Joining Ginny for Yarn Along this week.
**Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~
New reads and new projects this week! My children's last week of school was full of tests, promotions, and fun! But so very busy. I barely had time to knit or read. I didn't manage to post about anything new but I did stop by your blogs when I could to see what you all were up too.
I have decided to put Gettysburg back on the shelves...at least for a bit. It is very good but the technical elements leave me dizzy. The human element of the story, though, I truly do soak up those words but those pages are few and far between. It is so difficult to imagine what the characters are viewing as far as the battles. I feel like every word I read I need to read twice. Maybe seeing a reenactment would make the the reading a little easier? Not sure I am brave enough for that--the suffering and death would be more than I could bear witness too. It makes you wonder how the members of both sides of each army and the ones left to clean up after each battle managed to do what they did....
My children and I traveled to our library this week... we stocked up on books to read for the next 2 weeks. Our stacks are large! Did I tell you we joined the Read Aloud Book Club for the summer. I am so excited! We managed to snag the last copy of Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe . And we did grab a copy of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I have such fond memories of this book and I can't wait to share it with my boys.
The book I choose for me this week is I Gave My Heart To Know This. It truly is multigenerational saga of the searing power of war, memory, friendship, and family.**words taken from Amazon-I couldn't have said it better, though.
Now for my knitting! I cast on a Baby Vertebrae. I really don't know why I did it. I have no one little to knit for but Ginny inspired me. So cast on I did....I do love how it is knitting up. But really with no one little to knit for I don't know why I just didn't ignore the urge to knit up something little-- I was quite happy knitting up a Simple Things for myself. BUT, Oh the horrors I have encountered with this shawl. If I didn't love the wool so much I would hide it under my bed and cast on some else! It is a great pattern. Fun to knit and easy and the wool is beautiful but I had a terrible time re-skeining the wool. Re-skeining you may ask....It arrived like this(isn't it beautiful!).
The problem..... was (notice I typed WAS) that when it arrived to me it was machine knit using 2 strands of fingering weight wool. It was sent that way so you could knit 2 socks as one- clever, huh?!! I would SO love to do that(one day)! But when I first saw this wool(online) I fell it love with it and impulsvely bought it without reading any of the fine print. I just knew it would make a beautiful shawlette for me. I, also, didn't read on the site until later that the wonderful dyer would have wound the wool for me if I had let her know! Always the hard headed knitter---I tried to knit straight from that luscious scarf! Big mistake--I wasn't knitting 2 at once so you can imagine the trouble I ran into.... I decided to frog it from the wonderful scarf uaing a ball winder. Then, I truly realized that there was 2 strands of these glorious wool together! The re-skeining begin and boy was that a struggle! It would have been fine but with 2 strands wound into a beautiful yarn cake--it was a mess! My wonderful husband and my oldest daughter rallied to my side and we begin to reskein the wool into 2 hank using a 2 kitchen chairs and these directions . I am so happy we did it--I learned some new skills and in the end I had 2 lovely yarn cakes and and I am teaching myself how to knit with 2 balls of wool and alternate skeins. It sure does keep the knitting lively, doesn't it?
**Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~
New reads and new projects this week! My children's last week of school was full of tests, promotions, and fun! But so very busy. I barely had time to knit or read. I didn't manage to post about anything new but I did stop by your blogs when I could to see what you all were up too.
I have decided to put Gettysburg back on the shelves...at least for a bit. It is very good but the technical elements leave me dizzy. The human element of the story, though, I truly do soak up those words but those pages are few and far between. It is so difficult to imagine what the characters are viewing as far as the battles. I feel like every word I read I need to read twice. Maybe seeing a reenactment would make the the reading a little easier? Not sure I am brave enough for that--the suffering and death would be more than I could bear witness too. It makes you wonder how the members of both sides of each army and the ones left to clean up after each battle managed to do what they did....
My children and I traveled to our library this week... we stocked up on books to read for the next 2 weeks. Our stacks are large! Did I tell you we joined the Read Aloud Book Club for the summer. I am so excited! We managed to snag the last copy of Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe . And we did grab a copy of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I have such fond memories of this book and I can't wait to share it with my boys.
The book I choose for me this week is I Gave My Heart To Know This. It truly is multigenerational saga of the searing power of war, memory, friendship, and family.**words taken from Amazon-I couldn't have said it better, though.
The problem..... was (notice I typed WAS) that when it arrived to me it was machine knit using 2 strands of fingering weight wool. It was sent that way so you could knit 2 socks as one- clever, huh?!! I would SO love to do that(one day)! But when I first saw this wool(online) I fell it love with it and impulsvely bought it without reading any of the fine print. I just knew it would make a beautiful shawlette for me. I, also, didn't read on the site until later that the wonderful dyer would have wound the wool for me if I had let her know! Always the hard headed knitter---I tried to knit straight from that luscious scarf! Big mistake--I wasn't knitting 2 at once so you can imagine the trouble I ran into.... I decided to frog it from the wonderful scarf uaing a ball winder. Then, I truly realized that there was 2 strands of these glorious wool together! The re-skeining begin and boy was that a struggle! It would have been fine but with 2 strands wound into a beautiful yarn cake--it was a mess! My wonderful husband and my oldest daughter rallied to my side and we begin to reskein the wool into 2 hank using a 2 kitchen chairs and these directions . I am so happy we did it--I learned some new skills and in the end I had 2 lovely yarn cakes and and I am teaching myself how to knit with 2 balls of wool and alternate skeins. It sure does keep the knitting lively, doesn't it?
I also decided to cast on a Prayer Shawl. I have never knit anything as wonderful as this. My husband's Aunt--she is such a wonderful lady and is going through some with some health issues that are terribly frightening and I wanted to let her know I am thinking of her. I am only 2 rows into it... The problem I have run into is that I can't find time to find a quiet place to knit and pray for our beloved Aunt. I could knit it throughout the day and it would roll of my needles in no time but Prayer Shawls are different. Any thoughts, dear readers?
Can't wait to catch with you.
Oh, the idea of a long break and a stack of library books is wonderful, isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteI've knitted a couple of prayer shawls, in fact I am busy with another one now! If I had to wait for a quiet moment it would never get done. I try and make sure that each time I pick up my shawl I pray for just one thing for the person I am knitting for. It does not have to be for the whole duration of the knitting session. It is wonderful to be able to weave in my prayers - a little at a time and consistantly ;o)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on working through your yarn troubles! It really is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOH the pain of knitting and falling in love with a yarn. I hope your husband isn't too jelouse. Though with his coming to your rescue shows he is still the main sqeeze in your life.
ReplyDeleteWith All That I Am
Carrie "The Handmade Homemaker"
that sweater is ever so cute, i love the colours - good luck with the prayer shawl, it's on my ever growing list!!! have a knitty wednesday xxx
ReplyDeleteWhat great knitting! I love the vertebrae... the colors are so fun!
ReplyDeleteWell, despite all your difficulties, everything is looking lovely!
ReplyDeleteAs to getting in prayer time... how about you set aside morning and evening time before/after everyone is awake/asleep? If you just have a few minutes set aside it is better than nothing :)