Fully booked

A couple of new books have come into the house. The first, Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Knitting because, as much as I love crochet it does have its limitations, and this book looks pretty and simple enough. I liked her quilting book, which, admittedly, I haven't actually made anything from yet. So I should say I like the look of her quilting book. Also, she's always making socks on her blog, which I thought would be a good first project.

I was soothed by Jane's introduction to the sock pattern as she said it was easy and would teach "you all you need to know about socks but were afraid to ask". Unfortunately, I was instantly lost when I read the pattern as it involved three needles without any tips on which needles you were supposed to be working with at what time. I have no doubt the fault lies with me rather than Jane.

Maybe I'll stick to hotties.

The next book is on loan from the library for three weeks. Matthew Evans' new cookbook Winter on the Farm has just hit the shops, but the library loan will give me a chance to experiment with it and see if I like it enough to buy it.

As you can see, I've marked several pages so the signs are good. However, so is the weather in Sydney so not sure I want to be drawn into the snow and frost of a Tasmanian winter, no matter how beautifully styled and photographed it is. As I feel the sun on my shoulders and smell jasmine in the air for the first time in months, it's hard to engage with images of log fires and snowmen.

The Gentle Art of Knitting I bought from the Book Depository for $18 a couple of weeks ago, but I can see the prices are steadily rising since the company has been taken over by Amazon and it's now $27. Of course, it's available at local bookshops for $40. Winter on the Farm is $50 locally or $23 online, if you're prepared for a 60-day pre-order wait.

*If you're reading this...
Trace, I do buy a bit of silver cutlery from markets but not a lot. Prefer lovely low-maintenance stainless steel. The cup I used in yesterday's post was one of those family things given to me as a baby.

* Thought I'd answer any non-urgent questions in posts to save anyone having to check back in the comments box or clog up your email boxes. If a personal response is required, I am, of course, only to happy to clog away. You're also very welcome to do the same to me.