yarn along

I began reading Mother Culture a few days ago and have so been enjoying reading a chapter or so before bed.  It is a grounding, inspiring, peaceful read and I resonate with the concept of “mother culture,” which is essentially that we as mothers need to continue to practice what we preach to our children.  We need to care for ourselves and “fill the well,” so to speak, in order to both model a life that values creativity, continued learning and curiosity, and also to pursue those values for our own sanity and wholeheartedness.  It is part of how we teach our children to value self-care.  It is always so important to me to refresh my perspective on homeschooling especially as we close up a year, because I often feel burned out and weary, and a little lost sometimes.  This book is helping so much to do that, and I’m grateful.

You know, it’s a funny thing.  On our recent trip to California we had two flights home, a longer 5 hr flight and then a short hour or so flight from Washington, D.C. area into the Asheville, NC airport.  I was marveling to Brandon about observing people on flights, how many people get into a conversation with someone seated nearby them and by the end of the flight you can tell they have made a connection, you hear them exchanging phone numbers and contact information.  It really is a crazy thing, how much we do all have in common with one another.  If we spend just a few minutes talking, we can often find a point of connection.  Yet for me on our flights I was more concerned with keeping the children entertained and quiet and I wasn’t really interested in chatting with anyone (introvert).  But on our last flight, the short little hour one, I was seated next to another momma with a baby just about Wren’s age.  I asked her if this was her first child and she said, “No, actually, she’s my eighth.”  Thus began a super fun conversation in which a stranger became a friend. 🙂  Come to find out, she’s a homeschooling momma as well, a Charlotte Mason/Amblesider, a knitter who also loves Ginny’s blog, among other things.  (I don’t think I’ve ever met a person in real life who reads Ginny’s blog!)  Anyway, we don’t live too terribly far apart, we exchanged phone numbers and have chatted back and forth since being home, and I do hope we are able to meet up sometime.  Isn’t it a small world?  (We actually talked a bit about Mother Culture, so that’s what made me think of this little story.)

While in California I was able to squeeze in a trip to A Verb for Keeping Warm.  It was so wonderful to be there, it is maybe the most beautiful yarn store I’ve ever been in.  Absolutely full of creative inspiration.  I could have spent a few hours in there soaking it all in, however Brandon and the children were waiting in the car outside the door so I had to rein myself in.  I did purchase a skein of their Even Tinier Annapurna in the color way Red Pear to make an Ara Shawl, which I’ve had the pattern for since it came out.  Isn’t it the prettiest rusty red color?  The yarn feels differently than anything I’ve knit with before, and I’m really enjoying it.  This will be a gift for a loved one, but I’m sure I will knit this pattern again for myself at some point.  I have another shawl (or two) on the needles that I need to finish but I couldn’t resist casting this on yesterday.  It is bringing back happy memories of our time away!

Joining today with Ginny’s Yarn Along and Nicole’s Crafting On.