Yarn Along...

From Ginny Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! 

It's winter hat season....I made these rolled brimmed hats, making up my own pattern as I went along..I think they turned out cute!

I picked up this new book today at the library..The Immortal Nicholas--by Glenn Beck.  

The librarian told me they just put it in the library system and she wants me to read it so she can give my recommendation to people...It's great to be a regular at the library! 

Now head over to Ginny's blog and check out everyone's great work. 

Yarn Along--May 6

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and 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, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~  Ginny 

I'm doing a little Mother's Day knitting right now...(shhhh it's a secret)  

The hanging dish towel is almost complete.  

This is my favorite dish towel pattern.... the Simply Striped Kitchen Hand Towel.

We have one chapter left in our read aloud... Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  The kids are loving this book.  We have also started a science unit on birds, so we have started out with picture books about John James Audobon.  

Have a great week knitting and reading everyone!

Yarn Along --April 29

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading. 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, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ From Ginny

I made a super cute sunhat for Kimberly this week....she pick out the colors and I think she made a wonderful choice. Here is a link to this fun pattern.

 I'm also finishing up my knitting for the Preemie Project. I LOVE this new to me pattern for stay on booties.  The pattern is on the Preemie Project page. 

My books are all about school this week.  We are studying Asia and India in general. 

Our fun read aloud is Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing...great fun for all the kids. 

Yarn Along

From Ginny~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading. 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, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I wanted to just back on the bandwagon and join in this week's Yarn Along over at Ginny's Small Things blog.  I have to admit I don't read much (knitting and crocheting take up most free time), but I am between paying jobs right now so a woman can always dream.  

I have started, and found quite helpful, Father Jonathan Morris' book, The Way of Serenity-Finding Peace and Happiness in the Serenity Prayer.  I have been searching for a book that would be easy to read and comforting to the soul. This book is both! It needs to be easy to read because my concentration level right now is quite low. 

And this leads us to my other very easy, light, read: A Patchwork Murder--by Jan Fields. Cozy mysteries are just about my speed these days. 

Since I am between paying knitting jobs right now, I have dived head first into some charity knitting.  The charity I am knitting and crocheting for right now is The Preemie Project. There is a great need for these little items for the most precious little patients around the country.  The Preemie Project website offers patterns and sizing...which is very, very helpful.  

It's the middle of the "4th of July" hat and bootie drive.  We want these babies all decked out for the summer holidays. 

Now, head over to Ginny's blog and share your "Yarn Along....."  

Yarn Along

~ 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! ~

Head over to Ginny's blog to join the fun.

I've made a lot of progress on the ripple crochet afghan I am working on.  I should have it done shortly.  After that, I have some wonderful new yarn (to me) for some baby blankets that need to be made.

We finished up last week's read aloud, Storm Makers, and have moved on to Nim's Island.  We are all enjoying this book also.  The kids were also thrilled to learn that there is a movie made of this book which we will watch when we are done reading.

I am hoping to find a book for my own personal enjoyment...I'm ready for a good book.

If anyone cares to share a fun book of fiction for summer reading, I would appreciate it.



Yarn Along

~ 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! ~

Head over to Ginny's blog to join the fun.

This is the fourth time I have made this ripple afghan.  I keep giving them away, and everyone has loved it.  The pattern can be found here.  I made it by crocheting rows 2-5 twice in blue and then rows 2-5 once in off-white.  I continue until it is long enough to keep me cozy while I work on it.

 

I can't seem to find a book (or the time) to read for myself, but I seem to always enjoy the read alouds I read to the kids.  Everyone has been enjoying Storm Makers.

It's about 12 year old twins, one of which discovers they can control the weather.  It's a vocabulary booster for my 8 and 9 year olds, and the 12 year old always asks for one more chapter.

Yarn Along.......

From Ginny, the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?

I finished a kitchen set earlier in the week and decided to do a little knitting for my favorite charity, The Pink Slipper Project. It's the perfect thing for using up left over yarn (the slippers don't have to be pink). Slippers are quick and easy and needed by the women and children in shelters that the Pink Slipper Project helps. There are several patterns on the website to choose from, my favorite is a classic "stay-on" slipper. The pattern is on the right sidebar of the Pink Slipper Project website. When I got my Ipad, I wasn't sure how I would like reading on it, but I have discovered a new love. It's perfect for having all my current books in one spot, and with the back lighting it doesn't bother my eyes. I also didn't realize I would find so many free books using the Kindle app. Right now I am enjoying the free, easy read, Hide in Plain Site.

My deep read is Happy are You Poor. As I strive for more simplicity in my life, this is an inspiration.

Yarn Along....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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? As you can see, it is seed, plants, and tree week here at the homeschool. These books are what are taking up most of my time this week---reading the books, with many hands-on activities to following our reading sessions. I have begun Amon's Adventure: A Family Story for Easter as a read aloud. During Advent we read Bartholomew's Passage. Amon's Adventure takes place thirty years after Bartholomew's Passage during the days leading up to the first Easter.

I have 12 rows of garter stitch left on the basketweave baby blanket. This is a good thing because the baby shower is on Saturday. I love how it turned out!! Once this blanket is off the needles I will be starting something new to show you next week.

Yarn Along....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?

I have made great progress on the basketweave baby blanket I am working on for my, soon to be born, great niece or great nephew. I love the look of it with the stripes of color, and the Snuggly Wuggly baby yarn is soooo soft. It will be perfect for wrapping up a tiny new blessing.

The "hard copy" book I am enjoying right now is Sweetness at the Bottom Of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery. This is the first is the Flavia de Luce series and I am really enjoying it as a fun read.

From Amazon: It's the beginning of a lazy summer in 1950 at the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey. Up at the great house of Buckshaw, aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce passes the time tinkering in the laboratory she's inherited from her deceased mother and an eccentric great uncle. When Flavia discovers a murdered stranger in the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window early one morning, she decides to leave aside her flasks and Bunsen burners to solve the crime herself, much to the chagrin of the local authorities.

For my Ipad I have discovered the Audible Store. When you join you immediately get your first book free. I am now listening to Christy, by Catherine Marshall. This is one of my all time favorite books, and what a wonderful surprise I received when I began listening. Kellie Martin, who played Christy in the tv series is the reader. It also includes an interview with the son of author Catherine Marshall. He adds some great insights into the life and times of his grandmother, Christy, and was throughly enjoyable.

Now head over to Ginny's blog and visit other "Yarn along..." posts.

Yarn Along.......

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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? Much of this week's reading revolves around schoolwork, specifically WWII. I have found many great picture books to supplement our history studies. One of my all time favorite read alouds for this awful time in history is Number The Stars.

Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend.

On my Ipad I am still listening to One Thousand Gifts... and savoring every minute of it.....

On my knitting needles is a soft little baby blanket.....I am so blessed to always have a new baby to be knitting for.....I am making it in a simple basketweave pattern, and because we don't know if this newest little blessing is a great-niece or great-nephew, I am making it in white, mint and yellow.
Now head over to small things and check out all the Yarn along.... posts.

Yarn Along.......

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?~ All our reading this week revolves around the life and art of Grandma Moses.

I love her art and look forward to sharing it with the kids.
My hubby surprised me with an ipad with past week, so much of my reading time has been spent trying to figure out all the gadgets of this new tool.

I did listen to Mary Higgins Clark's book, A Cry in the Night. It scared me so much, I had to finish it while the whole family watched a basketball game on tv--in the same room with me, of course. I may stay away from her books from now on.

I just downloaded Nicholas Sparks', book, The Lucky One, onto the ipad from the library. I love FREE books!! At least I know this book won't scare me, but it is sure to make me cry.

I am working on a springtime kitchen set for a friend. I have finished one potholder, one dishcloth and have started the hanging dish towel. I will add one more potholder and dish cloth to the gift before it is complete. I just love the springtime colors!!

My pattern for my favorite hanging towel is here.

"Grandma's Favorite" dishcloth pattern and the scalloped potholder patterns can be found by clicking on their names.

Yarn along.....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?~

I may just quit knitting for a while to read One Thousand Gifts. I have begun this book by Amy Voskamp, and I have to say, it's a book to savor, a life changing book to be read over and over again.

I have finished a baby blanket---now we await the baby. I used my favorite stretchy blanket pattern. A quick and easy simple garter stitch blanket. You wrap your baby in it and you don't need to worry about little feet poking out from between the stitches.

I am now knitting a scarf for Becky using this pattern. She picked the beautiful jewel toned colors. It is Caron Simply Soft Dark Sage and Ocean. I love the rich colors.

Head on over to Small Things and check out more "yarn along" posts.

Yarn Along.......

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?~

I have been knitting away this past week.....I made 3 pair of forearm warmers which I posted about here. These will be perfect for keeping the kids warm when they are out in the snow.

Last night I almost finished a little cotton newborn hat for part of the current Craft Hope project
challenge.
I wasn't sure how the 100% cotton would work, but the hat is turning out great.
I am promising myself reading time this week. I plan on starting The Miracle of Mercy Land for me and Half Magic as a read aloud with the kids.

Yarn Along.......

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?~

Most of my yarn work revolved around this heart garland this past week. I crocheted a few at a time throughout the week and completed them yesterday. You can see the full post about them here.

My personal reading is the same as last week. Most of my daily reading revolves around the kids schoolwork and the liturgical year. These are the books about the lives of the saints that we read from daily.
I love the softness of this yarn from Michaels craft store.
I am starting a blanket for Mark. I did a garter stitch border and then a stockinette stitch for the body of the blanket, putting a row of garter stitch every 2 inches for texture.

I have also started a baby blanket (I am behind on my baby blankets and have a few momma's getting close to delivery).

I am using another yarn from Michael's craft store--Snuggly Wuggly.

And, what am I reading???....many, many picture books....This is where I keep most of the library picture books, in the corner of the living room.

Happy knitting and reading everyone.

Yarn Along...

From the founder of Yarn Along~ 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?~ I just love everyone's "Yarn Along" posts...the more I visit over at Ginny's blog, the more ideas I get, causing much more knitting to happen!
Amy's scarf is almost finished....the stitch is just gorgeous. I think it will be a perfect stitch for the next baby blanket I will be working on soon.
This scarf pattern can be found here.
I will be beginning a scarf for Becky using this pattern when Amy's scarf is completed.
I am working on a "pay it forward" kitchen set....hopefully the recipient will like it.
The dishcloth is a simple "Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth" pattern.
The Scalloped Potholder, and the Simply Striped Kitchen Hanging Handtowel complete the set.
My reading time is so limited with all the schoolwork reading we have to get done, I have found that simple, inspirational books are most enjoyed during my quiet morning time of prayer and reading. The children are not to get out of their beds until 8am. I try to be up by seven to enjoy the morning peacefulness.
I have my daily books: The Magnificat and Small Steps for Catholic Moms.
These two books get my day started off on the right foot, with daily Mass readings and inspirational lives of the saints stories and a goal to try and strive for throughout my day.
This week I have added the book Holiness For Housewives.
I love this description from Amazon. "Housewives: learn how you can stay serene — and even find God —amid the dishes and the diapers! This unique spiritual guide will help you grow holier and more prayerful as you perform the most menial household chores — not in spite of those chores, but in the midst of them." I can't wait to get past the forward of this wonderful sounding book. It's just what I need right now in my life.

I am also prereading Bernadette and the Lady before I give it to Mark to read. I want to be able to check his comprehension as he reads. But I have to admit I am enjoying learning a little bit more than I knew before about the Saint Bernadette.

Now, head over to Ginny's blog and share your "Yarn Along....."

Yarn Along.......

School has reached full throttle so most of my reading these weeks are school books and read alouds. Our main theme of this week is the Arctic, Arctic animals and snow, snow. snow.

For fun I am reading Bernadette and the Lady and 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life.

These two books compliment each other very nicely.....I am hoping to become much more peaceful and have a new simple life style by this time next week!

I can always dream, can't I?

The knitting needles have been clicking away.

I finished a beautiful scarf, and am almost done with a pair of mittens using Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn...color: summerset ombre.
I just love the earthy colors and the feel is nice and soft---but warm also.

The mittens are my favorite two needle pattern...and the scarf was made using this pattern.

I am going to use this stitch on some other items I have in mind very soon.

Come share with us over at Yarn Along....I would love to see what is on the needles and what books are being read!

Yarn along.....

From Ginny, the founder of "Yarn Along"~ 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 single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ It's all about slippers this week....slippers for the little feet that run around on our chilly floors during the winter. I have finished Gracie's. Hers are the bright pink variegated yarn ( she also has a pair for her doll) Luke's are camouflage (no doll slippers ;-) Kimmy's are on the needles. I use this easy pattern for kids slippers and the charity slippers I make.School is back in session and I'm reading a lot of "polar region" books. Books about penguins and Antarctica and polar bears and the North Pole.

Shadows of Society Hill is the read aloud I am reading to Mark and Grace for history. It is an American Girl Mystery book. It is set in Post Civil War times and is keeping us all on the edge of our seats.

I decided to take part in the "Take a Chance reading Challenge". Hopefully it will keep me on track to enjoy some "grown-up" books throughout the year.

The first challenge I took was the Random Bestseller pick. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2010 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.

I got the year 1994 and number one on the list for the date of my birthday was Pope John Paul II's book Crossing the Threshold of Hope. I was very excited to see this at the top of the list. I plan on using it during my quiet prayer time in the morning for this month

Another book on the list for 1994 was The Lottery Winner by Mary Higgins Clark (my favorite "for fun" author). I read this before, probably in 1994, and am looking forward to starting it...and once I start a Mary Higgins Clark book I usually finish it that same day..(sorry kids and house).

I posted a Yarn Along post last week....you can check it out over here.

Yarn Along...

From Ginny, the founder of "Yarn Along"~ 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 single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I was gifted with this beautiful brown alpaca yarn last year from this very special lady, and have finally gotten around to turning it into a super soft scarf for my teenage daughter, Laura. The brown is so pretty mixed with flecks of tan and a hint of pink here and there. I have a few more inches and then I will block it. Next week I will post a photo of my beautiful Laura modeling it.

I have begun the book, Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock. I believe I saw this title on someones previous "Yarn Along" post. I am only a couple chapters into it and so far so good. I am trying to spend a half hour or so a day reading for myself---this, of course is after spending hours reading school books, picture books and living history books out loud to my little learners.

One of my favorite parts of knitting is the giving away of my work....and this past week I was blessed to see on facebook my new grand-nephew, Jacob, wrapped in the love I knit for him. You can check out this completely gorgeous baby on his momma's blog.

The alpaca scarf is now finished.....you can check it out here.

Yarn Along...

From Ginny, the founder of "Yarn Along"~ 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 single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

Busy, busy, busy....that's what's happening here around here. All the busyness leaves little time for knitting, but I did manage a bit of needlework this last week.

I finished two parts of a kitchen set (since I took this photo I have finished one more potholder leaving only the hanging dish towel to finish). The kitchen set is for a Christmas gift, but I am under no pressure to get it done....it will be given when it is done.

I started knitting up a scarf with a beautiful brown alpaca yarn. I am not happy with the pattern so this has since been taken apart and is now awaiting time for a search for a new pattern. This is by far the softest yarn I have ever knit with, so I can't wait to see what it becomes. It is also special because it came from a wonderful, inspirational friend that I have found "online".

I still don't have a book for myself....boo hoo....but I am enjoying the books I am reading aloud to the kids. In the past few days a couple of our favorites have been: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Gift of the Magi. I make sure we don't miss these during the busy Advent and Christmas season.

Yarn Along....

I'm finishing up the last pair of mittens for the last Christmas hat, mitten and slipper set.

I certainly won't miss knitting these certain items....but it makes me happy to think a child will be cozy because of my knitting.

We are reading Bartholomew's Passage every day for our Advent read aloud. We are all enjoying it very much. It contains a chapter a day for each day in Advent.

Last year we read Destination Bethlehem which we loved. I will have to take turns year after year with these to great books.

Share want you are knitting and reading over at Ginny's blog.