Book Review~Murder Tightly Knit: An Amish Village Mystery

You all know I love my Amish fiction, but you may not know that I also enjoy a good murder mystery.  Well, those two worlds came together in author Vannetta Chapman's new book, Murder Tightly Knit.  Oh-I also love knitting, so this book was a win-win-win for me!  Murder Tightly Knit is the second book in the Amish Village Mystery series.  The first book, Murder Simply Brewed, was excellent so I knew I was in for a treat! 

In Murder Tightly Knit, an Amish man has been murdered near the Amish Village in Middlebury, Indiana.  The Amish Artisan Village is a quaint place with shops and a restaurant.  Amish and Englisch work together there.  The Village Manager, Englischer Amber, and one of her employees, Amish Hanna, find themselves involved in helping to solve this murder that has shaken their small, close knit community. 

My Thoughts: Murder Tightly Knit is fast-paced and full of twists and turns.  It is a murder mystery with just enough romance.  I enjoyed that it was written from more than one character's point of view, even the murderer's.  My favorite characters were Amber and Hannah-what a great relationship from two different worlds!  Although it is the second in the series, I believe it could be read alone.  There is a map of the Village and surrounding area at the front of the book, and discussion questions at the back.  Murder Tightly Knit is a great book for a lazy weekend!

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Book Review~Knitting Block by Block

I enjoy knitting.  I learned to knit about five years ago, and have enjoyed the craft ever since.  I love looking at patterns and yarns-the possibilities are endless!  So, I was thrilled to be able to review Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein.  This is a beautiful hardcover book that would make a lovely gift for the knitter in your life. 

Knitting Block by Block is 240 pages, with color pictures and illustrations.  I love the idea of knitting blocks-for a novice like me, knitting one block at a time is much less daunting than a pattern for a big blanket!  I can do one block at a time, feel satisfied that I accomplished that block, and move on to the next block. 

In this book you will find 150 original block patterns, from simple textures to embossed pictorials, lace to cables, colorwork, double knitting and more.  There are more than ten project designs you can make with the blocks, many that don't look like they are made from blocks!  These designs are gorgeous and unique, and the patterns and instructions are thorough. 

Author Nicky Epstein is the author of numerous books and has been featured in many knitting publications. 

You can purchase your own copy of Knitting Block by Block at Random House and other online retailers. 

I received a copy of this book free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review.

The Snake Scarf

I am not an accomplished knitter.  I learned how to knit last year, and have made several very basic scarves and dishcloths since then.  My daughter Alyssa, who learned to knit the very same day I did, is already an accomplished knitter.  She has to rescue me from all my mistakes when I knit, plus reteach my old brain how to do the things I've forgotten.  So, last year my friend Cassie was making an adorable snake scarf for her son, and I asked Chad if he wanted one. Of course he did, and I started to knit the scarf.  Very soon, the problems arose.  I didn't know how to change colors, how to increase or decrease-all things my Alyssa was willing to teach me, but I got overwhelmed and started working on dishcloths for gifts.  When this winter rolled around, Chad started asking when his snake scarf would be finished.  Hmmmm.....that was a really good question.  So I decided to enlist Alyssa's help and get going on it again.  Due to my tremor in my hand, knitting can get frustrating at times, so we decided to make it easier on me by adjusting the pattern a bit so it wasn't so complicated.  I worked on it off and on during the winter (on when Chad asked me when it would be done, off when he didn't).  Then February came and I realized I really needed to get this done before another winter was over.  So I kicked it into high gear, and finished one week before the official first day of Spring!!  Now, here in Utah we can have snow through Memorial Day so I know there will be opportunities to wear it a few times this Spring.  The scarf has several flaws in it, one being it is way too wide-I switched to a thicker yarn and didn't consider how that would affect the pattern.  But, even with it's flaws, Chad was thrilled, and that makes me happy. 

I've decided to put away the knitting needles for a bit. I have lots of yarn and many things I still want to knit, but I would like to try crochet, and see how my hands (and I) do with that.  Here is a picture of Chad with his snake: