Enjoying the simple things

Since finishing a number of projects in recent weeks, I'd been finding it hard to get back into the groove of some of my older, long term projects. Nothing was really exciting me. What I really wanted to do, of course, is to buy more yarn and cast on for Eleonora, but as I mentioned on Sunday, that's not allowed until the start of May.

Surprisingly, it took a rather horrendous cold/flu type illness to get me going again. I have felt so terrible since Thursday that I've simply not had the energy to do (or concentrate on) anything more complicated than the real basics. It was time to resurrect the poncho! Small, mindless motifs are the perfect antidote to feeling ill but wanting to do something. Before I knew it, I'd crocheted up another twenty or so!

My motif-making kit, all stored next to my sofa in a handy bag.

I last mentioned the Poncho in November, when I was up to 54 motifs. I need 120, so I still had a way to go. Progress had stalled because I was running out of the pale brown yarn, but I managed to get my hands on some more a little while ago, when I was ordering the yarn for the hooded cowl and Sophie's gloves. Given the choice of paying for postage, or grabbing another ball of yarn that I needed... well, there isn't really a choice, is there!

I am still ignoring the mammoth task that will be
weaving in all of those ends

I did a quick count last night, I had reached 91. Only 29 to go! That'll be two more evenings, and then the real work begins. As all the notes I had made about this project were on the laptop-that-was-stolen and not backed up anywhere, I need to re-re-engineer the joining technique I devised.

Luckily, I'd tested it out on the first three motifs, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure it out again.

I haven't had as much time for reading of late as I'd like; a combination of being ill and being busy in work. I had just finished reading Little Women, and started on Cranford, the last time I joined the yarn along. Well, Cranford didn't take me long at all! I much preferred the TV series to the book, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. After Cranford I took a break from the serious classics, and read some of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Mostly because we are now watching the TV series Grimm and rather enjoying it!

Once I was done with the children's tales, I decided I should crack on with another of the classics on my list. I got a few chapters into Uncle Tom's Cabin before I abandoned it. I just didn't get on with the way it is written. I will give it another go at some point.

So what am I reading now? Well, the smart among you will already know, because you will see the Goodreads widget in my sidebar! I've gone back to Alexandre Dumas, and am reading The Three Musketeers. Another classic I really feel I ought to have read long ago! I've seen so many adaptations of the story in film and on TV, but none of them are particularly true to the story. But it was a recent watching of an adaptation of another Dumas tale that made me want to read it. You may recall me reading and loving The Count of Monte Cristo recently. While I was reading it, Sky put the most recent film adaptation of it on Anytime. Every time we were looking for something to watch, Jamie would say "lets watch that!" and I'd have to say no, because I wanted to finish the book first. We finally watched it last week, and I loved it as much as I'd loved reading the book! Perfectly cast, perfectly adapted. Although I still maintain it would make a great full length TV series, in the way that Pride and Prejudice works far better in 6 hours instead of 2. Anyway, it reminded me how much I enjoyed reading Dumas, so The Three Musketeers it had to be! I'm about a fifth of the way through, and loving it.