I was commissioned by a friend to knit these for another friend's children as a hospitality gift. I proudly display them here in the hope that it will guilt Bec into reopening her blog to show the hats actually on heads rather than here on my couch.
The little pink flower hat was for, who else, the Sparkle Twin.
A stripey number in peaches and apricots for the Pea Princess,
and masculine stripes [with a touch of elf] for the Gorgeous Boy.
I've had reports that they fit well and are generally a success. But gees, I'd love to see them on. (Hint hint).
That's it for now. If you need me, I'm on the couch, trying to get interested in either one of the books I currently have on the go - The Gathering by Anne Enright which I'm finding rather waffly and like every other Irish book I've ever read (does it get better? I'm losing interest) and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley which I read when I was in my 20s and I think that's the perfect age to read it. I'm finding it extremely tedious and dated this time round. I've also just finished listening to Salman Rushdie on tape (The Ground Beneath her Feet) and was fairly meh over that too. It's a [very] loose retelling of the Orpheus myth but is very long (again with the waffly) and frankly I didn't care about any of the main characters. Perhaps it's just my mood lately but everything I read is just blah. I have on my bedside table Saturday by Ian McEwan but one needs to be feeling emotionally strong to pick up McEwan so might leave that for now, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs because how could I not buy a book with that title? and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Of course on my to-be-read bookshelf I have approximately fifty seven more books but who's counting?
44 comments:
All the novels I've tried to read lately (my mother out law keeps giving them to me) have made me think 'meh' lately. So I went and got a book about compost from the library. I don't think there's anything really wrong with the books I've been trying to read, I'm just not in a novel-reading phase.
I NEED to knit myself a beanie (esp after I lost mine at, of all places, an op shop!) Those are adorable.
As for reading: have you read Extremely loud and incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer? All four of my bookgroup members adored it. Or if you need something beautiful and soothing I think you might like Elizabeth Von Arnim's The Enchanted April, or Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Or Dorothy Canfield's The Home-maker which is brilliant.
Oh yes Sueeeeus told me about those gorgeous beanies!
I am not expecting Bec to surface any time soon! (that my friends is called reverse psychology!!).
I loved Saturday. I love how Ian McEwan challenges me to be a better reader!!
Water for elephants was great, not too taxing . Give it a shot!
It's nice to see the finished article! (And the others.... gorgeous.)
I bought an audio version of water for elephants and listened to it while quilting. I really enjoyed it like that.
LOVE the first pink hat...
Thanks for showing the finished product! I like the knot in the pea princess hat.
go with water for elephants. FNKC was ok, but lost me halfway through. hated saturday - actually cant see Mcewan's appeal at all. but water for elephants - loved.
i also love that apricot striped hat. do you make them in adult sizes? in green stripeys? we should talk because i need a new winter hat.
About Water for Elephants: Fine if you like it. But I've made it a mission in my life to mention two other books that are far deeper. The Circus in Winter, by Cathy Day, a lovely, evocative collection of stories about an oldtime circus that winters in Peru, Ind., and The White Bone, by Barbara Gowdy, about an elephant family. (The latter is particularly brilliant because it looks like something that would turn off many readers in a heartbeat, but if you give it a chance, you'll be astonished.)
Hi Suse, I just love The mists of Avalon. (I've even been to glastonburry once, to visit the land of Avalon)
but what can I say, I'm not fourty four yet. Maybe I will speak the same as you about the book in another 14 years. And it will all just be a sweet memorie from back in my twenthies. But for now I'm still enjoying every bit of it.
Love the hats !!
And oh yes, I loved seeing your picture, its always nice the put a face with a name or a blog.
xx
i always love your hats
i wish i could wear one like the Peachy one you did for Pea Princess but, alas, knit hats never look good on my overly large cranium.
Couldn't get into the Anne Enright, either. But I've just started Pat Barkers Life Class, which is having distinct possibilities . . .
Love the stripes, by the way!
So so beautiful, the little hats.
I reckon I could one on my little pea sized head. I'd just look very shtoopid, but then, who cares? I can look shtoopid if I like.
I am dreaming of commissioning a hat. How do you think the strawberry would look?
I did finish the Anne Enright, I did like the idea of shifting memories and the tenuous nature of things in the past. Yes it was bleak, but I sat on my sofa and read the whole lot, defiantly, in one go.(obviously during the break) There were redeeming bits in the end, but a lot of the content made me sad.
thanks for the comment btw. I'll have to return to the gallery for a photo shoot... ha ha.
Lovely hats for goreous children... even if we have almost forgotten what they look like!
Read Night of the Avenging Blowfish which is wildly non-blah. (You may need asthma meds to alleviate the paroxysms of laughter.)
And cynical people strongly suspect Bec is guilt-proof. Not I, you understand...but cynical people.
-J.
The hats are so cute! Well done!
OH! Oh! I adored Water for Elephants.
Beautiful Bec-baby bonnets.
Thanks to anonymous for the other pachyderm book suggestions.
Love the hats... but I can't start knitting hats yet, I'm still intending to follow your dyeing instructions. I bought some pure wool at the charity shop, so that's the first step.
I was recently nominated for the "Big E for Excellent" blog award... and I'm supposed to nominate 10 bloggers to share it with me... you're on my list! And then the winners share with 10 more bloggers, and so on and so forth, until we all get one, whether we are Exellent or not!
I saw that FNKC book while looking for books to bring, and just assumed you'd already read it. Now I wish I'd brought it for you!
cuuuuuute!!!! I'm still knitting through the heat and finishing a long sleeved bolero because we did have some chilly days there for a while ...i can't get melbourne weather!
great reading, I'm just proud I've read 1 book cover to cover this year!
corrie:)
I named my cat Zimmer when I was 20. I read Marion Zimmer Bradeley and Jean M Auel for comfort now, they allow me to dissappear from the world for a few days.
Water for Elephants was a wonderful, wonderful book. I read it AND listened to it on CD. It is worth it either way- I enjoyed the narrator's voice.
Beautiful hats.
Love your hats. Lots.
And Miss Bec. Lots.
just to let you know...I sit here in Maine and read your blog all the time and it fills me with so much peace to know someone like you (and your family)out there...thank you!!!!!! I can't recall how I happened upon you but it was for a reason - love you book recommendations. Water for Elephants is great!
Wow, thank you Anonymous. What a wonderful compliment.
Thanks to the first Anonymous too for the elephant literary recommendations.
Thanks Ex-Shammickite for your award!
Thanks everyone for lovely hat compliments and book recommendations.
Kate, you often comment but Blogger won't let me access your profile so I can't visit you occasionally and respond. I hope you see this note so you know I appreciate your comments.
Love the hats. Am longing to have people the right size, & who want them, to knit such things for.
As 'tis I already have a daughter (21) who commissions items of knitwear, with the injunction that they are NOT to be 'girlie' in any way. Shucks!
AND DH liked the look of the latest SockmaniaKAL, so that's that pair of socks sorted. Yay!
Am I greedy?
It never occurred to me that I could commission hats from you. Similar to how it had never occurred to me that children could play with the knitted fruit you make.
GB's elf beanie is ADORABLE. Can I have one in shades of purple for Oscar, Greens for Felix, Reds for Jasper and Blues for Grover? How much per hat and do you want their head sizes?
I'm serious.
I don't really get Blogger... I'm not sure why you can't see my details when I've given them to Blogger, but anyway, I went and got myself a blog. And I've fiddled again with the thingummy.
innercitygarden.wordpress.com
kate
Haha...I tried to reread Mists of Avalon recently, too, and had to put it down after a few chapters, sick of it.
Like you, I read it in my '20s and was enraptured with it, but...
The hats are indeed much-loved. The Pea Princess nearly wore hers to Bondi Beach yesterday in 28 degree heat. Gorgeous Boy puts his on at odd moments, like when reading in bed. Probably not so odd, now I write it like that.
If I wasn't living a real-live soap opera at present I'd have taken photos and re-opened Becandcall just to show them off.
Will try to get them up somewhere, anyhoo, just to show them off. You clever Pea, you.
Thank you again,
bec xxx
So very sweet!
At least you knit small things in the heat, like a sensible knitter (if knitting in such heat IS sensible)
Must troll through the comments for more useful reading recommendations; I've been in reading mode lately and just exchanged stacks with a friend. Let you know if there is any worthies in the lot.
Good to hear from Bec
(Found you via Third Cat)
I want I want I want!
Do you really sell them?
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Notebook, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://notebooks-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.
I'm trying to read The Gathering as well and feel about the same. Mention it if you get through it.
Hey, Suse, I have been reading your blog for ages. Gotta love those beanies! Where can I fnd a pattern. I bet you get asked all the time.
Now The Gathering, I say, persevere, as I had a long lingering deep emotional ponderence after the waterery depths of murky family drama. Unlss you really dont want that in your life!
May I suggest ginving "People of the Book" by geraldne Brooks a go- fascinating, melodramatic in parts, colourful and exotic historical narrative following an ancient manuscript from the middle ages to now.(A bit in the same lines as Accordian Crimes by Annie Proulx.
Oh, yes, I agree wholeheartedly about The Mists of Avalon. I read it when I was in my 20s and loved it. Revisited it last year and I just couldn't bear it.
Those hats are gorgeous!!
Forgot to comment on the beautiful hats! Just came back, loved them again, and saw I totally forgot to say that. Baby hats are so much fun; really like the peach one.
The hats are all adorable! I hope that we get to see the lucky wearers in them! :)
Gorgeous work... I love all of the yarns that you used. Hopefully your friend will reopen her blog and post some picks of all of the little hats on heads.. :)
Jodie
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CARIÑOS
SUSANA MINNA
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Do they come in grown up sizes?
What sweet little beanies. I especially love the colors of the first one. Too cute!
This is my first visit to your blog. I'm adding you to my list of "fortune cookies" so that I will be able to locate you in the future and share you with my readers.
Cookie Sunshine
oh my goodness, I just *adore* your new blog header - did you try it yourself ?
Funky font too - well done ! :)
Oh the FNK club was good (but i didnt like the ending...) love the hats! so sweet!
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