Category: the shelves

yarn along

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I finished sock no. 1 last night and cast on for the second sock.  I already love these so much.  They fit more snuggly than the last pair I knitted with the exact same “recipe” but maybe they will grow a bit with blocking.  If not, it’ll be just fine.  I think it must be a slightly finer weight sock yarn.  Even though I prefer the aesthetic of simple neutrals, I have sincerely enjoyed every single stitch of these socks.  The colors are simply gorgeous, especially the coppery flecks and golden yellow.  No second sock syndrome here.  Is it just because so many people are talking about school starting back this week or did I sense a tiny shift in the weather here?  I don’t tend to allow myself to think about fall until we are through with September because August and September seem to be North Carolina’s hottest months.  Even still, it seems the mornings have a different sort of chill to them this week and it makes me excited for cool fall mornings wrapped up in shawls next to a fire.

Still reading Devoted (affiliate link), and almost done with it.  I’ve finally gotten myself a book light (why did it take me so long?) so I can read in bed at night (when I seem to get the most reading done) without disturbing Wren or Brandon.  It’s been a game changer. 🙂  So yes, hopefully I will get a bit more reading accomplished!

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 0

yarn along

 

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I bought this crazy fun happy yarn over a year ago and tried to cast on for socks but was so sick in my pregnancy with wren that they idled for awhile before I ripped them out.  This yarn is so bright and different for me, I wasn’t much in the mood to work with it.  But lately I just craved wood dpns and the bliss of simple vanilla sock knitting and these socks are literally flying off my  needles.  I cast them on on Saturday and in three days I’m nearly onto the foot of the sock, which is pretty fast for me.  It’s hard to capture the color accurately because it’s so neon-y but this is fairly close.  The yarn is addicting to work with because of the constant variation in color.  I’m knitting these for myself, hoping to maybe attempt to make one pair of socks for myself each season of the year, so these will be summer socks since the color is summery to me (of course i’ll be wearing them in the winter).  I think they’ll be fun to have on dreary grey winter days.  Also, my girls are so terribly jealous and coveting my crazy yarn so maybe some more fun neon pink yarn will be in my future.  I don’t mind.

About half way through Devoted: Great Men and their Godly Moms (affiliate link) and loving it so far.  Highly recommend.  Short stories/biographies and so much encouragement for every sort of mom.

I’m joining up with Nicole’s Crafting On to share what I’m reading/working on this week.  As always, I’d love to hear what you’re making and reading too!

 

Posted on by MarthaKimball 0

yarn along

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The skies are brooding, ready to open up any minute.  I am just sitting down with a cup of afternoon coffee, which I never ordinarily make, but after a busy morning running errands and sitting for 2.5 hrs (!!) in eye appointments for the children and then hurriedly mowing the lawn for the last couple of hours before we have a few days of heavy rain… I think I’ve earned it. 🙂

Yesterday I took the kids to the Greenville Zoo for a fun day trip before we picked up my parents from the airport in Greenville.  It was a super fun day but no naps were had by all and today the house is quiet and hopefully the younger babies sleep and we have a more peaceful afternoon.

I finished the test knit hat for Noah and you can see finished photos of it on instagram or ravelry.  I’m making more headway now on Wren’s like sleeves top, beginning on the front/bodice portion of it.  It is so lovely to knit with Cestari, even if it is primarily cotton.  This yarn is super soft and just so soothing moving through my fingers.

I just ordered the book Devoted by Tim Challies (affiliate link) with some birthday money and am excited to start it.  It’s a small book about the lives of the mothers of some of the most influential theologians and men of faith in history, and I’m curious and hungry for the mothering tune-up I so need.  I feel the need regularly to immerse myself in books that sharpen, encourage, and shape me as a mom since this is probably the most impactful and important work I will ever give myself to.  Still have a few other books on the go as well.

Anything good that you’re reading or working on lately?

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On and Ginny’s yarn along.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 4

yarn along

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Still knitting on wren’s like sleeves top here and there between working on my campside shawl and a test knit hat for noah.  I’ve been having some pain in my wrist and elbow, so I’ve slowed a bit to rest and not overdo it.

Picked up a few books from the library, Homeschooling with the Brain in Mind and Play the Forest School Way.  You can tell what I have on my mind!  Play the Forest School Way is one I wanted to look through before I buy it and I do like what it offers.

Joining with Nicole for this week’s Crafting On.
Affiliate links included.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 0

yarn along

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Last week was hard with some unforeseen life circumstances that I’m still reeling from.  My knitting also seems to have had a rough week.  I guess it’s good for people to remember as well as myself that life isn’t always smooth and easy and neither are our knitting projects, right?  I love when I have a project on the go that is easy to pick up and work on, something that’s cruising along smoothly.  But the reality is that sometimes a project is troublesome and frustrating.  Anyway, I had picked up my campside shawl and was nearly done with it but somehow I had made a mistake and my stitch count was off significantly enough for the eyelet design to be off kilter.  I tried to improvise and see if I could make it work but after nearly finishing, I had to admit to myself it was bothering me too much.  So, rip rip rip.  I’ve started over.  It’s always hard to rip out hours and hours of work, but the reality is I’d like a better finished product so it’s worth it.  Plus, it’s enjoyable to knit so I can’t complain too much.

Then I tried to cast on a Like Sleeves top for Wren in some Quince + Co Tern that I have, but it doesn’t look like I’ll have quite enough yarn.  So, then I picked up some Cestari sock collection cotton/wool blend yarn at a local yarn store and have cast on again for the Like Sleeves top.  I decided to cast on the 12 month size for some reason but am kicking myself because she’s only 4 months and I’m wanting it to fit her now, so maybe I will rip out and cast on for the 6 month size, or more likely I will just decrease and call it good.  Sigh.

Not much reading happening, am waiting on some library books to be available, but in the meantime I am reading Begin Again for review.  I can’t say I’m into it quite yet, but I have heard others recommend it.

Linking up with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 2

yarn along

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I’m hearing summer’s first cicada this morning as I type this, as the heat and humidity build outside.  I’ve been working little bits each day on spreading fresh wood chips around the kid’s play gym, the garden, and the flower beds around the house but I don’t think I can bear the heat and sun this morning.  Maybe this evening.  Brandon and I often do yard + garden work amongst the fireflies after the children are tucked into bed and the day’s heat has subsided.  This week is about settling back into our ordinary routines, the daily and weekly things that ground us.  I have a lot of organizing and planning to do in the month of July to get ready for the next school year, hunting for good prices on books + curriculum, restocking supplies, tidying our school room and maybe adding a few items for interest + curiosity.  Phoebe does testing for the first time in a week or so (our state’s annual requirement) and I’m eager to see how she does.

I’ve finished up a few projects, and I’ve been trying to get a new shawl started (using new-to-me brioche stitch) but I cannot seem to get just the first rows right.  I will figure it out eventually, but when I just need something soothing to pick up and knit, I’ve been reaching for my campside shawl.  I’ve been working on it again (after a year hiatus) for a few days but already it’s flying off the needles.  It won’t be long.  (I stopped knitting this shawl last year at this time when I was so sick with my pregnancy with Wren, and couldn’t even look at yarn.  Oddly when I pick it up, I have had waves of nausea just in the remembering.  Its so strange, how our circumstances and memories get knitted into our projects.)  This is one I’m thinking about offering for sale, though I have no idea how to price it really.  So many loved ones and friends have asked me to sell things I knit, but I’m not sure exactly how to go about it since I don’t plan to regularly sell things, and just would have random items up for sale here and there.  Any suggestions?  I’m thinking to offer it for sale through instagram.  Also, any interest in buying some hand made items from me?

The kids and I have been reading this new book, 100 Bible Stories for Children, which I am reviewing this month.  We have read the Jesus Storybook Bible every evening together for years now and have read through it countless times, so it’s always nice to put a new bible storybook into rotation.  I really like how this one shares stories that aren’t often included in children’s bibles, and I can tell my older kids are fascinated with some new-to-them stories.  The stories are relatively short yet true to the original text, and the illustrations are beautiful.  My kids keep taking it to their rooms and spending time poring over the pages, so that’s a sign to me of a good book.  I would recommend it!

Joining today with Ginny’s monthly yarn along + Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
Affiliate links included in this post.

Also, thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 2

yarn along

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I’m sorry I’ve been absent here!  If you follow me on instagram you know we’ve had a bunch of family in town and it’s been busy.  I hope to get another post up this week but we shall see.  I cast on for another antarktis shawl (for myself this time) with my birthday yarn from Ginny Sheller.  I think I cast it on on my birthday, actually.  Later I realized I have been knitting this shawl every June for the last three years (since I learned to knit).  Sort of bizarre.  It must be a Juney sort of thing to do.  I’ve already finished the pattern and still have the amount of yarn pictured above leftover so I’m going to add a few repeats of lace and garter and use up most of the yarn if possible.  Also, I’m thinking about adding tassels.  Thoughts?  Would it look nice with this pattern?

I’m slowly reading my way through Slow Knitting (affiliate link) and really learning a lot as well as resonating with it so much.  This craft has my heart. ❤

Linking up with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

Posted on by MarthaKimball 0