Finished Object: Don the Golden Retriever

There hasn't really been much knitting news on this blog lately, and that's really not for a want of trying. I have a pile of tube socks mounting up that desperately need heels putting in, and every time I trawl Ravelry for a new and exciting sock or shawl pattern I can feel their judgemental glare.

So, while there is no finished object for knitting...there is a crochet object! To say I'm stunned is an understatement.  I think it might be time to add a crochet section to this blog! I'm both gobsmacked and proud of how I'm doing with my crochet lately.

Even just a year ago the thought of picking up a hook broke me out in a cold sweat. I couldn't even manage a straight chain stitch. My hands seemed too big, too clumsy and too...handy. But, never one to give up I decided to try again when my lovely friend Adam decided to try and pick up the hook.

He picked up a kit to make a bunny, and I browsed Toft's pattern selections. I settled on a bunny too and bought the pattern to make Emma the Bunny.

I'm digressing a lot, so let's just say Emma wasn't incredibly successful (I can't account for yarn for crochet the same way I can for knitting so she is sadly a headless rabbit). Adam gave up, and ended up sending the bunny kit to me so I could finish it for him.

But, something amazing did happen. Crochet clicked for me. It didn't seem overcomplicated or stressful anymore. Instead I found the process soothing and fun.

Fast forward a bit of time and I picked up the Toft advent calendar, the idea was to crochet a little bit of a mystery animal a day at a time in the run-up to Christmas.

This also wasn't the most successful endeavour, I found the loop stitch horrendously difficult as a beginner crochet wrangler. But I mustered the courage to flump my way through it somehow. But as a sidenote, never try and learn a tricky crochet stitch in the run-up to Christmas. It's horrible and stressful during an already stressful time. I think a million Quality Street were eaten and there may have been some whisky consumption to soothe my frayed nerves.

BUT, these struggles are why I'm so proud to show you my finished object. Please meet Don the Golden Retriever.

See his fluffy little chest? Those feathery legs? That magnificent swoopy tail? ALL loop stitch. To say I'm proud is an understatement.

Once again, the power of the click happened, and my struggles with Gloria the Christmas red panda paid off. I can now loop stitch without stuffing a million toffee pennies into my mouth between each loop. Toft yarn is absolutely gorgeous to work with, and I love the natural colour scheme. The pattern was also wonderful, and I can't wait to work on more puppies from Edward’s Menagerie: Dogs.

The only struggle I had with Don was sewing his face, I must have ripped out and sewn that nose 7 times (no exaggeration!), it was rough. So, I'd love to see a video from Toft covering facial features. Especially for the dogs where the face adds a lot of character to the animal.

But, here he is. Finished and making me glow with pride. Don!

Book Review: Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

David Levithan's YA fantasy-romance is a difficult book to review for me. I chose to read it because the concept really interested to me. With the topic of gender identity and sexuality so high on everyone's radar currently it seemed like a timely read. And on the surface, it deals with the topic well - there's never any doubts in A's mind as to whether what they are doing is incorrect or wrong - they just act in a way that seems natural to them. I found that incredibly refreshing, and can imagine that this book would be useful to anyone feeling in flux with their gender or sexuality.

The moral of the story seems to be acceptance and love - no matter your gender or sexuality. However the strength of Every Day also seems to be it's failing. I have noted a number of reviews criticising how judgemental A is when they are discussing the bodies that they are inhabiting. I didn't have a problem with that, A is a teenage narrator and as such I would expect certain flaws in their developing personality, and a judgement nature is certainly common in many teens. However I feel like this book tried to tackle too many teen issues in one short book and as such we were handed important issues like depression, substance abuse, obesity and illegal immigration with no real depth behind them. I understand that A only had one day in each of the bodies, but I still feel like they were glossed over a little, leaving it more like a checklist of problems teens deal with rather than story-shaping. So, what could have been an important book for teens exploring gender identity became a little bloated with superficial views on serious issues.

And so we get to the root of why I find this book so problematic - as a light, romantic read it was adequate, good even. I really admire Levithan's unique and magical slant on topical issues, and I still think the concept is a good one, however I feel it could have been handled a little better. The times the book did cover the main issues it did so with sensitivity and warmth, but throwing in the other issues for A to deal with means the book lacked overall emotional depth for me.

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