Crochet: Slippers: Sweet Granny Square Slippers

Put a spring in your step with these cheerful quick-to-make slippers!

This sweet granny square slippers has been on my crocheting list for quite some time. I know it is a pattern I will want to try my hands at the moment I set my eyes on it in Crochet to Calm: Stitch and De-Stress with 18 Simple Crochet Patterns by Interweave Editor. The granny motif simply looks too lovely to be given a miss.

Though my pair of granny square slippers is far from perfect, it makes a perfect gift. What better present to give than handmade craft, right? Best of all, one pair of slippers actually double up as two. Simply flip the slippers inside out and you get a different look and feel to it. See the last four pictures below to have a better idea.

All in all, I took less than a week to put together this pair of sweet granny square slippers. I finished up the second slipper this afternoon, just in time to present it as a birthday gift in the evening.


Materials

1. 4 Seasons 100% acrylic yarn: 12-ply navy blue and 12-ply mustard yellow
2. Crochet hook, size 5.0mm (Tulip)
3. Stitch markers (Tulip)
4. Tapestry needle
5. Scissors

Review: The Noel Letters (Noel Collection #4) by Richard Paul Evans

4 stars for The Noel Letters (Noel Collection book 4) by Richard Paul Evans.

June 2021. The year end is nowhere in sight, not for months to come. No festive mood. No Christmas spirit in the air. With half a year to go, it feels way too early to be reading a Christmas story. I actually have no intention of reading this book. At first. In fact, I will have preferred to follow the correct sequence of things and read Noel Street which is the third book in the Noel Collection first, before coming to this one. But, as fate will have it, this book finds its way to me when I ain't feeling the most optimistic and happy. So, I think to myself "Why not?" Well, I don't always have to leave author Evans' books to year end reading every time. And that is how I come about reading a holiday season story from my go-to author in the middle of the year.

The Noel Letters is a well-executed life-changing tale of hope, trust, forgiveness and a chance at love. Though there is pain and loss and regrets in the story, it is beautiful in its depth and message, for all too often, there is no gain without a loss.

As is author Evans' style, the story takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Even though I have never set foot in this city before, I feel as if I have lived in Salt Lake City for years, dating back to the time I started reading his books. This time, it is about homecoming and a fresh start, for the protagonist, a 31-year old Noel Book. And as usual, the story is set during the Christmas season. There is Christmas tree, Christmas decoration, Christmas music and enough snow for the workings of the imagination. The best part of it all, is a bookstore with a very classic feel. This wonderful combination of bookstore and Christmastime is enough to make me swoon with delight and fall in love with the stage setting.

Once again, this is not just a book about a story. It is also a book that shares other stories. In fact, this book is very much like an exciting book list. There is mention of Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and John Steinbeck's classic such as Cup of Gold, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men and East of Eden. There is Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, Harper Lee's legendary To Kill a Mockingbird and her sequel Go Set a Watchman, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, and many many more. Some I have read, others already on my reading list, and I have plans to check out the rest. It is always good to have more books to add to my reading list.

There are unique things to like about The Noel Letters. Besides the lovely quotes and meaningful passages, there is a section in the story which I find myself smiling much when I read it. A woman wants to return the book she has purchased earlier from the bookstore. The reason for the return according to her, is that the book is ruined because the pages are cut unevenly. The truth is, it is not a damaged book but a deliberate act by the publisher to give the book a deckled edge. It is in fact a decorative feature meant to give the book the appearance of an old-fashioned handcrafted look. I like the explanation given. Because that is exactly how the pages of most of author Evans' books are trimmed. He is speaking for himself and his books, for both the story and for real. And I do agree; it is antiquarian. It gives books an uniquely antique feel. The explanation also makes me more mindful of the feel of the pages and the trimmings, and I learn to appreciate the efforts that go into publishing a book.

Perhaps there really is a good reason for this book to have crossed my path. The writing and the characters in the book certainly warmed my heart. Who says you can feel the Christmas spirit, a time for kindness and joy, only at the end of the year?

Crochet: Stocking: Snowman Christmas Stocking

Merry Christmas in June!

This is a cute and fun project, one which I did not look forward to initially, but end up having a lot of fun ultimately. The stocking pattern, made up mostly of half double crochet and some double crochet, is relatively easy to understand and follow. It took me 2 days to complete this lovely snowman stocking.

For a start, I follow the colours as recommended in this Snowman Christmas Stocking free pattern since I do have all of them available in my yarn stash. Yes, because of this project, I realise that I have turned into a crochet hobbyist. It goes without saying that all fiber artists have a yarn stash full of one skein wonders and leftovers from other projects. And now, because of the yarn colours for this mini project, I recognise that I have long since join them fiber artists in my pursuit of this craft.

That said, I am actually quite pleased to have found a use for my leftover yarn. I have been keeping some green and orange from some of my earlier projects, and now they can finally be put to good use.

Crochet: Shawl: Sigrid Shawl

I am always a litle apprehensive when I am about to embark on a new crochet project, especially one that is totally new to me. There is always the worry that something will go wrong, that I will not be up to it, that I will have difficulty understanding the pattern or instructions, that I will make bad mistakes. You know, the usual things people always worry about whether or not they will actually materialise. But where crochet is concerned, unfortunately, it does happen. To me. I always end up having to undo to redo the first few rows. Scratch that. Few is an understatement. I consider myself lucky if it is only a few rows or so.

The good thing is, once I get past the initial - terrible and tiring but necessary - stage of getting myself familiar with the pattern and repeating work, it is exhilarating. Crocheting a shawl is both fulfilling and rewarding. Not only do I get to have a beautiful piece of practical end product, I get to enjoy the peace and calm and meditative effect of the process.

This Sigrid Shawl is a work of art. It is brilliantly created by My Crochetory to provide both familiarity and variety to keep the person working on it relaxed and entertained at the same time. If you are looking to crochet a shawl with a meditative stitch pattern but one that is not so repetitive as to be boring, this is the one for you.

Review: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

3.5 stars for The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling.

I do not remember how I come about adding this book to my reading list. But I do recall looking for this book on a few occasions when I make the trip to my usual library. Each time, this standalone novel is available on the bookshelf. I finally decide to give it a go and check the book out during my last library visit.

Most, if not all, of the science fiction novels that I have read so far are related in one way or another, to outer space or space travelling. This is my first time reading one that is not related to the void above, but rather, to the caves or tunnels under the ground.

This book is about cave exploration mission. It begins with the protagonist, a caver, fulfilling the terms of her contract, climbing, crawling and making her way deep within the cave at camp 4, and stepping off the edge to make the long drop to camp 5. The story then takes a step back, to the start of the mission where the caver is at camp 1, to give readers some background on the 22-year old caver named Gyre Price, the mission and the investor of the expedition known as Em.

The story has a promising start. I am captivated by the well-thought-out plot and initial development of the story. The author makes excellent use of uncertainties, unease, self-doubt, half-truths, cover-ups, fear of the unknown, helplessness and frustration to spin a story. The world-building is fantastic. The mystery and suspense surrounding the entire cave expedition keeps me riveted to the story as it gradually builds up its intensity. I am equally impressed by the author's use of technology to craft a high-tech climbing suit and helmet such that everything is well taken care of, to protect the caver from the elements in the cave. It is essentially redundant to remove either the helmet or the suit to eat, sleep or defecate.

At the base of it all, the aim of the mission is not to stay true to the terms and conditions as set out in the contract, but rather, to stay alive and get out of the cave. And this is exactly what makes the story tick, like a time bomb, as the caver races against time to keep herself alive. Everything about the story flows well except that I feel the later part of the story can have been better. The unfolding of events towards the last quarter of the book, especially the last four to five chapters feels unnecessarily prolonged, draggy and repetitive. Perhaps the story should have ended when it is time to draw to a close. In the end, what I enjoy so much about the story initially took a beating as I struggle to finish the last few chapters. It should not have been like this.

Overall, The Luminous Dead is a book worth reading. I have great fun exploring the underground cave and tunnels and sumps while getting myself spooked. It is just that I also have to endure the little unfortunate glitch before I can call it a day. Other than that, it is actually quite a remarkable debut novel. I will definitely keep a lookout for more of author Starling's books.

Review: Opening the Door of Your Heart: And other Buddhist Tales of Happiness by Ajahn Brahm |《Reread》

5 stars for Opening the Door of Your Heart: And other Buddhist Tales of Happiness by Ajahn Brahm.

I read this book more than fifteen years ago. Due to recent events, I go in search of this book. I know it is sitting somewhere, untouched through the years, on one of my bookshelves. Aha, there it is. My treasure of a book, with Ajahn Brahm's writing and signature, dated 8 August 2004. To this date, I still find it weirdly ironic that out of so many of my favourite authors, I have gotten a Buddhist monk to autograph my book; though not just any monk, but Ajahn Brahmavamso! As strange as it may seem, not only is this the first, it is also my one and only book to date, that is signed by the author, and witnessed by yours truly.

Opening the Door of Your Heart is a collection of stories, 108 of them. Though the stories are all short, they are long in wisdom, insight and inspiration. They are heartwarming, touching and funny. They are there for a reason; to help us change our lives for the better, to guide us towards meaningful and purposeful living, to realise contentment and to find true happiness.

As I reread this book, I am astounded once again by the timeless wisdom inherent in the stories. This book was first published in 2004, way before the massive influx of smartphone such as iphone and android phone, and social media with the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Watsapp and YouTube to name a few, dominating our everyday life. Regardless of the timeline, the tales that Ajahn Brahm shares in his book cleverly encompass everything. It does not matter when the stories are written or if they pertain to technology or social media, so long as you are willing to open the door of your heart, this book will give you what you need - hope, forgiveness and freedom from pain, guilt and fear.

One cannot tell much just by looking at the title of each short story. You will need to go one step deeper by reading each story, sometimes even twice, to gain the moments of insight, love and compassion that flow through Ajahn Brahm's stories. What I like most of all is that the teachings in his book do not impose. In fact, they feel mostly like a way of living instead of a religious belief. And so, I feel thoroughly at ease reading and digesting this collection of timeless stories of which many are true to life.

The book starts off with a story on two bad bricks. Ajahn Brahm draws an analogy between the bad brick and the mistake we humans make. Because of our mistakes, we become blind to everything else. We focus exclusively on the faults, the two bad bricks, and we fail to notice the rest of the good bricks, the perfect bricks. To quote "We've all got our two bad bricks, but the perfect bricks in each one of us are much, much more than the mistakes. Once we see this, things aren't so bad. Not only can we live at peace with ourselves, inclusive of our faults, but we can also enjoy living with a partner." Who knows there can be so much wisdom in a simple wall of bricks, of 2 bad bricks and 998 good bricks.

Many meaningful and interesting stories follow after the two bad bricks. I shall not expand on them but leave it to readers to find out for themselves. But I do feel the need to say something about how the book ends off cleverly with a tale on the worm and his lovely pile of dung. Why, you may ask, is it that the book ends with such a story? Well, the way Ajahn Brahm put it across, it is because some people do not want to be free from trouble. They are too attached to their burdens and do not want to be happy. To quote "One hundred and eight times the deva (a heavenly being) tried to lead the poor worm out from his miserable dung pile, but the worm was so attached to his lovely pile of dung that he always wriggled back! So eventually, the deva had to go back up to heaven and leave the foolish worm to his 'lovely pile of dung'." With that, we come to the end of the 108 stories as told in this book. What a brilliant way to wrap up the stories!

There is a season for everything. When I was young (not that I am that old now) and well and carefree, I remember feeling nonchalant when I first read this book. Now, years later, burdened with life's worries, the indifferent feeling is completely absent when I read this book again. In its place however, is the feeling of richness as the stories resonate powerfully with me. I feel as if these tales are written and tailor-made just for me and for whoever I share my book with.

Once again, I read this book from beginning to the end. Though I have finished reading it, I know in my heart that this will not be the last time I am going through the book. How wonderful will it be, when one day, in the future, when I read this book, I can feel indifferent all over again. Till then..