Scrubbies

Take a look.

These are three scrubbies I just knit. I had my choice of what three balls I wanted and it was hard to choose because the colours are all so vibrant.

I was asked by Tiffany of YarnCanada to review Red Heart's Scrubby yarn. I had read some of the comments from other people who have used this yarn and I have to say, I didn't find it hard at all to knit up. With 5mm needles, they were quick to knit (as long as you have a bit of time) and I managed to knit these while watching a few TV programs. They are only 26 stitches wide and that works out to roughly 7.5 inches by 6.5 inches. I didn't want to fight with the stitches in the beginning and so I cast on using both knitting needles as one - just like my mother taught me. Even though I just knit a boring straight square or rectangle, I have seen some really nice patterns such as an owl, turtle and flowers. I've even seen it knit up into a mitt that looks like a frog.

The yarn is 100% polyester and 'hairy' with bits sticking out here and there but they didn't get in the way of my knitting like soft hairy yarns would. I tried it out to see if it was indeed a scrubby and it managed to get some cooked egg whites off the outside of my fry pan so yes, it is aptly named. It dries quickly and I'm pretty sure it won't smell like knitted cloth dishcloths tend to do after a bit of use. Totally machine washable in case you do want to spruce it up. 

To get your own Scrubby yarn, pop on over to YarnCanada and choose your favourite colour(s). There are some really gorgeous variegated colours too, not just solids. They have a flat rate of shipping of $5.00 and shipping is free for orders over $35.00. These are for Canadian orders. For international orders, contact the store.

One last thing - they carry other yarns too. 

YarnCanada.ca

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network once again.

Book Review - Snowmen

Since I am a proud mom, I thought I would brag a bit here. There is a wonderful review of my son Mark's book Snowmen in today's edition of Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/snowmen-by-mark-sedore/article1938663/

The book is available at Chapters/Indigo, Amazon (both .ca and .com) Barnes and Noble, and Borders. It's also at many bricks and mortar book stores.

IT IS HERE

Yes, it is! It's early too!! It wasn't suppose to be out until the 1st of September but it arrived yesterday.

 The BIG event had to be recorded  - regardless of what time it was...

Surprise!

Just a flip through. The very first time Mark has held his very first published book called Snowmen.

And, of course, every NEW BOOK has to be smelled. Yes there are two books there - these are the ones his brother pre-ordered but since he is in Spain, he lucked out.

WOW, it's even dedicated!

(To my parents, Clare and Dolores)

This is a commercial and a shameless plug, for all of you who didn't get it.

Here's the cover for a better look and ...

This is the invitation to the book launch - for those of you who are interested.

One more thing: Here's the very first review of the book from  

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

A winner in more ways than one

Snowmen, which took top honours in last year’s 3-Day Novel Contest, is a fast-paced, gripping tale about brothers

Quentin Mills-Fenn

How are you going to spend the Labour Day long weekend? Last year, Mark Sedore wrote a novel.

Snowmen (3-Day Books) won 2009’s 3-Day Novel Contest, the annual literary marathon. Winning manuscripts get published and, like all the 3-Day winners I’ve read, Snowmen is really quite good. It’s a fast-paced read, but it still manages to delve into a complicated relationship between two brothers.

Charlie is a decent guy, a music therapist. His younger brother, Larry, is a genius with a social disorder — he’s wildly successful, professionally, but a disaster, personally.

Larry lays two bombshells on Charlie: he has a brain tumour and he wants to walk across the Arctic Circle to raise money for cancer research. When Larry is unable to undertake the quest, Charlie fills in for him. Larry doesn’t like this at all and sabotages his sibling.

The book alternates between the antipodal brothers’ backstory, which relates the circumstances of their falling-out, and Charlie’s interior monologues on his lonely journey. Not directly addressed but intriguing to consider is any connection between Larry’s deteriorating mental health and his increasingly aberrant personality.

Sedore has produced a gripping and satisfying story which betrays no clue to its origins.

If you’ve got the inclination, who not do something productive next month and whip up a novel? You can make an outline, even collaborate with another person, but all writing has to be done during the long weekend, wrapping up at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6th. Register by Sept. 3 at http://www.3daynovel.com/. The winning entry will get published next year.

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

Thank you for reading all this if you've made it this far. I am a proud and happy mom.

Note: The lovely young lady with me in the photos and wearing my favourite turquoise colour is Kate, proud wife of the new author.