Showing the spirit

[caption id="attachment_1201" align="aligncenter" width="212" caption="My son would rock that Union Jack jumper!"][/caption]

Last week at a bookstore, I pointed out a boys' sweater (jumper) in the latest issue of Simply Knitting, a British magazine, to my son. Said sweater had an intarsia Union Jack. I adore any clothing/household items/cheap souvenirs that include the Union Jack. I am a total slut for the Union Jack.

"I could knit you one," I said, tamping down the hope from creeping into my voice.

"I hate blue," he said. True.

"You like flags," I reasoned.

"I like the German flag best ... and it has no blue."

I'm sorry, but knitting a German flag into a sweater just doesn't do it for me.

I finally threw in the towel and gave in to the pleading. "But you could wear this Union Jack sweater to school on April 29 ... that's when Prince William, who's going to be the king of England someday -- the KING -- is getting married. I could whip this out in no time. You'd be so cool."

Oliver fixed me with a disdainful look. "I have no interest in being cool, mom. Give it up."

And that is that.

Elizabeth Taylor, rest in peace

How to get a deal on books from the U.K.

Back in the good old days (pre-2001), buying books from amazon.co.uk didn't cost me an arm and a leg, but since overseas mailing and shipping standards have changed, it's now a luxury I can't afford. I either have to wait until the book is sold through amazon.com (and by this time, it has been "translated" for American readers) or beg someone heading to the U.K. to buy the book for me.

Recently, I stumbled on a new online bookseller, The Book Depository, where I can buy U.K. titles fairly inexpensively and -- bonus -- they ship to many countries around the world for free. That's right. FREE. And yes, the U.S. is one of those countries. You can check to see if your country warrants free shipping here.

This weekend I ordered a book through them. I'm not expecting it to arrive with the rapidity of an amazon.com order, but for the $ saved on shipping, I'm willing to wait. I'll let you know when my book arrives and what my overall satisfaction level is with The Book Depository after this initial purchase. Have you ordered through them before? What's your experience?

Knit Your Own Royal Wedding

I stopped by the bookstore this weekend to skim through knitting books, and lo and behold, look what I spotted on the shelf:

Too funny! I'm tempted to buy the book for the corgi pattern alone -- aren't they adorable?

 

FO Friday

I've been feeling under the weather this week but managed to finish one knitted object. Technically a sock can be a finished object, right? I'm rarely bitten by the one-sock syndrome, simply because I'm eager to knit a second sock using all the knowledge I picked up knitting the first sock.

Monkey by Cookie A is a popular pattern on Ravelry, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's my first "lace" sock: I'm not sure I used the right yarn for this (Araucania Itata Multi), but I do love the colors so and couldn't resist. I'm a very loose knitter and since these socks are very stretchy, I can see I need to make a better effort knitting the second one even tighter.

Over the next couple weeks I'll be spending lots of time in waiting rooms, so I can finish up the second sock. Tonight, though, I'm casting on my Owl sweater. Can't wait!

Bits and bobs

1. My son went to a birthday party a couple towns south of us, and since it was so close to one of my favorite yarn shops and I was in desperate need (really!) of 100 cm 6.5 mm circular needles to start my owl sweater, we had to make a pit-stop on the way home. As I was wandering around the shop, pawing the yarn, a woman came in with her young daughter, who I recognized. And then it hit me: I read her blog! This was the first time that's happened to me, and to be honest, I felt kind of weird about it. I felt like I knew her in some way, but then I don't and how strange would it be to go up to her and say, "Hey, I read your blog! How's that fair isle sweater coming along?" BTW, I didn't approach her. My son was eager to get home to watch NASCAR racing, so it was in and out for me.

2. TWENTY BUCKS FOR KNITTING NEEDLES!?! What is the world coming to? I got the urge to return home, whittle  sticks from our yard, and attach string to them. Solves that problem.

3. I'm still in a state of shock that Hugh Bonneville, who plays the aristocratic Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, is only a year older than I am. Not that I'm a perfectly preserved spring chicken and he's some wizened old geezer. He just seems so ... stately. (I just looked him up on IMDB -- he looks younger IRL. Big sigh. It must be the role.)

4. Bonneville's just read the script for the 2nd season and says it's like, "unwrapping a Christmas present." Read more at The Telegraph.

5. If you do a search on "guys in pink loafers" in Google, my blog is the #2 hit. I have arrived.

Following a domestic explorer

I'm not sure how or when I discovered Lisa Giramonti's Anglo-licious blog, A Bloomsbury Life. All I know is that I was sad when she decided to take a break from blogging a few months ago.

But now she's back from her sabbatical and will soon be offering a weekly webisode on her blog, sample above. Be still my Anglo heart! Her blog is already like a candy store, both visually and wordwise, so adding video? Heaven.