FO: Playin' My Song Shawl

Every so often I find myself drawn into the allure of a Mystery Knit Along. Sometimes it's a favorite designer, sometimes it's an object I wanted to knit anyway, and sometimes it's neither of those things and I just learned about it at just the right moment and split second decide to join in. This was the case of feeling like knitting a shawl and then watching Sweet Georgia on YouTube back in July and learning there would be a shawl mystery knit along (mkal) in August. They had a discount on the pattern if you preordered it, and that was that. Decision made.

I decided to combine this mkal with trying out some new yarn (which means I did not go by the gauge in the pattern). I grabbed 3 skeins of this Lotus Yarns Swan Lake from Temu over the summer on a whim. Actually the creamy colored yarn was one of their "price drop just for you" offers and I got it for like $1.79, so how could I pass that up? Then I liked it so well I decided to get a few other colors. Swan Lake is a lace weight yarn that is 50% cashmere, 40% wool, and 10% angora which all equals SO SOFT. For real. The pattern calls for fingering weight in a size 6 needle, so I just went down to a size 5 needle and called it good. It's certainly a bit more airy than the others I see, but I like that for being in a warmer climate.

The shawl construction was pretty cool and one I've never done before. The cream colored triangular section was the first clue, which felt very normal and shawl-like compared to others I've made. Then you leave stitches live around the edges of the triangle but only work one side at a time for each of the next clues, and while the two sides are the same size and use the same textured stitches, the order of each type of stitch is moved around to look asymmetrical. If you look above you can see that the cream colored stripes are in different spots on each side. It's something I don't think you'd particularly notice when someone wears it unless you really look. 

I do really like the different textures and I dig the color combo I chose for this. I bought all of these yarns knowing they would combine well, but not knowing the design beforehand did have me stressing a bit. All good though :) While I do like the textures of the stitches, some of them were pretty similar and right next to each other, which was an interesting choice.

In the end, my shawl measures 80" x 15" is slightly longer but slightly shorter than the pattern says, as expected by using a smaller yarn and needle, but it's still surprisingly close. The miracles of blocking, folks. I could easily block it the exact size the pattern states, but I liked how this looked so it's fine as is. The elongated shape does mean this wears differently than any of the other shawls I've made, which were a triangular or half circle shaped. Typically, I wear my shawls bandana style where I drape the middle in front of my neck, wrap the ends around to the front, and tie them together under the front flap. This is not an option for this shawl - I tried. I can wrap it around from the front, but securing it is a totally different hassle. It definitely works better to just wear it as a traditional shawl (like in my top photo), but we will see how I figure out styling it when it gets cooler outside and I can wear it.

So that's my Playin' My Song shawl :) I was a little behind the clues - 3 weeks just isn't realistic for my to finish a project this size, but I did manage t finish in 5 weeks which it nothing to sneeze at.  I enjoyed knitting this and the yarn is really lovely. I definitely recommend grabbing some if you feel so inclined. Now I have a cashmere/bunny soft wrap to snuggle up in when the weather cools down.

Summary:

Yarn: Swan Lake by Lotus Yarns in colors 2 (cream), 11 (purple), and 16 (teal) on Temu = $10.79

Pattern: Playin' My Song MKAL by Tabetha Hedrick for Sweet Georgia Yarns - $6.50

Time: 5 weeks

Total Cost: $ 17.29

FO: Fuzzy Mitten 2016 Mystery Knit Along

Yes, you read that title right - 2016. This little guy was started with everyone else last April while this pattern was still a mystery. I was a little underwhelmed with what the mystery turned out to be (not that it's not cute, I was just hoping for an animal), and I set this aside in a sad state of slightly-but-not finished. I pulled him out for my Year in Yarn post and took a picture of him like this:

Headless, hairless, naked, and with only one ear sewn on - he was a sad sight every time I happened upon his project basket. Taking this photo and taking stock of just how many unfinished wips I had from last year really seems to have done the trick though, because I had an immediate desire to start finishing things up. This project being the closest to completion, I grabbed him first. I sat down with my yarn and a personal Harry Potter movie marathon and finished him up :)

The pattern itself is Wood Elf by Barbara Prime (Fuzzy Mitten Designs) and it is now available as just a regular pattern (it hasn't been a mystery since last April, lol). The actual pattern gives options for the elf's hair and the clothes include a romper, cape, and boots with leaf motifs. It's all cute, but being that I'm not much for actual dolls, and I don't have any kids, it felt a little silly to be making an elf. Also, Barbara gives you the option in the body pattern to change yarn colors for built in "undies", but since I was hoping for an animal I felt that was unnecessary. Now I slightly regret that decision, lol. The romper and cape just felt a bit "kid-ish" to me, which is one of the reasons I never finished this project. I always planned on making my own pattern to give him what I saw as more "elf-ish" clothes (more on my clothes a bit lower in the post).

All the yarns were from my stash. I used Patons Canadiana in Flax for the body, Vanna's Choice in Chocolate for the hair, I Love This Yarn Sport Weight in Green for the shorts, and Golden Sun Bamboo in Tan for the belt. I loved the Canadiana for the color, but I regret using this yarn now. The yarn is sold as a worsted weight (and is even listed as one on Ravelry), but I ended up with a very loose fabric in the body that I'm not happy with. The Vanna's Choice not only looks more dense, it also does not show holes when you put stuffing behind it. There are no gaps in the Vanna's Choice yarn sections, so I know this wasn't a case of too loose of knitting. This yarn just seems to have more stretch to it and be a little thinner, leading to more visible space between the stitches. It's a great skin color though, so it's kind of a bummer. Live and learn.

For his shorts, I used the romper pattern and changed it as I went. For anyone interested in making shorts for their elf, this was my pattern:

1. CO 40 sts and knit garter stitch for 3 rows
2. K2, yo, k2tog until last 2 stitches, K2
3. Knit in stockinette for 23 rows beginning with a purl row. 4.Follow decreases in the romper pattern and bind off, etc.
4. Pick up stitches for legs as pattern says and follow until just before bind off. Add 1 row knit all, 2 rows purl all, then bind off.
5. Knit 20” i-cord and thread through yo holes at waist to tie.

I'm really happy with how the shorts turned out. For my shorts I used sport weight yarn and used size US 2 needles and it turned out a good size. The belt was just the best earthy tone fingering weight I had in my stash and I knitted a 4 stitch i-cord until it was long enough to tie. Originally I had planned making a vest as well, but I am just happy he isn't naked anymore, lol, so I'm calling him done. Maybe someday I will decide to accessorize him further, but he's good until now. He's an elf, after all. I don't think he's very worried about his attire. 

Isn't the belly button adorable?! And the nose?! I love how Fuzzy Mitten patterns always have extra special touches like those (he also has thumbs!). She doesn't cut things out to keep it super easy, but the patterns are explained well enough that even if you haven't made anything similar before you should be good. This toy is quite a bit bigger than Barbara's usual designs. I bet this would be great for a young kid, so this one is going in that collection of "toys for future children".

So, that's my elf :) I call him Pan (which helps with the only wearing shorts thing, lol). I'm glad to finally have this one wrapped up, and I definitely plan on participating in the Mystery Knit Along again this year!

Mystery Revealed: Meet Bradley!

So, I had a blast participating in the Fresh Stitches Bradley Mystery Crochet Along this past month, and the final clue was just released on Monday, so f course I finished him up as soon as possible. Meet Bradley!

He's an adorable sea turtle! The mystery had an extra twist this year that was so much fun. Clues #1 and 2 were all the pieces we had to make - all don in natural, undyed wool yarn. Clue #3 told us which pieces to dye what color and how to dye them ... with Kool-Aid! Stacey at Fresh Stitches has blogged about Kool-Aid dying for years now, but I never took the plunge until now. I'm so glad I was slightly forced to finally do it, lol.

Here is what my pieces looked like at first. Totally creamy white colored. I decided to use quart sized mason jars to dye my pieces, so I just boiled some water in my kettle, put the kool-aid in a jar, poured in enough water to cover the pieces, and added the crocheted parts.

It looked pretty cool immediately and lots of color showed up within seconds.I let my pieces soak for quote a while, then let the water cool down before I removed them officially. About 40 minutes into dyeing, I noticed the green pieces were pretty splotchy looking with some pieces much darker than others, so I removed the pieces, added a bit more water and half a packet of kool-aid, then added the pieces back and they looked much better for it. Nice and evenly colored :)

The truly magical thing is that all of the dye from the drink mix soaks up into the yarn, leaving your yarn pieces sitting in clear water when they're done. Isn't that amazing?! I was a convert right then and now I seriously want to dye everything with Kool-aid.

Straight out of the jar, this is what my pieces looked like. I set them on my drying rack for a few days to make sure they dried really well in preparation for the final clue. Clue #4 told us how to assemble the pieces and make him into his cute turtle self.

I seriously love the colors I got with dying. The pieces are so vibrant and bright! I actually had a hard time adjusting the photos due to how bright the yarn is. Also, the shell still smells like blue raspberry lemonade Kool-Aid (it's not crazy obvious, but if you stick your nose on it you can smell it) which is so stinkin' fun. 

The dying process left slight irregularities, but I think that just adds to the fun. He has a very painterly quality to the dying now.

The only thing to keep in mind is that they underlayer of yarn inside each stitch didn't get as much/any dye. This wasn't noticeable until I was sewing the pieces together, and it's not a deal breaker at all, it just makes me think it would be better to dye the yarn before using it (even though it's more of a hassle).

So there you have it: a mystery solved! Everyone I show this little cutie to lights up and says how cute it is, so I call that a successful design. Thanks so much, Stacey, for another awesome mystery crochet along! I can't wait to see what you dream up next year :)

Mysterious Monday...

So, if you're a long time reader you will know that I am a big fan of the mystery make along. I have two in particular that I participate in every year and they happen to  both go on at the same time. Now is that time, lol. Not that I'm complaining - I love the social aspect that goes on in Ravelry groups during the mysteries and seeing everyone's toys coming together. No matter how busy I am, I always make a point to join in the fun :)

First off this time was the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along. It started on April 4th, and the neat thing this time around is that it will involve Kool-Aid dying. She has you make everything in undyed wool yarn and then we will learn how to dye the pieces and what pieces should be what color later on. Pretty cool idea, huh? As of now, I have Clue 1 and 2 completed, and thy look like this:

At this point in clue #1 I was thinking it would be a seal (which is why I have the pieces arranged like that).

Clue #2 gave a different and undeniable perspective - that's looking to be a shell, friends. It was pretty obvious at this point that the pattern is for a sea turtle. I also peeked at Clue #3 (which was released today) and saw that all the pieces get dyed green except that shell, which is dyed blue. Pretty sure that means I'm right, but I'm still excited for the final clue next week :)

My second mystery project just started this past Friday, April 15th. It's the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit Along 2016. This has become one of my favorite knitting projects of the year :) I've loved every one of the animals Barbara has designed for us, and I'm sure this time will be no different. She says that this year the animal will be bigger than normal, but also she decided to release the body parts first and the clothing after over the 6 weeks of clues (usually it's the other way around to keep the mystery alive longer). She says it will be obvious what we are making after the 2nd or 3rd week, but this way we will be able to make sure our clothing fits (we've had issues before with not getting a good gauge on the clothes and not knowing they were too big until it was too late). I managed to finish knitting the first clue during church on Sunday and this is what I've got:

It's hard to see in the photo, but the two needles on the bottom have a bind off section between then, so these are going to be the legs. Barbara give you the option of adding panties to the animal for modesty in the pattern or going without and I just decided to go au naturale and leave mine in the nuddie pants. The decreases in the middle are looking like a belly button (which is super cute), and I'm slightly worried it's a doll - as in a human - in which case mine will look like a nudist, lol, but oh well. It's fun. We'll see what next week brings.

I've been having a lot of fun with these two project lately, and I've been working on a very old toy project in between clues. I even managed to do some sewing (gasp)! It's true! I've been in such a funk with sewing lately. My sewing room is moved and completely functional, but I still technically live at my house (meaning I sleep there and my clothes and kitchen stuff is all there). It's a strange kind of limbo to live in, and I never thought it would be a big deal, but this dissected life has turned sewing into a planned event. I can't just meander into my sewing room when the mood strikes like I'm accustomed to since my entire sewing room is now a 45 minute drive away. Because it requires planning and setting aside time, I then guilt myself into being more productive with all the things I need to do to get out of this horrid dichotomy, making sewing seem frivolous and wasteful. It's a sad state of affairs. Thank heavens knitting is so portable. I've finished several other projects that I still have to photograph (again, my stuff is split between 2 places, making photos a planned chore), so hopefully those things will show up here soon and you won't have to just see random book reviews, lol. I did devote my Saturday night to sewing this past weekend though, and I managed to finish a skirt I started in January as well as mend 2 other me made skirts (gotta get ready for Me Made May), and I even cut out a shirt that I will hopefully sew some of later tonight. Life is crazy, but I still need to flex my creative muscles to keep myself from going completely insane.

So that's how things are going with me :) I'm so grateful for these fun mystery projects that add a sense of urgency to making the pieces so I don't miss out on the surprise. I definitely recommend joining in if you feel so inclined!

Book Review: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm is the second novel in the Cormoran Strike series picking up 8 months after the first book ends. Strike has more business now, but can't help being drawn to helping the odd wife of an author who has gone missing to find her husband. Owen Quine is an erotic fantasy writer who had one big hit in his career followed by an odd series of badly received novels. Quine finishes his next manuscript, gives it to his agent who encouraged him in the direction he was heading all along only to have her tell him that the book was nonpunishable. A very public argument leads to Quine returning home to grab his things and leaving with no word of where or why. Mrs. Quine hires Strike 10 days later under the pretense of having Strike locate her husband and tell him he needed to come back home. Shortly after the investigation starts, Strike finds Quine's body in an incredibly gruesome murder scene. Strike begins searching the dead author's final novel for clues as to who his killer could be as he was found killed in the same manor as his main character. The plot twists and turns revealing the truth bit by bit, finally leading Strike to the real killer and getting Quine's wife off the hook.

This book dealt with a very odd group of people that made it much more difficult to get into than the first novel in the series. The dead author's works are just so ... gross and weird. The whole time I kept thinking who on earth reads the types of books this man was supposed to have written to the point that it was a bit counterproductive and drew my attention away. This book was also much more brutally gory than the first in the series, so I would not recommend it for someone with a gentle constitution. Those issues aside, the story still kept me wanting to know what really happened, leading to a big whodunit at the end. Certainly not a good as the first one, but I'm still on board for what may come next. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Comoran Strike is an ex-army private detective trying to get his new business off the ground when an old acquaintance brings him a high profile case to investigate. Lula Landry is one of the top models of her time when she falls to her death from her 3rd story balcony. The police investigate and rule the death a suicide, but Lula's adoptive brother is never satisfied with that explanation and hires Strike to dig deeper. Strike takes the case due to his great need of funds in spite of its huge press following, and begins putting together the pieces of this troubled girl's life little by little. Lula had a history of mental illness which greatly contributed to the suicide claim, but anyone who knew her personally found that to be very out of character at that time in her life. Strike peels back the layers of secrets surrounding the fateful night bringing out the real killer in the end.

I will confess that the only real reason I wanted to read The Cuckoo's Calling is because I found out that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J. K. Rowling. I just had to read it and find out how her writing has developed and translates to an adult audience, and I was not disappointed. In fact reading this validated my love of the Harry Potter books as being more than just a teenage obsession - the writing is just so well done. Rowling really can weave an interesting and multi-faceted mystery, keeping things interesting the entire time. I read this very quickly simply because I had to find out what happened next. Cormoran Strike comes off as a very Sherlock-y character, quirky and very smart while still being real and lovable. While I still can't decide how I feel about who the killer really is, I loved the rest of the book so much that I'm ok with it regardless. This is a great mystery that will draw you in and keep you guessing all the way til the end. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

FO: Zhixin the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Red Panda

I always love participating in the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit Along. I first learned about it back in 2014 (the first one apparently), and I've been hooked ever since. The original one took place in the spring of 2014 and we made Kangaroos. This year, the previous times had been so popular that Barbara (designer of Fuzzy Mitten patterns) decided to have 2: one in spring, and one in fall. I hadn't been very active in the group the past few months, so imagine my surprise when I opened up the Ravelry page and saw that another mystery KAL was going on. I was so bummed I hadn't heard about it before! They were already 3 weeks into the clues when I began, but I was determined to catch up and participate. I finally caught up a few nights before the final clue was released, and then I devoted a little time this weekend to the final clue ... and here is the finished mystery!

It's a red panda! Isn't it so cute?! I love how Barbara managed to design the colorwork on such a complicated looking animal. I think the odd bits of color are why there aren't so many red panda patterns available actually. This pattern, as is always the case, is fantastic and yields an adorable toy that is still easily recognized.

I made my red panda out of all stashed Vanna's Choice yarn - the brown is Toffee, the orange is Rust, and then there's black and white. I used Baby Bee Sweet Delight yarn in Angel (white) for his outfit - the pattern calls for fingering weight white yarn, but Barbara said to err on the side of too big rather than too small. I don't have much fingering weight yarn, and not really any at all that is truly white (I have some wool but that always looks creamy), so I just picked what seemed like a sport weight that I had on hand. My outfit is definitely too big, but not too bad. Kimonos are supposed to be loose anyway, right? The head is the only intarsia section of the pattern, but because no one will ever see the inside I just cut and tied the yarns together to secure them. Easy peasy :) And just look at his little ear tufts! Love them!

Just like all Fuzzy Mitten toys, this guy has jointed arms and legs, so he is pose-able. I love that these toys can sit or stand, plus they all come with a cute outfit. What's not to love?! I added a little bit of "soft sculpture" to the white area of his face. This is a technique I learned from one of the other Fuzzy Mitten Knit Alongs where you just sew between the stitches to pull in certain areas. His face was looking pretty round before I did this, so now he has some facial definition. Also, how cute are those eyebrows?! They are cute and functional since that tiny patch of white makes placing the safety eyes a no-brainer.

This picture is solely to show pride - yes, people, there is a seam down the middle of the tail in this picture ... but it's completely invisible! I couldn't believe how well the seaming worked out here - even I had to feel where the thicker area was when I sewed it on so the seam would be on the bottom - I couldn't tell otherwise! Mattress stitch is amazing.

I did have a bit of a brain fart on reading the directions. The pants and top were from Clues 1-3 and I mainly focused on getting the body parts done first, working on the outfit after and in a hurry to catch up for the final clue. As I was sewing up the pats pieces I kept thinking, "where does the tail go in these pants?" but I didn't read the directions closely enough to see that I was supposed to leave a hole in the butt seam. Yeah. I totally knew it would need a hole, but didn't bother to investigate further and I sewed the butt up. Once I put the entire toy together for the final clue, I asked Barbara if the pants should have a hole and she enlightened me, lol. I was able to just unpick that half of the pants seam and redo it with a hole. No problem. 

So there you have it - another adorable mystery animal! I had to sign off this post with his, "Hi-yah" pose, lol. I always enjoy these knit alongs with Fuzzy Mitten and I'd highly recommend the next one to any toy-making fan.

WIP Wednesday: Endings and Beginnings

So, I've been diligent this week in catching up on the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery KAL, and last night I officially finished all the current clues! My guy is in pieces, but I put him in his karate outfit to show what he will look like after this weekend. Headless amigurumi!

The final part I worked on was his suit, and that is the part I finished last night. Man, this outfit took just as long as the whole animal to make, but isn't it ridiculously cute? I'm still pretty interested to see how it all goes together (mainly how the tail sits in the pants).

The tail was the big piece included in clue #5, and I just had to share this photo to brag - the middle area of what you see in the photo is actually the seam on this piece! It's completely invisible! I impressed myself with that one, lol.

So, my little guy is all in pieces in his suit, hanging out in this basket until Friday rolls around with the final clue. I know what it is already, but the head is the final piece to really bring him to life. I can't wait!

I finished catching up with the mystery KAL pretty early last night, so I decided to officially begin my Christmas present knitting. I probably shouldn't show this here in case the recipient reads this blog, but I'm going to just hope they don't. I'm really excited to use this fancy yarn. It's Aarlan SwaLaine that I got at a thrift store for a steal - it's 100% wool that is a black mixed with burgundy. This is also the first chainette style yarn I've ever worked with and it's been pretty fun so far (aside from the fact that it's shedding like mad - anyone know if this is part of it being a bit older or if it's just the nature of some wools?). I think the chainette gives a neat texture and I really can't wait to see how it looks blocked.

I worked on these projects while listening to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I just read The Secret History a few weeks ago and LOVED it, so I was very excited to give this one a read since it got so much acclaim. I'm halfway through and loving it so far. I love the way she writes.

So that's my world this week :) Head over to Gracey's Goodies to see what other people are up to!

WIP Wednesday: Waiting and Mysteries...

Things on my Penelope Sweater have reached a slight stand still. I finished the knitting over a week ago, blocked it last week, then didn't get to sew the ribbon on the button bands until the last 2 nights. The crazy thing is that all my sweater lacks from being completely finished is 3 buttons...

I bought these buttons (La Petite #573 - good grief I've said that number so much I've committed it to memory) at Hancock Fabrics a month ago. They were just so perfect for this sweater, I had to buy them even though they only had 3 cards of them in stock. "No worries!" I thought, "They will certainly restock them again soon." Guys, I've checked back every Monday for the past month (Monday is the only time I am anywhere near the store and it is an hour away from my house) and they STILL have not restocked this button. Every time I ask about it, I just am told that they get shipments of buttons all the time but the store has no idea what is coming until it gets there. I've checked every other store around that sells buttons, and no one else seems to carry La Petite brand. I've even looked online, but by the time I buy the buttons and pay the shipping I would be paying 4 times as much on the one card of buttons than I paid for the other two combined. Thus, I wait ...

I don't like having to wait so long (obviously, ha ha), but it's worth it on these particular buttons. I mean, could these be any prettier with this sweater? It's like these were made to go with my blue yarn. So, hopefully I get this completely finished soon, but until then it is certainly wearable. I've still got til the end of this month for the knit along anyway :)

I started checking all of my Ravelry groups a few days ago (after a long absence in some), and I learned that I was missing out on a Mystery Knit Along! What?! It's my favorite one of the year too, so I immediately purchased the pattern and started catch up knitting. It's the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit Along and 4 clues (out of 6) have already been released. The first 3 clues are all to make the animal's outfit, which was just fine but since 4 clues were available and the 4th started the animal itself, I decide to just start with the 4th and go from there. 

These are the legs, the front and back of the body (black front, brown back), and the beginning of a trouser leg. The outfit is a karate gi (which is what the outfit they wear is called, and yes I had to look that up, lol), so I'm thinking of East Asian animals that this little guy could be. I have a few ideas (one of the earliest guesses by another Raveler is the one I think is correct), but I'm just along for the ride and hoping I can catch up with getting his outfit made. The next two clues will be released the next two Fridays and I'm so excited!

So that's what's going on in these parts. I just made a huge yarn and fabric score at a thrift shop last week, so my brain is reeling with future sewing plans. I'm starting my holiday gift making, but hopefully I can squeeze a few makes for myself in as well. To see what others are working on, head over to Gracey's Goodies and look around :)

Book Review: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

This is yet another book that frequently shows up on lists of books to read in your lifetime. When reading Nora Ephron's book, she specifically mentions this book as one that really defined a period of her life in her memory, so I figured it was worth giving it a try myself.

The Woman in White is a fairly complicated mystery novel, beginning when Walter Hartright runs into a mysterious woman wearing all white late at night on a road outside London. She asks him if he knows any men with a Baronet's seat, and she seems very distressed. She won't give him any particulars about herself except that she spent some time in Cumberland and is trying to find the road to London. He tells her which way to go, then overhears a man searching for the woman shortly after saying that she has escaped from his asylum. Walter goes on to his new job as a drawing teacher to two half sisters in Cumberland, Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie. Walter becomes good friends with Marian and falls in love with Laura while he is there, to which Marian has a big objection - Laura is already engaged to Sir Percival Glyde. Walter is encouraged to go away to save Laura from too much heartbreak, and he goes on an expedition to South America. In the meantime, Laura marries Sir. Percival in spite of some serious reservations about his character. Laura is given an anonymous letter warning her that he is hiding something, which makes her worry but she is committed to the marriage her dead father arranged for her. Sir Percival quickly shows his true colors after their marriage - he is dangerously in debt and constantly forcing Laura to sign over her money to him, and he is never kind to her. Things quickly snowball for all the characters involved, and the story takes a very unexpected turn.

I don't want to give away any of the big plot points since this is supposed to be a mystery. Suffice ti to say that there is a very unexpected plot twist. If you like harlequin mysteries, you will love this book. As a teenager I was obsessed with Victoria Holt books, and this really took me back. The book is clean, but engaging, and even though it was longer I never once lost interest. The book certainly grabbed me, and kept me wanting to know what really happened, which is a good quality in my opinion.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

FO: Fuzzy Mitten Mystery KAL - Timmy Turtle

You guys - I HAVE SOLVED A MYSTERY! Well, not really, lol, but the mystery is over. The Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit Along animal is...

A very cute turtle! My suspicions were correct :) I've named this little guy Timmy (original, I know), because he reminds me of a little turtle just going off to school. For those of you just tuning in, for the last 6 weeks I have been participating in the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit-Along - Barbara Prime (the designer of Fuzzy Mitten) releases one clue per week and each clue contains just a piece or two of the final animal and you have no idea what you are making until the end. This is thee second year I've done this mystery and it did not disappoint. The final clue was released yesterday and it was how to make the front of his shell (which I think is my favorite part!).

His shell is actually removable - the front has little buttoned straps that remind me of overalls and they hold the shell up on his body. He also has a cute little tail :) For my little guy, I used Everyday Soft Worsted in Shamrock (the lighter green), Loops and Threads Impeccable in Kelly Green (the darker green - ugh! see my thoughts on this yarn here) and Red Heart With Lovffodil for his yellow extras.

I love all the little details in Fuzzy Mitten patterns, and they all include some kind of item of clothing. This time he not only had his shell (kind of necessary for a turtle), he also came with a rain hat and rain boots pattern :) I used faux-tortoise shell buttons (oh, the irony) mostly because my button stash is very limited on buttons this size and these looked best. I went with yellow thread just to tie into the rest of his accessories. I did do his smile a bit different than the pattern - the pattern has you follow the cleft to make a sort of W shaped mouth, but when I went to embroider it I just thought a simple half circle rounded him off well. I love the subtle patterns on each piece - the stitch design on his shell, the lighter green stripes on his front, the ribbed straps - so cute!

Hooray! Another mystery completed and I could not be happier with my finished new friend :) These are always so much fun I can hardly wait until I get to join in again next year.