It’s possible to read and knit. The sentence I never thought I’d write. This summer I started reading again. I’ve always been a great reader. I like pretty much any genre, as long as it’s not too violent, too stressful and has a happy ending. Well, I say that, but my favorite book might be Barjavel’s La Nuit des temps, a book that’s not known for being particularly joyful (if you, too, shed every tear in your body after finishing it, raise your hand 🙋🏻‍♀️).

My list for this summer was well-stocked:

• Children of silk by John Evans
• Au bonheur des dames by Émile Zola (*)
• The Library of the Blessed by Cali Keys (*)
• The mystery of the sarcophagus and The shadow of Sethos by Elizabeth Peters (*)
• The Last Queen by Philippa Gregory (*)

I’ve always thought that reading and knitting were rather incompatible, as I’m a big fan of paper books. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I tried once again to read on a tablet, as I’d fallen for some of the books during last year’s OP All Stars. It’s not a reader so I don’t think it’s ideal, I still prefer paper (by far), but I’ve managed to read three of these books on it, which isn’t too bad, is it?

Anyway, I’ve changed my mind and now think it’s just as possible to do Knitflix as Tricolivre. If you’d like to try your hand at knitting, here are a few ideas to make things easier for you:

• Reading on a tablet or e-reader allows you to keep your hands free rather than having to turn the pages. This allows the pages to be turned with just one click of the little finger, keeping the knitting flowing smoothly. You’ll find a huge selection of books in Amazon’s Kindle Store (*) or at Fnac. You’ll also need something to stand it on (*). I didn’t use mine much before, but I’ve rediscovered my tablet since I put it back into service!
• Use audio books. Personally, I give up on audio books pretty quickly, but I have friends who swear by them. Litteratureaudio.com is a good place to start and test the concept to see if it suits you. And then you can find an ever-growing number of audio books on Audible (*) and Fnac.
• If you prefer paper books, you can always use a book stand (*, similar to the ones used for cookery books). I admit that having to put the knitting down every couple of minutes to turn the page of the book kind of puts me off combining the two, but if you don’t mind, it can be a good solution to combine knitting and reading!

When it comes to knitting, I advise you to start with something simple and easy to follow, so that you can find your feet. Like jersey socks, for example. Or socks with just a little pattern or a simple shawl with lots of moss or jersey. And only move on to more complex patterns with lace or brioche, for example, once you can follow both the knitting and the story! 😉

On that note, I’m going back to my knitting book because my story of the moment is calling me!

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