Yarn Along

Yarn Along with Ginny @ small things

I'm working on a blanket for the new baby.  It's organic cotton and I quite like how it's turning out so far.  I really hope I'll be able to finish it before the new baby arrives.  I'm (re-)reading A Mother's Rule of Life and Sidetracked Home Executives in a sort of desperate attempt to bring complete order and peace to our home before we have to adjust to life with an infant again.  I've read A Mother's Rule of Life many times.  My copy is all marked up and highlighted.  I like the author's philosophy and her emphasis on having the proper priorities and motivations in life.  I just don't know if her "system" for getting there works for me.  I've tried it several times and failed.  So, on the recommendation of a friend, I'm trying out the Sidetracked Home Executive way.  This book is very goofy and not spiritual at all.  But it does offer another system for organization and staying on track that might work for me.  I'm hoping I can take the best from both books and  figure this homemaking thing out once and for all.

Yarn Along

Yarn Along with Ginny @ small things

I'm still working on the Baby Surprise Jacket and I think it's coming along pretty well.  I am worried that I've made some fatal error somewhere along the way and I won't discover it until I'm trying to fold up the finished product.  But for now I'm taking Elizabeth's Zimmermann's words to heart:  "Knit, and keep calm."

I'm also trying to finish up a little summer top for J that has been kind of a thorn in my side.  The very first garment that I ever knitted was this exact pattern for T a couple of years ago.  When I started it, I promised all the girls that I would make them one.  Big mistake!  The pattern is not that interesting and I've gotten so bored with it.  The first one wasn't too bad...it was very small and fairly quick.  C's took a lot longer and J's is taking forever!  Not because it's so hard or even that big.  It's mainly that I am so tired of working on it that I rarely do.  If I don't finish up soon, though, J will be too big for it and C will have two.  So, I've promised myself to work on this little summer top every day until it's finished.

I'm reading The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge as a read-aloud to the kids.  Sometime last year I saw a preview for a movie that is supposed to be based on this book.  I thought the kids would want to see it and I wanted them to read the book first.  J received it for Christmas, but the print is a little small and it's just a bit above her reading level.  She wasn't interested.  M could probably read it to himself easily.  He still likes to listen to me read, though.  We are only a few chapters in and already I have to stop myself from reading ahead on my own.

Yarn Along

Yarn Along with Ginny @ small things

A couple of days ago I cast on for the Baby Surprise Jacket that is found in The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmermann.  I've been wanting to try this little sweater for a while now.  It's supposed to be very easy.  The directions, however are very confusing for me.  When Elizabeth Foss started her knit along with help promised, I decided to give it a go.  I've had to consult a few YouTube videos already, but so far so good!  The other book I'm reading now is Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne.  I'm only a little way into it and I've already marked up my copy underlining passages.  I knew I would like this book before I started it.  It came highly recommended by friends.  And I already knew that I wanted to make some significant changes in our family life.  Hopefully this book will give me the tools and the motivation to do just that.

Sweet Moments

It's times like this that I want to remember forever.  M played a very cute game of hide-and-seek with T last night.  He helped her count, hid in very easy places for her, and pretended not to be able to find her right away even when she hid in the exact same spot every time.  Each round ended with them both bursting out laughing and running into each other's arms.  Then after the game, he snuggled up with her on the couch and read her Christmas stories. 

  Eventually each of the older girls snuggled in to listen as he continued to read.

Sometimes they can be so sweet.

Yarn Along

 

 

I'm joining Ginny for the first time in her Yarn Along.  I'm currently knitting yet another hat.  It must be the sudden cold weather here. And the quick projects satisfy my need for instant gratification.  A nice break from the looong project I've been working on for the girls that definitely won't be ready to show until well after Christmas.  On my night stand with the knitting are the other "yarns."  The Trumpet of the Swan is a read-aloud for the kids.  The Wives of Henry the VIII is a book that I borrowed from my sister-in-law months and months ago.  It's not exactly light reading so it's slow going.  But it is fascinating!  Antonia Fraser really makes these women come alive for me.  Highly recommended!