Retro reads - James and the Giant Peach

Pip at Meet Me at Mikes has organised a retro readers club where we all read for the month of September a retro read.  This month it is James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Thank you Pip for suggesting/organising this. I just loved it as it's a novel way for our children to be involved in our blogging and we get to introduce them to our favourite books.

Now Roald Dahl was never a favourite of mine - as while I was an avid reader as a child - I never did read any Dahl. Having searched at my local op shop - I was successful in finding a pre-loved copy for $1. I was also successful in finding some other lovely things - a retro orange baking dish (this is the third one I've found, and they bake a pie beautifully), and some 1970s Australian craft books.  They provide some great inspiration and ideas for projects - and include sewing, knitting, crochet, needlework, macrame etc.

I've started reading James and the Giant Peach to Miss 4 year old - and am up to the part where James has met his insect friends.  It's a fantastic book and I suspect I'm enjoying it more than my daughter!  Oh well.

If you want to join in, go to the the link above to Pip's website and add your name to the list.  Pip also has a Retro Readers button you can add to your blog. 

Cheerio.

Shrug WIP

The Shrug I am knitting is coming along nicely.  Made of Sirdar snuggly bamboo yarn in pale pink - it has a nice, heavy drape to it.  My plan is to have it finished by the end of October - which is when we are all flying to Perth for my father's 60th birthday party.  The plan is to buy a nice frock for Miss 4years, and dress her in the pink shrug.

I have to say - the word shrug is awlful.  'Shrug' sounds clumsy and heavy.  Where as the actual piece of clothing is quite cute and romantic. I must find another word for it.  I've sort of been calling it a 

small cardigan when explaining it to Miss 4years, 'cause she looks blankly at me when I've used 'shrug'.

 

The pattern is from this lovely book - Easy Kids Knits by Claire Montgomery.  It's a perfect book for a beginner knitter as it includes all the basic info on how to knit - stiches, increasing stitches, casting off etc - but it also shows a variety of ways of doing things - like how to cast on in the continential methods, which is done with only one needle and this sort of cats cradle wrapping of the yarn technique.  Once I got the hang of it -it's much easier than casting on with two needles which is the only method I ever knew and used.

 

And what the final project will look like - just in case you didn't know what a shrug was 

(just like me until I saw the picture!). Pretty cute hey?

So I've almost completed the back and one sleeve.  All that's left is the other sleeve 

and doing the section around it to form the collar - its done with a circular needle, 

which will be a good learning experience. 

What sort of projects are you working on?  Are you like me and have a few going at the same time?  I have a crocheted African flower motifs project and my first ever amigurumi  project.  More on those to come.

I've got to finish up here - I'm meant to be working on a Uni assignment, but got distracted by the internet and blogging - and I have to run to go buy a birthday present for a little boy's birthday party that's today.  Off I go.  

Cheerio!