Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Yarn Along: Mermaid Tail Blanket and "This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!"

Yarn Along is a wonderful link-up -- hosted by the Small Things blog every Wednesday -- about two of the best things in life: reading and knitting!

yarn along 1223

Reading: I'm a little over halfway done with "This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!" by Jonathan Evison. So far it's a solid 4-star read about an elderly woman reliving -- and hopefully ultimately letting go of -- her past while on an Alaskan cruise booked by her now-dead husband. It's got a bit of a "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" quirk to it that I'm enjoying. I'm also reading volume 3 of the "Saga" graphic novel series.

Knitting: I'm about to cast on for a new project! A friend asked me to knit one of those super-popular mermaid tail blankets for her 2-year-old daughter, Aurora. Aurora is in love with Minnie Mouse at the moment, so the blanket has been commissioned in pink and white. I'm using a pattern by Angie Hartley, one of the few knitting patterns available (most are crochet). If you haven't encountered one of these nifty things yet, basically it's a blanket/sack that you stick your legs into. When it's on, it looks like you've grown a mermaid tail.

16 comments:

  1. Oh that book needs to go on my list. Thanks and happy knitting.

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    1. It was pretty good! I finished it today and gave it 4 stars. You'll probably enjoy the Washington state setting! :)

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  2. Mermaid tail blanket?! That sounds fascinating!

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    1. They're pretty cool! I can't wait to see pictures of it on my friend's daughter (though that's a ways off -- I only just cast on tonight!).

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  3. My daughter is getting a mermaid tail blanket for Christmas this year. :-) I wish I had been able to have my friend make one, but money was an issue this year, and so I couldn't afford her prices. :-( Still, I think the one I got for my daughter is a nice one. Hopefully she'll love it.

    I have heard of "This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!" and have been curious about it. I am glad to hear you are enjoying it.

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    1. Did you get your daughter a knitted/crocheted one? I'm sure she'll love it -- I would've totally wanted one as a kid! I ended up enjoying "Harriet." I finished it this afternoon and gave it 4 stars. It was a fairly thought-provoking book, but it was also lighthearted and fun to read.

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  4. I loved that book! Thanks for sharing and I lok forward to seeing your mermaid tail!

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    1. I finished it this afternoon and I ended up giving it 4 stars. I liked how it packaged some serious ideas in a lighthearted and fun story. And the Alaskan cruise... sigh. Alaska is on my must-do ASAP list!

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  5. Love the colours you have chosen - your daughter will love it

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  6. I was just looking at mermaid-tail patterns the other week! They all look a little small for adults, though. ;-)

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    1. The pattern I'm using is also available in adult size! Who knows, I may just decide I need one for me too! ;)

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  7. The mermaid tail sounds FUN! Can't wait to see your progress soon. I love the snow flake effect on your blog too. I feel all Christmassy! Have a wonderful holiday.

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    1. Thanks, Tania! I hope you had a lovely Christmas too. I've hardly made any progress on the mermaid tail thus far, but I hope to work on it this week. It's going to be rainy here and I have some time off work -- and a bunch of stuff to watch on the DVR -- so it should be a perfect time for knitting!

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  8. Mermaid tail lap blanket! I must be really out of the knitting loop because I hadn't seen these before! Now I want to make one immediately, though I'm sure if I was using one I'd forget it's not a regular blanket, jump up to get something, and fall flat on my face. But still, I love it!

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    1. Haha, I can see that happening to me too! It's partly open in the back, but it's probably still tight enough around the legs to be a toppling-over hazard for clumsy, forgetful people like me! ;) The pattern designer does have an adult-size blanket too, if you're interested! I'd love one in blue-green shades.

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  9. Mm the book sounds good. I have meant to knit a mermaid tail for a while now, will check that pattern out!

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