How to read whilst eating a sandwich.

I feel like lately on Ravelry, all I hear about is Outlander. Outlander mystery shawl KALs, Outlander-themed yarn lines, "can someone please design that knitted thing Claire wore on Outlander last night?" I was like, what the what is this Outlander thing, and when did I get so old that I have no idea what the trendy things are? I looked into it. Turns out it's a book series, and if I had to describe what it's about, I guess I'd say it's an adventure series about time travel (sort of) with a lot of violence, sex, and sometimes violent sex. I think that's a pretty decent description. So this book series is now a STARZ tv show, and I think that's when the hype started, because book #1 was published in 1992. So not a new thing.

What does this have to do with knitting, you may ask? Well, nothing yet, but I'm getting there. I wanted to read the series so that I knew what everybody was talking about, but all the physical copies at the library had about a million holds, and I didn't really want to wait for that or for a book to come in the mail, so I went the instant gratification route and bought the Kindle version. Normally, I am not a Kindle book person- I love real books. I often want to flip back and forth, but that's hard on a Kindle. I also like to know how many pages are left in the chapter, but that's not possible on my older Kindle. And there's something to be said for the feel of a real book in your hand. But the Kindle version is what I have, so I'm making it work. I often read at lunch time, and reading on the Kindle got old quickly, because it lays flat on the table, and I feel like I'm craning my neck to see it. Yes, I could hold it up with one hand, but I often need both hands to eat my lunchy lunch. I make a lot of grilled cheese.
 

And now the knitting comes in. I found this Kindle stand pattern on Ravlery the other day, and realized that my problems could be solved. I knitted it in some Red Heart sport-weight yarn that came from my husband's grandma's house and is so old that there's not even a listing for it on Ravelry. Only took me one evening. The knitting itself is super easy, but sewing it together took some head scratching. I think I figured it out, but the whole thing looks super goofy to me. It does hold my Kindle upright, and that's the whole point, so I think we'll call it a win.

Free pattern + stashed old yarn + just a couple hours, and I've thriftily solved my most irksome current problem. Life isn't too bad if my biggest problem is a Kindle-induced cricked neck, right? It's important to have some perspective. Also important to have a way to eat grilled cheese AND read Outlander.