bookwormknits

i had totally planned to blog sooner than this, but yeah, that didn’t happen. i have thought about what i want to change this year and it is the same as last year, so i am not going to repeat it here again. there are a few new things in terms of crafting that i would like to change though - i want to make a sweater this year, and a pair of socks. in the past, i have focused on raglan, seamless sweaters, but i think i need to branch out and overcome my fear of seaming. i got a ton of new books for christmas and have been planning out my knitting list for the year. i also need to knit from my stash. it is really huge and i need to pare it down, like yesterday. there are some yarns i know that i will never use, so those will be on Ravelry soon. i am taking two courses for j-term so my knitting/crafting time in general is limited. luckily i will have a 10 day break before spring semester starts and i plan on using that to craft and sleep… maybe not in that order though.

Every time I update the blog, it is to make excuses as to why I have not been blogging. My life is crazy, but so is everyone else’s and they still seem to have time for it - I guess the difference is that they make time to blog. I will try to work on that in the coming year.

I managed to finish most of my gifts. The only ones that did not get done were the last shawl and the baby sweater. The shawl will get finished sometime soon and I have no idea about the baby sweater. I can’t seem to find the right combination of needles and yarn. I really liked the first yarn that I used (Paton’s Shetland Tweed), but with a size 10 needle it cam out too small. I tried using Bernat Softee yarn and size 11 needles, but it was too loose for my taste. I think I will try a 10.5 needle and see what happens. I have many plans for the new year and my knitting, but we will see how it goes. The one resolution that I am making in regards to this hobby is that I am not going to be buying anymore yarn, unless I have a gift certificate. Money is tight and I have enough yarn to last me a lifetime. I know I have been saying for some time that I am going to sell some of my yarn - look for that soon - as in the next week.

Until then, have a lovely New Year and celebrate safely!

Only two people commented, but they were so helpful in their suggestions, that I am going to send them both some yarn! Nicole and T, please email me and let me know your addresses, so I can get this yarn out to you!!

I want to knit some socks, but am a bit intimidated by all the patterns out there. Between now and Nov. 26th leave me a comment with your favorite beginner pattern and if chosen, you will win some yarn. Good luck!

I’m sure if you have visited any place crafty on the web, you have seen the buy handmade pledge (and if you haven’t go to here). I have been checking out a lot of Etsy shops (and spending most of my earnings there ) so I thought I would share some of my favorites with you up until Christmas, so you can check them out and buy handmade!

The first shop is Pickypicky. Picky makes some beautiful jewelry, especially these rings, which I love!

Please check out her lovely shop and see if there isn’t something special there to brighten up your holidays!

The next seller that I adore is theseawithin. She has tons of neat things, but what I love the most are her bags. Here is just one example of her awesome work.

This would surely make anyone happy when they opened it up!

The next Etsian I have chosen to showcase is artsyclay. She also has jewelry in her shop, but it is made of clay! And if you don’t wear jewelry, she can change the design into a magnet, ornament or paper weight. How cool is that? One of my favorite pendants is this one, called Simplicity. It is simply splendid!

Last, but certainly not least, is pix4kix. In my travels throughout Etsy I have found many photography shops, but Heidi is one of the best, in my opinion. I love her nature photos, this one in particular:

Plus, she offers a variety of sizes (at great prices) to suit your needs.

I hope that you all will check these wonderful shops out and show them some love in this wonderful season of giving!

The shop has been updated and as of today, (until Tuesday), all the earrings in my shop are $8.00. Also all shipping on my jewelry is free. Please take a look.

etsy

Knitting content tomorrow, I promise.

i think i have the comment thing working again. matt was able to log in and leave a comment, so could someone else try as well, to let me know that it is working? if you are not able to, please email me at amanda@bookworknits.com

thanks!!!!!!

so matt and i are going on vacation. we are going to athens, ga, helen, ga and asheville, nc. i’ll check in from time to time and i hope to have some great pics to show you when we get back!

Do you have multiple copies of any of your books? yes, i have two books that i have multiples of - slaughterhouse five and a coney island of the mind.
If so, why? Absent-mindedness? You love them that much? First Editions for the shelf, but paperbacks to read? slaughterhouse five was just pure absent-mindedness - i forgot that dh had a copy and i bought another one. i have two copies of a coney island of the mind because one is a signed copy and the other one i actually read.
If not, why not? Not enough space? Not enough money? Too sensible to do something so foolish? there are a couple of reasons why i don’t buy multiples. namely because i am the only one who reads in my house, so it doesn’t make sense to have more than one copy. also, unless i really feel strongly about a book (or it was a gift) i usually end up giving my books away. 2 people in a small apartment = no space.