Perhaps a little Christmas music to get things rolling?
Because Christmas insanity continues around these parts. I did manage to get mittens finished, and they will be on their way to Michigan later today! And today my making will all be about baking! Bring on the cookies! I have all the ingredients to make some dark chocolate ginger cookies (similar to these that Kym posted last week!)
Nothing beats the smell of baking cookies and it is the perfect reward for finishing those mittens!
I have been making some plans for my January Making and it includes some sewing! I have some corduroy that will become Pietra Pants. And, I have a stack of flannel that will become a couple of Esme Tunics from Lotta Jansdotter’s Everyday Style and a Uniform Tunic!
Now, how about a bit of a reading update!
In the finished column:
Once More We Saw Stars – this was a hard book to listen to, but I think it might have been harder to read. Can sharing a tragedy help with grief? I don’t know but I hope it did for these parents. 3-stars.
Nine Elms – this is Robert Bryndza’s latest book and the first in the Kate Marshall series. It did not disappoint – and although you know ‘who did it’ it does not detract from the story. It is a page turner and I recommend. 4-stars.
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow. This was a deep, heavy listen – although it was read by the author and that made it seem a bit like an extremely extensive open to her show. There is so much to think about in this book, and as you can image – none of it is good. I think it was a bit too long – it could have been edited a bit more, imo. 3-stars.
I also listened to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe! Which I loved as much as I did when I read it ages ago with my kids. 4-stars for this perfect pre-Christmas read!
Finally, John Boyne shared this stack of books by Irish authors! I have read a good number of the books in this stack and I have added those I have not to my list to read!
You might be tired of end-of-decade lists, but if you’re buying books for Christmas, here’s my favourite Irish books of the last decade and I whole-heartedly recommend them all! pic.twitter.com/Am70T4Sdhj
— John Boyne (@john_boyne) December 14, 2019
That is all I have for today, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
*** A quick bit of housekeeping for the next two Wednesday’s. I will post as usual on Christmas Day (although it might be later in the day and might include some holiday gift knitting updates) and on New Year’s Day – New Year’s Day will include my 2019 reading update! However, do not feel pressure to join in!
The mittens are so lovely! And I’m glad you enjoyed your reread of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I enjoyed rereading it with my oldest the last couple of weeks!
I’m glad to see that you finished the mittens! They look so lovely and cozy and will keep Vivi nice and warm. Enjoy your baking day and thanks for John Boyne’s stack o’ books. I’m off to goodreads to add a few!
Kat, this post made my day! Love Michael Buble….listened while I read the post 🙂 I’ve been feeling a little ‘stuck’ the past day or two, and your post is inspiring me to make my Gram’s favorite cherry cookies–and I went straight to Amazon to scout out Lotta’s book! Thank you!
The mittens turned out so pretty Kat! Glad you were able to get them finished in time to ship. I’m betting your kitchen may already smell very nice this morning! Have fun baking.
Oh those mittens are too cute! I’m sorry your latest reads have been meh (save LWW – I have Michael York’s narration in my audible library and it’s superb!), but what a great stack of books to close with!
Sweet mittens. Looking forward to your book review. Thanks again for hosting us each week
Love the mittens, Kat! Your gifts are just flying off the needles! And . . . we can’t only read 5-star books. I often have to remind myself that . . . there’s nothing wrong with a 3-star read!
I could have used those mittens today! I’m sure they’ll be a big hit (what kid doesn’t like fuzzy mittens?).
Enjoy your baking time!
I did my baking on Monday and Tuesday (and I’m glad I will never see another cookie dough until next Christmas) All that baking time is crucial knitting time in my opinion!
Congrats on your finish…I can smell those cookies all the way here ;-)). Look forward to seeing the stitching you’ve planned in 2020.
Enjoy the holiday.
Cheers~
The headband and mittens are so sweet. Your little granddaughter will look so cute in them. Surely your reading will pick up soon. Thank you for hosting today.
Nothing beats the smell of cookies baking, and those mittens look so cozy.
The mittens will be loved! I love Irish novelists and could add few to your list. Thank you for the link to John Boyne’s list (I’ve read many and enjoyed them)!