Knitting (twice), workshops, spices

Approximately-weekly news, 69

I finished a jumper/sweater/pullover* in June, when it was so hot that not only could I not face putting it on, but I could not imagine what had possessed me to make it in the first place.

But now it is October, and I am delighted with Past Me.

(I have just finished a cardigan/wrap/shrug**, so when I show you that next week, please remember that I am not really as prolific as I seem; we’re just a long way behind with finished-object catch-ups.)

Info for knitters: the yarn is this (and on sale!) and the pattern is this. It was really lovely to knit - a straightforward pattern, and even the finishing was actually a pleasure, which is not something I would usually say….

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I have Workshop News…

Thank you to everyone who got in touch to say that they might want to plan ahead for 2026, and/or request workshops as gifts. I’ve now booked dates for January and February for Zoom workshops. There are five different workshops:

• For fiction writers: plot, character and dialogue (my original workshops)

• For memoirists: approaching and writing memoir

• For all writers: creating a good writing life

Dates and booking details are here.

And other writing services are here.

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In one of those glorious afternoons where excellent things collide, I went to meet a book group… who meet in a knitting shop, the delightful Lucy Locket Land!

We talked about ‘Found In A Bookshop’, in a heartfelt and honest discussion of our experiences of lockdown and loss, of community and craft. It was such a privilege to be part of that conversation, with such a lovely group of people.

I’ve just finished a novel in which reading aloud really, really matters. I thought, and wrote, about all the ways in which we connect over words, and use books to help us to tell our own stories. I’m about to sign off on the final pages of this new novel, which is the place*** in the process where it can feel as though the solid ground I thought I was on is actually a blistering hellscape of lava-like quicksand.

So spending an afternoon with these kind and thoughtful people was exactly what I needed to remind me that my instincts, when it comes to bookishness, are sound.

And as if that wasn’t enough… ‘Found In A Bookshop’ has its own yarn, dyed by the shop’s owner, the brilliant Lucy! So many colours to represent so many characters. I’ll show you the socks when they are done.

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I made cookies, and they taste beautiful, and they look beautiful, and they are from a beautiful book.

They are Garam Masala and chocolate chunk cookies, and the recipe is here. I made a couple of changes:**** mixed citrus peel instead of ginger, and a slightly fancy dark chocolate mix with little pearly things in instead of straight chocolate.

They are from ‘A Whisper of Cardamom’ by Eleanor Ford, and if you take a look at her website you’ll get a sense of how gorgeous the book is. I’ve made several things from it now and they have all been scrumptious. (Saffron macaroons! Smoky chilli brownies!)

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October skies: I didn’t think they could beat September, yet here we are.*****

Until next time, my friends, be well, stay well.

Stephanie x

*delete according to your preference and/or understanding of whether these are three names for the same thing or three different things.

**as above

***well, there are a few places, but I’ve been okay with that since I realised that it’s only because writing really matters to me.

****not because I know better, because I didn’t have any ginger or dark chocolate in the cupboard.

*****I mean, I know it’s not a competition, except in my head.