You know, the intentional summer list. We're working on it. Here's progress:
#2
Katie did it:-)! Pretty much all by herself. And the mistakes? She shrugged, smiled, and said they didn't bother her one bit. Good girl! (She does not get that from me.)
#13
A big deal. A very big deal. But he's quiet and understated and we'll just go with that. (But really, it's a huge deal.)
Since my reading is much the same as it was two weeks ago and I just gushed about it yesterday, I thought I'd share Stephen's and Nick's summer reading lists today.
Stephen consulted reading lists from local prep schools to come up with his summer list. Most of his books are on Kindle. His current read, The Hobbit, is a well-worn favorite from our shelves. is reading:
Nicky chose his books from volumes already on our shelves:
Stone Fox (this is my favorite book to give to a child who is just ready to spring into chapter books. It looks like "real" chapter book. And it is. But the print if farily large, the pages small, and the book easily read in an afternoon. A great confidence builder!)
Niagara Falls or Does It? (written by Henry Winkler, who is dyslexic, with a kind heart towards dyslexic kids)
The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars
In my happy little knitting world, I'm still making very slow progress on my To Eyre shawl. I'm coming around the bend to the decreases in front, so maybe by the weekend it will be finished. I'm kind of bummed to see how small it is, but I'm thinking about adjusting the numbers and knitting it in denim for fall soccer games. (Actually, I'm waiting for a friend of mine to adjust the numbers and knit it bigger and then I'll just do what she did;-) This one is a pretty little capelet kind of wrap. Not quite sure what I'll wear with it? And I guess I need a shawl pin. Where does one purchase shawl pins?
Below, please smile with Karoline, who is ever so happy with her newly seamed Baby Surprise Jacket. I didn't seam it. Alas, working with cashmere so much seems to have sensitized me further to cashmere. This jacket makes me wheeze. When I took it out so that a friend could show me how to seam it, we both noticed that the same allergy that was present when we visited the yarn store was back with a vengeance. So, she seamed the whole thing for me. Still pondering buttons and gearing up to highly medicate and weave in all those ends. Karoline absolutely loves this sweater. Her appreciation makes it so worth it.
Go visit Ginny for more knitting and reading tales. I've settled into a Wednesday afternoon tradition: a big cup of tea and enough time to myself to click through a big bunch of the links at Ginny's. I am enriched by the yarns shared there.
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Katie and I started sewing yesterday afternoon. We made her skirt first. This is a super easy pattern. I was happy to discover that I actually remembered a thing or two from past attempts to sew. The pattern was a good one with which to get started. We learned all sorts of things about our machine and we made all sorts of mistakes had all sorts of opportunities to learn something new. See those cute "design elements" we added down the back? They may or may not hide some mistakes evidence of lessons learned.
Karoline's skirt is leftover Heather Bailey fabric from my last foray into sewing, which was four years ago when Karoline was a stationary, quiet baby.She's so over-the-top excited about this sewing thing that I think there are lots of ribbons and ruffles in her future. I was pretty bummed to find that my local fabric store no longer carries Heather Bailey (or Anna Maria Horner or Oliver and S or pretty much anyone else who has inspired me online). Maybe the store in Charlottesville will be more fruitful in our search to start the stash. And I'm really hoping you will tell me your favorite online sources for fabric and ribbons.
Sarah Annie's skirt is made from what was left after I overbought for Katie. Yay for tiny little girls! She just loves to match someone. She wants ribbon, a bow, and a button on her back too. Maybe we'll add one later.
Tomorrow, I've promised Katie she can make one all by herself (sort of) and we have the fabric and ribbons for Gracie's skirt, too. . And I still have enough Heather Bailey for another skirt for Sarah.
How are you spending your summer afternoons?
I've settled into a summer knitting rhythm that I'm really loving. And, at the urging of two dear friends, I'm sort of believing that we can venture into sewing, too. So, in the knitting basket, my To Eyre shawl is taking shape. Those gentle, barely there ruffles make me so happy! I'm just ready to begin the back part. Maybe another week or so of this sweet knitting and I'll have a finished garment. I finished another garment this week, as well, but it's a gift so we'll just wait on those pictures.
Reading time is all about sewing. I retrieved Seams to Me from my shelves again. I truly do think this book a must-have. Anna Maria Horner offers such wonderful information along with her patterns. And the pictures are infinitely inspiring. I'm going to take this one along with me to the sewing store this weekend and see about making sure we're properly supplied in the basic necessities.
I also read Growing Up Sew Liberated this week. I want so much to love this book and I think I would if my children were all younger. Now, it sort of makes me pine for a baby or two. There's not much here for bigger kids. I love the look, the feel, the whole spirit of the book. And I do like Meg McElwee's blog. Sigh. The book is beautiful and truly well done and we'll find a thing or two to make our own, I'm sure. The art satchel and play capes caught our fancy.
Now for pink wonderful: Yesterday, Sarah Annie and I snuggled on the couch during a "funderstorm" and paged through Girl's World. Oh my! What darlingness! There's plenty in this book for girls up to middle school age. We're going to begin with this free pattern online (completely unrelated to the book) and then, I'm all in to Girl's World.
Go visit Ginny for more knitting and reading tales. I've settled into a Wednesday afternoon tradition: a big cup of tea and enough time to myself to click through a big bunch of the links at Ginny's. I am enriched by the yarns shared there.
About a month ago, I was standing in front of the yarn aisle in my local Michael's store. A woman nearby was enthusiastically explaining to a stranger that knitting has a chemical effect on the brain. "They've done studies, you know. When you knit, you get into a zone, and your body releases endorphins that calm you. Also, your brain organizes itself. It's the most amazing thing. And it's addicting." The man taking in all this information left with enough acrylic yarn to make a man-sized sweater.
I keep meaning to go research the claims.
I didn't knit at all last week. Early this week, I picked up Mary Beth's project because I couldn't bear to hear her whine about ribbing one minute more. I like to do 1X1 ribbing. So I ribbed the better part of 18 rows, wheezing, because for some reason, the DK weight of Belle Organic bothers me much more than the Aran weight. And of course, Aran is being discontinued.
That has been a running theme the last couple of weeks. Seems like everything I've swatched and loved is being discontinued. I just don't get it. I'd link to the yarns, but what's the use? You'll love them, too and be sad with me?
Her ribbing finished, I wanted to knit something calming. Something I was sure wasn't going to cause an allergic reaction. Something that wouldn't stress me about size or fit. Something maybe for me. To wear for the next date night?
A few weeks ago, I ambitiously bought some Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima/Silk for a sweater for me. (There's no alapaca in it.) I think it says it's DK weight. I can't get DK gauge with it to save my life. I have been obsessing over this shawl pattern. It's just so lovely and simple and beautiful. Gentle, gentle ruffles. And gentle is the theme for June. I found that I could hold the pima/silk doubled and almost get gauge for the shawl. So I forged ahead. I made it all the way through the left front, just absolutely loving the genius of the pattern and the way the yarn was coming alive as it was knit into gentleness.
I have found that the rhythm and the yarn and the experience of knitting is everything the Michael's saleswoman promised. Knitting this shawl restored my sanity with a passion:-)
This morning, I got up and listened to my current read while knitting. And I missed a K2tog. It's a wonderful book by Dr. Meg Meeker, who wrote such excellent books as Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters and Boys will be Boys. The book is everything the title promises: The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity. She writes from the shared experience of motherhood with common sense and wisdom. I've been thinking (as I'm knitting) about this musing of Kate Wicker's. I know from where Kate writes. Been there, lived that. would have done some things differently had I known. Meg Meeker knows. This book is for Kate.
And for me. It was during the chapter on friendship that I totally messed up my knitting. I didn't notice the mistake until several rows later and I went back and tried to unknit. But those short rows and my inexperience were my unravelling. I'm going to have to take it all out and begin again. I remind myself that all was not lost in the process. I did genuinely enjoy the knitting for knitting's sake.
Back to the book: this book is the handbook. It's the wise friend, the good idea, the common sense advice we all need at some point or many points in our mothering journeys. I plan to write more on it when I finish. For now, go buy this book. Actually buy two. Keep one and give one away to a mom you know. Any mom. We all need it.
I did receive my hard copy as a review copy, but in the end, I bought it anyway, to listen to the audio version on Kindle. I will continue to listen and to knit, paying closer attention to both the book and the yarn the second time around.
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Go visit Ginny for more knitting and readling tales. I've settled into a Wednesday afternoon tradition: a big cup of tea and enough time to myself to click through a big bunch of the links at Ginny's. I am enriched by the yarns shared there.
I'm Elizabeth. I'm a happy wife and the mother of nine children. I grab grace with both hands and write to encourage myself and others to seize and nurture the joy of every day. I blog here with my daughter, Mary Beth, a wholehearted young lady on the brink of adulthood.
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