I’m a day late for Small Things Yarn Along but I have knitting, I have books so I’m going to play anyway.

First off – I’m knitting a (very) belated ‘Hurrah, you’ve been born!’ present that hopefully we be given at the weekend. It’s in OxfordKitchenYarns BFL/Bamboo Sock yarn, which I love knitting with.  I’m knitting another Country Kiddie by Brandy Fortune.

I haven’t knit one of these since FB was still a bump, and I’d forgotten how much I love this pattern. It’s simple and fun to knit and I’ve knit it differently every time I’ve knit one.

This one is different again, and I can pretty much guarantee that I’ll have another one on the needles by the weekend for LR (even though I’ve got a number of projects on the go right now.)

Book-wise I’ve just got Campcraft for Girl Guides by the Girl Guides Association. This is the 1960 revised edition. Everything I ever learnt about camping was taught to me by the Girl Guides.  (Apart from the trick of dumping out all your stuff from your bag onto the floor of your tent at festivals so that it’s harder for people just to take everything.)

I took my guide promise at my first camp when I was about 11, and got my camp permit at 13. We made our own kitchen sinks from a plastic bowl and string and canes. I would love to own a proper canvas and solid wooden ridge pole tent like the ones we camped in, even though you need about 4 people who know what they’re doing to a) physically move it anywhere and b) get it up.

But it was beautiful and I loved it.

Anyway we are hoping and planning to take the children camping at least over night this summer, with the plan of more camping holidays to come. And so I wanted to remind myself of what I was taught, and went back to the source.

I’ve only just started it, but it’s packed full of information, and ideas and things to do and given it’s only 4″x5″ it’ll be great to slip into the pocket of coat or backpack to read when we’re on our trip. 🙂