cracks me up every time! I love the faces she pulls and how clumsy she is, such fun!!
Sometimes I daydream about which celebrity I would most like to meet. Who would I most like to have a gossip with and share a bottle of wine with? It's got to be Dawn French or Miranda! What can I say......I loves my funny ladies!! This is going to be a cackle out loud read for sure!!! Just look at her cover picture! :-)
Check out this clip from her television series! It tickles me!!



Finally the last book I recieved for my Birthday was the biography of Cuban ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta.


I've read this book many times, especially when I was at dance school.  Carlos Acosta is my idol and was a big motivation for me throughout my dance training. He is the most phenomenal dancer and has performed with all of the best dance ballet companies throughout the world.
I loved this picture of Carlos and had it on my dorm room wall throughout dance school.


When on holiday during my second year at dance school I tried to recreate the picture. Sure my picture looks nothing like his, but it goes to show how much he inspired me at that time.


When I was in my last year at dance school we had our end of year show at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. After rehearsals a group of us headed to the canteen for a bite to eat, much to my delight Carlos Acosta was sat across the room having a drink. Like a giddy school girls, my friends and I went up to him and asked him to sign a pictures of him the we had bough from the Opera House gift shop. He was a very kind man and seemed interested in our performance and schooling, I treasure that picture. Hmmmmm....Fond memories.

As you can see I've got a lot of reading to do to keep me busy until the new year. What are you all reading? Here's a trickier question....What is your favourite book EVER?




P.S I've had to give into my granny square addiction and once again just ordered myself a load of Stylecraft yarn! OOOOOPS!! Naughty me!!! :-)
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24 comments:

  1. I love Miranda, i've seen her show here on belgian television and it also cracks me up, i hope it's coming back here :-) nice books by the way :-) love your blog

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  2. I love Harry Potter! But I think my favorite book would have to be "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. It's such a lovely book and amazingly written, I highly recommend it! You're braver than I am trying with knitting, I cannot do a purl to save my life, I somehow always go back to the knit in the middle of my purling. I can't wait to see what you're working on though!
    Hugs and love!

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  3. Favorite book......so hard....almost everything Beverly Nichols ever wrote..." Merry Hall" " Village in a valley" " Down the Garden Path" " Sunlight on the Lawn". Absolutely heavenly books.....all Martha Grimes ...murder mysteries....Total Escape books...
    As for knitting..I have been crocheting since I was 18 .....I love it....don't even have to think as I work....oh but knitting...well...as it happens I just this fall said o.k. It's time...so ...I'm getting there...I just knit a bunny!!!!!!!!! I can not believe it....although..I finally decided English was the method I could do better...my mum was a continental knitter and it is much faster but....I just keep going back to English.....
    That picture of YOU!!!!! Are you kidding me with this!!!! So beautiful!!! Amazing!!!!! I love it!!!! And your site!! : )

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  4. I had the same problem with continental knitting! I had been told it was the way to go because I had been a crocheter first (for about 7 years) and it was faster. However, I saw a video by verypinkknits (on youtube) about a method she called 'flicking' and it has changed my world!It is so fast and although purling took time getting used to, I definitely have the hang of it. I just started knitting in April, so I am no expert but I just thought I would share in case it helped.

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  5. I'll tell you againg - learn Portuguese knitting, you have videos on youtube, not only purling is easy, the tension on the yarn is kept easily and steady. Whoever tries it, loves it. I even promise to get you a pin to put your yarn through, if you try it and like it.
    About books, been a bookworm all my life. Right now, I'm going through Dickens' David Copperfield. Trying not to pick up anything else for now.
    As to favourite books, although I'm a self-confessed Janeite, my absolute favourite is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

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  6. Hi Matt - Oh Knitty Gritty - wonderful book! This is the book that finally taught me how to knit after many years of giving up, I had assumed that us crocheters just couldn't make the transition but we can!

    I still can't do continental purling although I hear tell that "Norwegian Purl" is the way to go?

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  7. I love books!! New books are so exciting! At the moment I am reading The Hunger Games and really enjoying it! My daughter loved it and now has the DVD too, I much prefer to read a book before watching a film so thought I'd better get it read quickly! As for my favourite book ever, well that's easy - Wuthering Heights, just love it soooo much!
    Karen x x

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  8. Yes yes yes ....knitty gritty taught me to knit!!!

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  9. Hi! New reader here, just found your blog. Love it, even though I only crochet badly.

    My book suggestion, PS-Your cat is dead, by James Kirkwood. Funniest book ever written. Ever. It was written in either the late 70's or early 80's, and has recently been re-released. Buy it, read it and don't lend it out to anyone, cause you will never get it back. 8-)

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  10. My favorite book is to kill a mockingbird by Harper lee. Since you are from another country, you might not get all the southern references but it is a book about prejudice and tolerance. Get the Gregory peck movie from the book. It is the best film adaptation of a book ever. IMHO.

    Knitting sucks and blows. Hate it. Been a crocheter for almost 50 years. Love your blog. I'm from hartsville South Carolina

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  11. I'm proud of you for sticking with the knitting! I know you'll do great with plenty of practice! It's definitely possible to enjoy stockinette AND granny squares :D

    What am I reading right now...I've been on a TV binge lately, a bit uncharacteristic for me, but I'm in the middle of a collection of short stories inspired by Ray Bradbury called Shadow Show. Interesting little mix and I'm enjoying it. I just finished Cloud Atlas a couple of weeks ago--kind of inhaled it, actually.

    Miranda Hart is hilarious. Can we have both her AND Dawn French over? And Sandy Toksvig. It will officially be the most hilarious tea of all time.

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  12. Glad to hear you are giving knitting a try........you'll love the continental style of knitting but you must try the Norwegian style purling!! It works so well with the continental knitting. You don't have to move the yarn to the front for this purling method. It's the only way to go...give it a try....you'll love!!!! I promise!!! :-)

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  13. Tricky question about the favourite book. As soon as the nights draw in I like to read 'Knitting Mysteries' and 'Knitting Fiction' they are cheesy but I love them by Maggie Sefton. I also read a lot of cookery books, craft books and books about chickens! I can't get enough about chickens. I love the book 'Illumination of the Flat Woods'by Joe Hutto...it is written by a guy who researched wild turkeys and he spends 24-7 with wild turkeys from when they hatch. Turkeys and the Art of Zen! Well you did ask! lol I love your Carlos photograph...his is amazing too. Beautiful photography for the whole post! Good to hear you are well and happy. I will be following your knitting adventures of course. The last line made me laugh because 'Granny and Stylecraft' are my guilty pleasure too. I have spinning wheels, looms, fleece, fibre, yarns...but I love a bit of bright acrylic and a Granny Square! xxx

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  14. I am a self taught knitter and even though I've tried the throwing method, I've found continental works best for me as I've crocheted most of my life! I don't enjoy knitting as much, but am happy that I can produce nice scarves & hats.
    I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings. My hubby bought it for me 10 years ago when we first started dating and now that I've watched all the movies I'm ready to go back and read the book. Usually it's the other way around, book first then movie. Favorite book...can't have just one, Harry Potter first given to me by my son, and The Secret Garden, it really spoke to me.
    Best of luck with your knitting!

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  15. I am a self taught knitter and even though I've tried the throwing method, I've found continental works best for me as I've crocheted most of my life! I don't enjoy knitting as much, but am happy that I can produce nice scarves & hats.
    I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings. My hubby bought it for me 10 years ago when we first started dating and now that I've watched all the movies I'm ready to go back and read the book. Usually it's the other way around, book first then movie. Favorite book...can't have just one, Harry Potter first given to me by my son, and The Secret Garden, it really spoke to me.
    Best of luck with your knitting!

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  16. You know, there's absolutely nothing wrong with garter stitch which is knitting every row - no purls! It creates a lovely squishy fabric. Purling is a pain but I do it when necessary. I just prefer the knit stitch. I also crochet but I started out knitting. Attic24 is what turned me into a crocheter. I just think it's nice to have both skills.

    I don't think I could pick out a favorite book. I loved "The Mote in God's Eye" and "The Forever War" (both sci-fi), "Watership Down", both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the looking glass", Harry Potter OF COURSE, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie, "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope ... and the list goes on. Oooh, I just finished the STRANGEST book, "Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville. Loved it. See what I mean? I can't choose.

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  17. Have you read the Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart? They are, The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment. I could not put them down. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  18. I was a crocheter for many years as well, but taught myself knitting using knittinghelp.com and her many videos on continental knitting. I haven't looked back and haven't even really picked up a crochet hook for a long time. The purling does take some time to get used to, but it gets easier with practice. If you are only doing short rows of knitting, it might help to look up knitting backwards on youtube, that way you don't have to turn the work and can just keep knitting instead of purling. Another thing you might be interested in, if you haven't already played around with it is tunisian crochet, its so easy, you can make it look like knitting and is sooo quick.

    Thanks for your blog, I love reading it and its good to see other crafty guys out there knitting and crocheting.

    Jamie from Australia

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  19. Hi Matt,

    I am now reading "when god was a rabbit" by Sarah Winman a must read !!! please will you consider it?? ;-) (x-mas wishlist).

    And I am working on a 2 persons bed blanket. crochet squares... 16 different colors. looks vintage!

    And Carlos Acosta, I really need to see him in action!!!
    My best friends son, is a classical ballet dancer and I really would like to let him see this man perform on stage! Oh I cannot wait to get my hands on some tickets!!!

    I am glad to read you have many good friends who know you well enough to seek out some good read's for you and crafting supplies as the cherry on top!

    Kind regards from The Netherlands,

    Hedwig

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  20. I have happily stumbled across your blog somehow and thanks to you have become addicted to that wonderful variety pack from StyleCraft. I just placed my first order and anxiously await it to start that fabulous Granny blanket you posted recently.

    I am a knitted and a crocheter, and I'm not sure why, but I can't do the Continental method. It drives me batty. Just the regular ole method for me! I have just recently started teaching myself cables and it is fun! Of course I have a wonderfully soft alpaca yarn to work with.

    I'll be interested to hear your thought on the J.K. Rowling book. As an avid reader, and an avid HP fan, I still haven't gotten up the nerve to read her "adult" book.

    I have added you to my reader and hope to see more fabulous project posts in the future.

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  21. Hi Matt,

    I love your blog and your creations are so pretty !
    Sorry for the language, I try :-)

    Greetings, Jaimie

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  22. Wow! Nice post! Thanks for sharing! By the way Belated Happy Birthday! Well I'm also a Bookworm too, but I haven't read "The Casual Vacancy" but I assure you it will be my next purchase.

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  23. My favorite book, ever??? Well, I can tell you my favorite aka most moving book so far: Mary Westmacott - Unfinished Portrait (written by Agatha Christie really)

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  24. My favorite books ever? I"m an American, but my favorite novels are both written by British women: The Pursuit of Love/Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford, and The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West.

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