Tag: making

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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This past weekend we went to a lake house a couple of hours away.  I thought I would get more knitting done than I did (as all knitters think when they go out of town).  I did make a bit more progress on my nordiska and it’ll be ready to wear as soon as the weather starts to require it.  After months and months of hibernating, my marley shawl project did get some attention.  Suddenly I’m re-inspired to work on it.  It is really quite far along and with a few weeks of devotion I know I would have it off my needles.  It’s one I love knitting but also really can’t wait to wear.  Brioche is both relaxing and easy but also requires some light focus and attention.

The kiddos and I were reading from Parables from Nature this morning and I so enjoy this book, as do they.  Not only do we learn more about some facet of nature (this morning, honeybees) but also the stories are so rich and full of meaning while being highly engaging.  We are always left with so much to think on and discuss.  I’m still reading Beauty for Truth’s Sake and will be for some time as it is a really slow/chewing sort of read for me.

Joining with Nicole’s Crafting On.

yarn along

MarthaKimball4 Comments

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September days are upon us, earliest foliage beginning to change.  The garden is tired, the days are shortening ever so slightly, the mornings are beginning to cool.  I separated for sleeves on my nordiska sweater and just need to try it on for length soon before starting the color work portion that goes along the bottom.  I’m still torn about the colors I’ve chosen for the color work so we’ll see.

I finished The Brave Learner and am now reading Beauty for Truth’s Sake.  This is one I am curious about and interested in for sure but also am disciplining myself to read to continue my own learning.  I think in particular the author’s emphasis on the beauty and order in mathematics will be necessary for me as I try to ignite my own sense of wonder and curiosity so that I can hopefully do the same for my little learners.

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

 

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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I finished up a couple of projects last week so of course I needed to cast on something new.  I’ve had the yarn for a while for a nordiska sweater and I finally cast it on this weekend.  I’m enjoying the simple stockinette knitting with the cable detail on the raglan increases for interest.

I finished Mother Culture and was so encouraged by it as I rest from teaching during the summer and look to the year ahead.  I highly recommend it!  I have a few more books I had hoped to read over the summer to refresh myself in homeschooling, and I still plan to get to them even though summer break for us is nearly over.  I have been reading Knitlandia and enjoying its lightheartedness in the evenings before bed.

What might you be reading or making lately?

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

 

yarn along

MarthaKimball1 Comment

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I finished the body of the fairy dust cardigan for Wren and am onto the first sleeve.  It should be done within a couple of days, and has been a sweet and quick knit.

I am still reading Mother Culture, truly savoring every chapter and so met and encouraged in each one in one way or another.  I highly recommend it for anyone who has been curious/interested in it.  I began Knitlandia the other day and am enjoying this knitty diversion in my reading.  I took the younger three children to a different library than our usual last week for a special music + puppet summer program. Part way through Wren desperately wanted one of the puppets, a sloth, and fell to pieces when I wouldn’t let her go get it (and interrupt the program!) so we had to step out.  As a result I was free to peruse the stacks and found a very lovely knitting section.  Thus, Knitlandia came home with me.

What are you making or reading lately?

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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My summer is proving to be busier than expected, how about you?  I am still working away on both of these from last week and enjoying them so, so much.  I’m knitting an Ara shawl with the called-for yarn, Even Tinier Annapurna in color way Red Pear.  It is so very soft and dainty, beautiful to work with.  I’m also highly enjoying reading Mother Culture.  The chapters are short and topical so you can pick up and read wherever you want in the book, though I am reading it chronologically.  It is full of beauty, inspiration, and encouragement!

What are you reading or making lately?

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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Hello friends!

We were away last week to sunny California and I’ll share more about it soon, but for now, our regularly scheduled program of yarny things.

I barely did more than a few hours of knitting in the past week which is understandable because we were busy enjoying family and exploring in CA but also unfortunate because I’m working on a test knit that I do hope to have finished by the deadline in July.  I’m cruising along on it now and it feels good to see some progress.  So, I’m working on a test knit for Norah of FoxandFolk on instagram.  It is an absolutely darling button up cardigan with a peplum waist for Phoebe.  I tried it on her for fit yesterday and it is just going to be so, so sweet on her.  I really love knitting with Berrocco Ultra Alpaca, a yarn blend that is 50% wool + 50% alpaca.  It is so buttery soft, and having knit a few children’s sweaters and hats with it before, I have realized it is their favorite wool to wear because of its softness.  Noah’s last birthday sweater was knit with it and he wears it almost daily when he’s cold.  Anyway, gray may be a boring color but it will be so wearable for Phoebe!  And I’m realizing I need a gray cardigan for my wardrobe soon, too! 🙂

I also didn’t do much reading on the trip, but I am still slowly working through (affiliate link) The Artist’s Way, and hoping to make more progress in it soon.

What are you making or reading lately?

Joining Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

yarn along

MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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Brandon and I went away this weekend (with Wren tagging along, too) to a cabin in Banner Elk, NC to celebrate our 13th anniversary.  (If you follow me on instagram you saw plenty of photos from our time).  I finished the sock project I had on my needles so those could be gifted, and I am nearing the finish on the Minaret top I’ve been working on.  I had pulled together yarn mostly from my stash to knit a soldotna and have been forcing myself to wait to cast on until these projects were off my needles, but it felt like the right time to cast on for something new and fun this weekend.  So, I cast on the soldotna and it is as fun and addicting as everyone says, I can hardly put it down.  I will say that after spending a lot of time working with cotton the past few weeks, it feels so good to have wool back in hand.

I’m still reading (affiliate link) Marilla of Green Gables, enjoying it and just wishing for more reading time!

Joining Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

 

yarn along

MarthaKimball4 Comments

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The past week or so I’ve been working as much as possible on this test knit.  It’s a summery top called the Minaret Crop which I plan to wear over dresses and such as a light and colorful layer.  Admittedly, it’s been a bit difficult at times working with the yarn, beautiful though it is.  It’s mostly cotton (75% cotton, 25% wool) and it does make me realize what an amazing fiber wool is with it’s squishy stretchiness.  Cotton is much harder on my hands.  Also, this yarn is lace weight while the pattern called for fingering weight, so my knitting progress has been a bit slower than I expected.  I hope to finish it up soon and be able to wear it before it gets too crazy hot here in North Carolina.

I’m still reading along in Mystics and Misfits, and the children and I are reading Moominland Midwinter (well, we started it a bit ago but I’m not sure if they’re into it now that we are out of the snowy cold weather) as well as The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Last week we still had some really cold days, but this last weekend we spent at the beach with Brandon’s parents and the last couple of days here have been quite hot.  This warm weather makes me think about hot afternoons lounging around on the couch together reading and reading.  I’m looking forward to wrapping up another school year (by God’s grace!) and having a summer break filled with gardening, hiking, camping, outdoor adventures, and lots of read-alouds.  I’m already making a mental list of books I hope to get to.  Do share any you recommend!

Joining this week with Nicole’s Crafting On and Ginny’s Yarn Along.
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MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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I’m working on a quick little birthday crown for Wren, her flax light sweater is blocked and finished, and her little linen birthday dress came in time, also.  It is very bittersweet to think we are already at her first birthday.  More than any of the other children, her first year has flown by in all the hustle and busyness of life with four kids.

I’m savoring Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace.  I’ll share some words with you:

“This magnetic pull toward beauty is an inclination most of us carry but too few of us acknowledge.  Even if we are aware of it, we seldom honor it as something planted in us for a purpose.  The rushing world has convinced us that beauty is something extra, not the thing itself.  I would never have guessed…that the hand that compels us to stop and stare at something as insignificant as a beautiful tree in flower might be the hand of God.  Rarely do we know what is at stake when beauty surprises us into stillness and we pause to listen, even for a moment, to creation’s song.”

I hope you find a few moments today to pay attention to that invitation to pause and enjoy the beautiful.

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
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MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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This beautiful book arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I began the first chapter last night.  Christie Purifoy’s first book, Roots + Sky, was such a gift and came to me at just the right season in my life when we were in the early stages of looking to buy our first home, dreaming of a place to put down roots.  Since then I’ve followed her on instagram (and more recently her podcast called Out of the Ordinary), enjoying the beauty she shares with the world.  In Placemaker, Christie discusses what it means to co-create with God in the work specifically of cultivating beauty. I am always drawn to the theme of beauty–and I’m not talking about skin-deep beauty, but the breathtaking beauty of an arctic landscape, or the neat tidy stacks of laundry, or even the unlikely beauty of a somewhat disheveled home full to the brim with life and laughter.  I’m also drawn to the theme of ‘home’ and the way our hearts long for it, hunger and search after it, and why that is.  So I am eager to see what Christie has to share with us about these things.  I am thrilled to be able to read her words again and to share this book with you!  Yes, I will have a copy to giveaway to one of you readers very soon. 🙂

I’ve been working this week to wrap up a few smaller knitted projects, and in between I’ve been knitting on my cosmic remix shawl which feels like it’s knitting itself.  It’s just quietly and unobtrusively coming together and I can’t wait to wrap up in it once it’s done.  The yarn is so airy and soft.  What are you reading and/or making lately?

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
Amazon links are affiliate links.