1) Knit one hat each week for The Innocent Big Knit.
2) Do something nice for me.
3) Choose a non fiction book from the library.
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Yet another pattern has been used for the hats this month. This one is Innocent Big Knit Garlic by Juliet Bernard and can be found on Ravelry. As you can see, they look like garlic bulbs. The pattern calls for size 3.75mm needles, but I didn't have any so I knit on a smaller size 3.25mm but they're still an ok size and will fit on the top of an Innocent Smoothie bottle.
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A Day Out In York was my nice thing for March. I had such a lovely time ambling about on my own, it's something I must do much more of.
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My non fiction book for March was A Companion & Guide To The Wars Of The Roses by Peter Bramley. It's a really interesting book for anyone wanting to know more about this period in history. It starts with the background to the wars, then goes on to name the main protagonists before dividing up the country by region with information on sites relating to the wars. You may remember the post I did last year, A History Tour In Four Parts. We'd visited various places with connections to The Wars of the Roses and these are mentioned in the book, along with many other places. There's other sites I'd now like to visit after reading this book.
Eleanor's school was closed yesterday due to the teacher's strike action so Mick took the day off work thinking we'd be able to have a day out. It was a lovely sunny morning but the afternoon turned to heavy rain, so it was just as well that Eleanor had plenty of revision to be getting on with for her GCSE's. We all ended up having a day at home. Eleanor's working really hard on her revision for her exams. She's got extra sessions at school over the Easter holiday which she's only too happy to attend as it isn't long now until the exams start. I hope all the effort she's putting in will show in her results.
Poor Eleanor it's such a terribly stressful time but it will soon all be over and she will be able to enjoy her summer. Not heard of this book before but have a fascination for the War of the Roses. Love your little hats I've made another five but need to add their pom poms before I take a photo.
ReplyDeleteEleanor's working really hard so I hope the results show this. She's having problems with her A level choices at the moment so it's added stress for her, I'm hoping that it will all get sorted out soon. I can definitely recommend this book if you want to learn more about The Wars of the Roses, it's especially good for telling you what you can see where, there's a few places I've jotted down on my list where I'd live to visit. The hats are coming along, I'm hoping that I'll manage my fifty to send off by October.
DeleteThose hats really do look like garlic bulbs!
ReplyDeleteI bet that book was a really interesting read especially as you have visited some of those real life places.
Shame about the weather yesterday but nice to be off together.
Lisa x
They really do, they're so cute. The book is really interesting, I've been very pleased with my choice this month. It made a change for us all to be at home midweek, especially as Daniel is home from university at the moment too.
Deletethe hats look amazingly like garlic bulbs. Great challenges!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the lookout for another type of hat to knit for the challenge now, I'll be scouring Ravelry soon. I'm hoping to have fifty hats to send off by October.
DeleteThe wee garlic hats are brilliant, Jo. :o)
ReplyDeleteThey're really cute, aren't they? I'm really enjoying this challenge, I can have a little hat knit up in no time at all.
DeleteYour hats are so tiny and sweet! I love them. That looks like a really interesting book, on a topic I adore. I will have to see if our library has it. Best of luck to Eleanor, it sounds like she's been working really hard.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a change making something so small after the large blankets I've been crocheting just lately. The book is really interesting, I can definitely recommend it if it's something you're interested in. Thank you for your good wishes for Eleanor, she's working really hard, I just hope it all pays off.
DeleteI love this months hats and that they are on a vegetable theme, which goes of course so well with your allotment!! You will certainly have a variety of hats to submit later in the year!! xx
ReplyDeleteI never thought about the vegetable theme to the hats beyond them being garlic. Funny though, I don't grow garlic. As well as having a variety of hats to send in, knitting different ones each months keeps the challenge fresh.
DeleteI was never that keen on history but that book certainly looks interesting. Shame that you weren't able to get out yesterday afternoon, it was the same here. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteI took History as an O level option but I've got much more interested in the subject since I've got older. The weather's supposed to be changing for some tomorrow but the forecast doesn't look that good here.
DeleteThere are only 78 days until the exams are over. No worries.
ReplyDeleteAlison Weirs history books are good for the War of the Roses. I found them a handy guide when I was watching the White Queen!
Only nineteen more school days until the exams start, Eleanor's swatting up like crazy. I shall have a look in the library for Alison Weir's books. I'm interested in history around this period.
DeleteThe little hats are lovely Jo.
ReplyDeleteYou deserve your days out with yourself and I'm glad you're enjoying them.
That book might be an enjoyable read if you love history like me...
Susan x
The hats are so cute, I'm enjoying knitting them. I'm thinking of other places I can visit now. I enjoy my own company so don't mind having days out alone. I was pleased with my book choice this month, it's always interesting finding out more about subjects you enjoy.
DeleteWell done on your challenges, but those hats are oh so cute. A day out in York, could also include The Quilt Museum? Take care.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to The Quilt Museum but it's on my list of places to visit. There's so many museums in York, quite a difficult choice of where to go first.
DeleteThose little innocent hats are just too cute! Knitted garlic ... love it!
ReplyDeleteThey're brilliant, aren't they? Such easy things to knit too.
DeleteYork is so close - must meet up for a cuppa sometime. xx
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. There's plenty of lovely cafes to choose from in York.
DeleteThe hats are really sweet Jo x Eden keeps telling me how many weeks she's got until she takes her exams! Very stressful time for them. She's chosen her A level subjects, she's definitely taking four, she's not sure whether to take textiles as number five or keep it at four. She's hoping to go to sixth form at the Grammar school she's already at but to take the A levels there you have to get an "A" grade at G.S.E. Tough for us mums too seeing them go through it x
ReplyDeleteEleanor's taking four subjects at A level, but the school aren't offering A level courses in three of the options she took for GCSE, Music, Drama and Textiles. They're offering BTEC courses, but Eleanor doesn't want to do those. I think she's just about made her final decision, she just needs to get the grades in her GCSE's now.
DeleteWe'll keep our fingers crossed for both of them x I'm sure their hard work will pay off x
DeleteMost definitely. I do hope they do well, they really deserve to if they put in the time studying.
DeleteLovely lovely. You made me realise that I have not been to York in ages! xx
ReplyDeleteI live so close to York, yet it's sometimes months between visits. I don't think we take advantage of what's on our own doorstep sometimes.
DeleteHi Jo!
ReplyDeleteI love the garlic hats, they're great! What a lovely pattern :) The day out in York looks fab too - you're lucky to have such a nice city close-by. Did you visit Duttons for Buttons?! It has to be one of my favourite shops in York!
Best wishes,
Tash from vintagepretty.org
I certainly did visit Duttons for Buttons but I didn't buy anything. York has some lovely craft shops. There's so much to see and do in York that I don't think I'll ever get bored of it, it's such a lovely city.
DeleteThe little garlic hats are cute. I do admire those who can knit and crochet and follow patterns. Choosing options for A levels must be difficult when certain subjects don't fit in with the timetable and what's on offer. I know our grand daughter has had to make choices that are second best to what she would really prefer to study at Ordinary level. All the best for Eleanor's revision and exams this year. It was good you could all be at home together even though the weather was and is so cold and not very nice for going out places.
ReplyDeleteI've been able to knit for as long as I remember, but I'm still not brilliant at it. Crochet is a much more recent thing. Choosing A levels has been a bit of a pain for Eleanor actually, but I think her final choices fit in well with the direction she's wanting to go after sixth form.
DeleteLove the little hats, so cute.Wishing Eleanor all the best for her revision and exams, such a stressful time for everyone. My daughter was doing hers during the foot and mouth outbreak, so we didn't even know if she would be able to get to school as although we were clear, we were surrounded by it.
ReplyDeleteThis is my fourth year now of important exams, the last three years have been Daniel's GCSE's, AS levels and A levels and now I'm starting all over again with Eleanor, and as you say, it's rather stressful for everyone. It must have been really worrying wondering if your daughter would get to school or not for the exams, just another thing to test the nerves.
DeleteOh important exams are so very stressful , Im sending good luck to your daughter. I tend to cook my daughters favourite meals as a way Of saying I totally understand the stress they are going through.
ReplyDeletethose hats are so cute
Have a wonderful weekend
I think lots of us must turn to food as a way to comfort our offspring when they've got important exams. I always give mine a cooked breakfast when they've got exams that day, a good breakfast is supposed to help concentration.
DeleteThe little garlic hats are great, I think aubergine hats would be pretty cool too. I love reading a mix if historical fiction /non fiction, helped when I was studying and now helps with my genealogy
ReplyDeleteThey would. I haven't seen any patterns for aubergine hats though and I'm not clever enough to make one up myself. My interest in history has increased since I started researching my family tree, it makes you want to know more about the time our ancestors were alive.
DeleteAt first glance Jo on the snippet at the side of my blog, I thought the little hats were meringues!!
ReplyDeleteI can see what you mean. You've got my taste buds going now, I love meringue.
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