yarn along 08.28.14

 

joining ginny at small things for this week's yarn along (i'm a day late - but let's just roll with it, shall we?):

 reading: i haven't been a big reader this summer... since june i've read 1 1/2 books, which is odd for me, but sometimes i get in a "need a break from voracious reading" mood, and i guess this is one of those times.  

my books this summer have been fairy tale-themed, which has been really quite lovely.  at least i'm enjoying the little bit of reading i've been doing.  my mother she killed me, my father he ate me was just as magical and mysterious as it sounds.  new spins on old tales by some pretty big names - how could i resist?  out of the 40 stories there were only 2 that i chose not to finish, at least a half dozen that made my heart absolutely soar, and the rest were varying shades of completely charming.  i would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone with a fondness for fairy tales.

i'm currently reading from the forest: a search for the hidden roots of our fairy tales.  it purports to look at how fairy tales grew from the forests and how they are intrinsically tied to those forests, in the modern day, as well as in the past.  i thought this sounded interesting and the perfect book to read after my mother.  

i *am* enjoying this book, but i don't know how well the author is achieving her goal.  that said, the book is a wealth of information on the history of trees, forests (the author is british, so all the forests she visits are in england, i've been doing a lot of googling of maps and photos of the places so i know where she's writing about), forestry, and the changing landscape of england.  these are topics i knew very little about and and am finding it all terribly interesting.  it is when she tries to tie the forest history to fairy tales that the book is at its weakest... which is somewhat disappointing because this was supposed to be what the book was about.  each chapter ends with an updated take on a fairy tale that she has mentioned in that chapter.  those have all been well-written and fun to read, so it's like a little treat at the end of each chapter.

crocheting: i feel like i've talked enough for one post already, so i'll be brief: i'm working on my latest ripple (pattern from lucy at attic24).  i love the ripple.  

what are y'all reading and/or knitting right now?!?

-melissa

Comments

[Anna Prasad]

Those books sound lovely. And yes the forests here in England are amazing. Really old and beautiful. Loving your ripple blanket. X

[Ameyknits.wordpress.com]

Thanks for the book recommendations. We went to England a couple of years ago and spent a day at Puzzlewood. It was fantastic - very forest primeval/fairy tale-ish. The BBC's Merlin has filmed there a few times. If you find pictures of it, it really is that amazing in person. I'd love to go back.
When my English cousin saw our pictures, he and his family decided to book their next holiday in that area and also fell in love.

(I've popped over from Ginny's Yarn Along, FYI).

[Alicia]

Those books sounds fascinating!

I just finished listening to Cloud Atlas, which was much stranger than I had expected, but fascinating. I think I would have enjoyed it more in written form as it jumps from storyline to storyline and that can be hard for me to follow in an audiobook. I am now listening to The Language of Flowers.

[TheJosiekitten .]

You cannot beat Lucy's Ripple pattern for a totally fabulous blanket. I am working on a couple of swap gifts right now and am about to start reading a book about the history of the city I live in. It sounds really interesting.