Reading & Knitting

Preemie Spiral Hat in Lion Brand Microspun Buttercup Size 5 dpn's click picture to enlarge
Most of my life, I've been an avid reader. Not being terribly self-disciplined, I've spent many nights reading through a book I simply couldn't put down long enough to slumber for eight hours. I don't read as much now as I did before I learned to knit. There doesn't seem to be enough idle hours available for both.

Aside from crafty or decorating type books, I've never been one to purchase books, other than at garage sales or thrift stores. Since I don't generally reread a book (the exception being the Bible and novels by Rosamund Pilcher!), there doesn't seem much point in paying the hefty purchase price.

I have been wanting to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter for some time. Until today when I read a review of it, I knew next to nothing at all about it. It's the cover and the title which seduced me. When I peruse the shelves in the library, it's generally the cover of a book that determines if I'll read it or not. I love when the picture itself seems to tell a story. When choosing fiction, I am drawn to soft drawings; whereas I am turned off by bold, colorful and modern looking pictures, as well as by actual photographs. Ninety-eight percent of the time, if the cover attracts me, I end up really liking the book. Covers rarely fail me.

Today is my blessed day! Bev, over at Scractchin' the Surface, held a book giveaway contest and among the announced winners in today's post was my name. YeeHaw!!! She gave away several books, and I won the one of my choice. I read several blogs (thank God for Google Reader!), and just as I am sure is the case with you, I have a few that are my absolute favorites. Bev is one of those. I always look forward to reading her new posts.

I've not done much knitting lately. When I have little time to knit, or when my concentration level is low (both are the case right now), I turn to baby hats. They're so simple and mindless, and I figure I can never knit too many. Aside from any need I may have for giving them as gifts, there are a multitude of charities out there which appreciate them.

I've been knitting all the baby hats with Lion Brand Microspun, since I had alot of it in my stash. I'm not crazy about how easily it splits, but knowing it's propensity to do that, I am a tad more careful as I knit with it. It's not a big problem, and I just love how soft it feels. I only want to use the softest yarns for sweet little baby heads. The picture above is another Preemie Spiral Hat in Microspun Buttercup (I do wish LB would make this yarn in pastels). I can't seem to get enough of that pattern. It's easy, and yet the spiral ribbing keeps it from being boring. It's the perfect little project to pick up when I only have small blocks of time to knit.

If you've read the Memory Keeper's Daughter, I'd love to hear your comments-provided you can make them without spoiling the plot for me! :-)

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

~2 Corinthians 9:6-8