Bookworm

As a child, I was hardly found without a book in my hand. I often got reprimanded for trying to read at the dinner table and for staying up late, reading by the light coming in my room from the hall. It's a wonder I'm not blind, really, because I did whatever I could to continue reading after the lights were out, including using headlights of cars behind us on road trips. I particularly loved ghost stories where the main character lived in a haunted old house, and they spent their free time searching for clues to help set the ghost free. I used to wish that was my life (and now that we live in a 100 year old house, I'm one step closer. Just waiting for the friendly, but confused, ghost who needs my help to put them to rest).

Since knitting has started to take over more and more of my free time, I've started to miss reading a lot. I tried e-books, but there's something about it that's not the same. I used my e-reader for a while, but, again, it's just not the same. I love the feeling of turning the pages of a book, the smell of the glue and pages, and losing myself in the world of an amazing book. So, last week I decided I'd had enough. I decided to give reading while knitting a shot. I reached out to my Twitter friends who are able to read and knit for advice, and got a lot of great answers. I tried a few different methods, and finally found a way that it would work for me. Since the cardigan I'm working on is now in the stockinette body portion, I was able to happily knit along, without having to look at what I was doing.

I'm never going back to knitting without a book in my lap. I flew through the above 4 books in a week, and found that I was more productive knitting-wise while reading. Of course, this will only work with knits that do not require lots of attention, but I'm okay with that. The bottom two books are written by a local author, and they were really simple, enjoyable reads. The top two were equally as enjoyable. I loved them both, but I really enjoyed The Virgin Blue more. 

This week I'm diving in head first to Game of Thrones. I started it earlier this year, but haven't had the chance to sit down and get totally wrapped up in it. I'm really looking forward to it. Once I'm finished with my cardigan, I won't be surprised if I'm drawn towards simpler knits, just so I can keep reading.

If you haven't yet tried knitting and reading, I definitely recommend it. It takes a little time to get used to it, but it's totally worth it. 

Anyone have any other book suggestions?