Tag: knitting

yarn along

MarthaKimball1 Comment

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I finally cast on for this big chunky Nantucket throw for our bedroom.  It seemed fitting as a sort of way to commemorate/celebrate our 10th anniversary last week.  I’m really loving it so far!

Wild and Free is a new release, one I am reviewing, and so far is better than I expected it would be.  I’m about half way through it.  At first the words “wild and free” as a description of a God-fearing, Jesus-following woman had me a little curious as to the direction these authors would go, but here’s a quote from the intro which put me more at ease with what the authors mean:

“If God is wild and if God is free, what does that mean for us?  The answer we’ve landed on is that we believe we have the liberty to walk out our own wild freedom in pursuit of His kingdom, and He will help us as we go.  He is the one who calls us to be wild–walking in who God created us to be.  And He is the one who calls us to be free–resting in what Jesus has done for us.”

As one who has struggled greatly in different seasons of my life with confusion over my role as a woman, and as one who has consistently felt both “too much” and “not enough,” often at the same time, I am finding this book to be a great encouragement! More on it when I review it later.  It’s a quick and interesting read so far.

Joining with Ginny at Small Things today.

yarn along

MarthaKimball3 Comments

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I’ve been in sort of a knitting conundrum, I suppose, for the past week or so.  I’m still finding my way as a knitter, but it seems I need a larger project going and a few quick and simple small projects to rotate to.  My lori shawl is almost done, literally just a few rows from being complete, and I ran out of yarn, so now I must order one more skein + wait for it to arrive before finishing.  I have a handful of smaller projects that I wanted to begin, but am trying to find a pattern for some yarn that I have.  I have made a bad habit of buying one skein here, one skein there, and then never having enough yarn for a larger project that I’m eyeing.  So I’m in the process of deciding on patterns, and I can’t seem to go quickly through that process.  I get a bit discouraged with how expensive it can be to knit what I really want with the yarn I really like.  I am going to work on a few more dishcloths in the meantime, because I literally have to have something I can quickly grab and work on in the spare moments I find during the day, while I wait for a bigger project to settle into.

I’m in the same sort of place with books.  I’m just trying to finish up a few that I’ve been stuck in for a bit.  Meanwhile, a friend gave me Gluten-Free on a Shoestring so I’m browsing through that a bit.  I’m always on the lookout for tips and tricks to do this whole gluten-free diet more economically.

Joining with Ginny today.

 

 

yarn along

MarthaKimball2 Comments

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It’s not terribly interesting, but I’m still working on the Lori Shawl and nearing the end.  Methinks I will need another skein of Quince + Co Sparrow in order to finish.  I am trying to figure out what my next project will be and sort of itching to cast on to something else, but haven’t decided on anything yet.

I picked up The Year of Miss Agnes from the library this week, just a quick, whimsical read about a teacher who comes to the small Athabaskan fishing village on the Koyukuk River.  She proves to be unorthodox in her methods, supposedly, so I’m curious.  Plus, Alaska.  Enough said.  I was re-watching Anne of Green Gables recently with my Phoebe girl, and reminded of what a great impact her teacher, Mrs. Stacy, had on her life.  I love the way she taught, the way she had the kids outside doing calisthenics, climbing a tree to see a bird’s nest, doing nature journaling, etc.  It’s helpful for me to cast some vision, I suppose, as I head into homeschooling in the fall.

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things today.

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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I’ve been doing some “secret knitting” for my niece, her first birthday gift, so I have been mainly working on finishing that up.  In the meantime, when I need some random quick knitting I’ve been working on some basic dishcloths just because I need some and it’s mindless and easy.  Also, I shared in my last post some pictures of Philippa in her finished sunsuit, for those of you who were curious how it turned out and how it fit her.  It was my first attempt at knitting a clothing item (besides hats and socks, I guess) and I’m excited to try more!  I’m wanting to make some cardigans for the children, still hunting around for the right pattern.  Any favorites/suggestions?

I am still reading through For the Children’s Sake and am really grateful for it.  I need to read mothering/parenting type books frequently as it helps me continually to be mindful of the gift of this season of life and the responsibility I have to disciple these three little people under my care.  Of course, this one is geared toward home education but I’m still finding it encouraging to me in my parenting as well.  It is helpful in understanding more of Charlotte Mason’s methodology/philosophy, which I am very drawn to.

Joining up with Ginny of Small Things to share what we’re reading + knitting.

 

littlest sunsuit

MarthaKimball5 Comments

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I finished Philippa’s sunsuit last week and was able to snap a few photos of her in it this morning.  She seemed thrilled to put it on, this thing she’s seen mommy working on, and she danced around and cried, “ditty!” which is how she says “pretty.”  I’m really proud of it, even if I made a few mistakes and learned some things along the way.  Can’t wait to make more knits for my babies!  The pattern for this sunsuit is here and the yarn I used was some leftover skein from Michaels, I believe the lion brand 100% wool but can’t remember the color way.

yarn along

MarthaKimball15 Comments

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Almost done with Philippa’s sunsuit, doing the ribbing on the leg holes and then just sewing on buttons for the straps in the back, then blocking.  I can’t wait to actually try it on her.  I’ve attempted a few times while it has been in progress but she’s so wiggly and impatient that it’s hard to see how it will really look until I can fasten it in place.  It’s been such a fun knit!  I could have probably finished faster but I got stuck picking up stitches for the legs and took a break.

I just started For the Children’s Sake.  As I said in my last post, schooling is constantly on my mind these days and the rest of the spring and summer is devoted to reading and researching and prepping.  Francis Schaeffer is one of my favorite theologians and I adore his wife, Edith Schaeffer’s book The Hidden Art of Homemaking.  So I don’t doubt I will enjoy this one written by their daughter.

Joining today with Ginny of Small Things and her weekly yarn along.

yarn along

MarthaKimball2 Comments

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I am starting the second color on the lori shawl and loving the way it’s looking so far!  It’s such an easy and meditative pattern, and working with the linen is perfect for spring.

I finished Surviving the Island of Grace a few days ago and picked up this novel, The Prophetess, about the life of Deborah.  I love biblical historical fiction and the way it opens our imaginations to familiar stories and gives flesh and blood to the bones.  I’m more than half way through it and really enjoying it.

Joining with Ginny to share what we’re knitting and reading this week.

yarn along

MarthaKimball2 Comments

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It has been a busy week, having spent the last few days in Virginia for my youngest brother’s wedding.  The 4ish hour drive gave me a lot of time to knit in the car and I worked on both the Lori Shawl and also this sunsuit for Philippa.  I finished the bib last night and working on straps next.  I love it so far, but think it may end up being too big??  It’s a really fun and fast knit.

And in the evenings, I’ve been stealing away to Kodiak Island in Alaska.  Almost done with this book now, and have really loved it.

Joining with Ginny Sheller’s weekly yarn along today.

yarn along

MarthaKimball1 Comment

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This pink yarn has been calling me from my stash, begging to be made into a baby thing.  I bought it awhile ago from Michaels and lost the tag/info on it.  I’m knitting a little sunsuit for Philippa.  Probably not the smartest idea to knit a summery item since this yarn is definitely a wool blend, but I am eager to try baby clothing item besides hats and this yarn is already on hand!  I am loving it so far.  A friend helped me adjust the pattern to a 18-24 month size, so we’ll see how it turns out.  It seems sort of big right now.

I’m reading a stack of things, but just got this knitting book, Home, from the library and dreaming over basically every pattern in it.

Joining up with Ginny over at Small Things today.

spring things

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We were enjoying mornings and afternoons on the porch last week, snack outside, making mud pies in the sandbox.  Temperatures plummeted this week and we expect another frost tonight potentially.  We’ve had our foretaste of spring and we’re ready for it now!  We get used to the quieter, whispered beauty of winter and then spring comes and the earth is bursting with glory and color we nearly forgot existed.

It’s amazing how much can change in one week!  I’ve been watching this beautiful white cherry tree outside our living room window, taking pictures of it every day, watching the buds burst open and the tree fill with blooms in the matter of a few days.  The red buds are flowering, the cherry trees, the daffodils and crocuses, pansies sprinkled around front doors.  When did I become one of those people who is fascinated with buds and blooms, birds and children playing, finding such beauty in all these small things?  The smallest, the things most trampled underfoot in our busy rat-race pace.  Yet here they are, day after day, quietly doing what they are supposed to do, echoes of a far country.  It’s holy week this week,  my sister and her family is in town from British Columbia for my youngest brother’s wedding this weekend in Virginia.  We will be caravanning up there mid-week and heading back home to North Carolina on Easter Sunday.  The cousins are having the best time together, Phoebe and Jericho are practicing being brides all week, although they will have to settle for being flower girls come wedding day.  It is so achingly wonderful to be all together and to see cousins enjoy each other.  Our minds and hearts are busy with all that comes with wedding prep, and my soul is meditating on how beautiful it is to be celebrating a man and a woman covenanting in marriage around the time of year that Christ suffered and died for His beloved church.  There is a tangle of meaning there that I have yet to extricate.

I finished my first kerchief/mini shawl which seems the perfect size for Phoebe and she loves it.  I guess I can share it with her. 🙂  I’m pretty proud of it, already working on another shawl and a couple other knitted projects on the go.  Brandon says my knitting stuff is now everywhere, taking over the whole house and I cackled with glee.  I wouldn’t want it any other way right now!  Books and skeins of yarn scattered everywhere!  Also, Brandon let me splurge and order a skein of yarn from one of my favorite bloggers and natural yarn dyers, Ginny Sheller, and it arrived last week.  I love it so much.

I hope you’re enjoying your first week of spring!