A New Book and a New Project

I cast on my first, real knitting project this week.  Since reintroducing myself to knitting, I have been practicing my stitches by knitting squares for a blanket.  Instead of wasting time just practicing, I wanted to use my practice pieces for something.  I've even enticed my older girls into helping me.  My eldest said to me the other day after finishing another square, "If I get one done a day, we may get this blanket finished by mid-winter."  It's not going to be the prettiest blanket, but we all agree it will be fun to look at each square, mistakes and all, and remember what we were doing or what was happening when that square was knit.  We don't mind the mistakes. The "practice square" blanket will be warm, and a memory of when the four of us learned to knit.

Although I still need lots of practice, I'm taking a little break from the squares and making Little #10 a hat for Christmas. I'm taking the plunge!  I found this darling Vintage Pixie Cap, a free pattern on Raverly, and knew that my baby must have one. This is the very first pattern I have ever read and followed, and, so far, it seems pretty simple. With lots of googling and phone calls to my mom, I think I understand each step. I also purchased this knitting book with a gift card Hubby gave me last Christmas.  I tend to hold onto gift cards for quite some time...waiting for that special item that I would really like but don't want to spend the extra money for.  It should be coming in the mail tomorrow, and I can't wait.  For the wool, I chose Andean Treasure, made from baby alpaca fiber in the color Mystery Heather. The color looks a bit blue in the pictures, but it's actually a lovely charcoal grey.  It is butter soft and a dream to work with.  I just started working on the hat this week, and I'm having a hard time putting it down which is making it difficult for me to choose between reading my new book, The Deadwood Beetle, or knitting at night.

I bought the book a few weeks ago while thrift shopping.  The description intrigued me, "Tristan Martens, a retired entomologist, is shaken by the discovery of his mother's sewing table in a New York antique shop. He hasn't seen it since he was a boy in Holland, but he vividly remembers the last time he did. Only Tristan knows the painful truth behind the scrawled - and misunderstood - inscription on the bottom of the table, and he embarks on a scheme to acquire it from the shop owner, Cora Lowenstein, who insists it's not for sale..."  My love for antiques and the stories behind them, as well as having Dutch roots, made it impossible to leave this book behind,  We'll see if it was worth the $1.99 that I paid for it.

Joining Nicole on Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on} and Ginny in her Yarn Along