Yarn Along?

Is anyone still checking the links from last Wednesday's Yarn Along? Because I am linking up to today! Just a few days late and a whole lot of dollars short!

I had a custom request from a friend so I had to go to the yarn shop to buy more yarn. Naturally, I bought more than strictly necessary.

I had been intrigued for several weeks by the Red Heart reflective yarn that is available in bright colors. So I bought a skein, and yesterday I worked up a cabled ear warmer.

It's very fun! But you know what amazes me about it? The fact that while Red Heart is notorious for its scratchy acrylic, this yarn is actually very soft. I want to know why they don't make all their yarn this nicely!

The first ear warmer is finished, and in the shop.

I am still reading Gone With the Wind but my book for this week is Forgiven by Maureen S. Taylor. It was supposed to be finished for book club yesterday, but no one was finished with it. I am enjoying this self-published novel by a local, Catholic writer. I haven't read enough, yet, to let you know if I will love it all the way through, but it shows great promise. Katie, the heroine, is struggling with panic attacks and seeing a new psychiatrist. Forgiveness is the theme of the book, and I expect she will need to forgive God for taking the lives of her parents when she was a young girl.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Weekly Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I am still on a high from my adventure with Meg Saturday. We went with our American Heritage Girls on a "high adventure" activity which involved a high ropes course. This is the first time Meg was old enough for these activities, so I stayed and participated, too. "High" seems to be the operative word in that paragraph!

That's about 55' up---we climbed the cargo net and crossed to the other side; there were four sections of varying difficulty. The hardest being a tightrope (high wire?) with obstacles. It was fun and not nearly as scary being up there as I expected! I found stepping off the ledge to rappel down the most challenging.

Standing directly under it while Meg rappels down gives you a better idea of how high it is! 

Then we climbed a higher cargo net to a 75' aerie so we could ride the quarter-mile zip line. Standing on the ledge while they got everyone situated was a little nerve-wracking for some, but, again, I found stepping off the platform to be the hardest!

The point of these activities, and the whole day, is to build thinking skills, to grow as a team, and challenge yourself. We all had partners on the TEC course that we were responsible for keeping safe, and we crossed some of the sections as a pair or a team. It was a great experience!

What am I thankful for?

Today I'm especially thankful for my new, fleece-lined rain boots. It's cold and rainy with "bitter cold" moving in behind the rain. Fun.

What’s going on in school?

The usual. Last week for the home schoolers who get a full week off for Thanksgving! 

What’s on the needles?

This shawl. It's actually OFF the needles. It's soft and warm, but not as large as I would like.

There's a "Goodnight Moon" book blanket in the works, as well as a "Lorax," and another "Cat in the Hat, but they're all on hold for a pair of socks and some earwarmers! It's kind of crazy!

What’s special about this week?

"Mockingjay" opens in theaters on Thursday. Meg can hardly wait!

What am I reading?

Gone with the Wind and Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross. Nothing new there. I'm supposed to be reading Forgiven for book club this week. I should order that!

What am I praying about?

Healing for lots of people, especially my uncle who is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his colon, and my sister-in-law who has a lot of struggles and cannot put weight on her ankle for a couple of months. Greg Willits of The Catholics Next Door podcast who is in the process of finding a diagnosis for new health concerns. Sounds alarmingly like ALS or Parkinson's to me. :-(

A few prayers would be nice for my own physical exams this week. Shouldn't be any big deal, but you never know. Thanks!

What projects are happening at home?

Cleaning up the yarn detritus is a never ending battle! Now, the big push is on to get ready for Thanskgiving and prepare Christmas presents for anyone we might see over the holiday. That will save shipping costs and be a huge weight off the shoulders during Advent.

~~~~

What did you think about A Week in My Life? It was hard to keep up with for me! I'm not sure I enjoyed reading all the minutiae of everyone's life. What do you

like to read about here? I'm all about knowing what you want to know! :-)

A Wednesday in the Life

Another 6:15 a.m. wake-up. I used to try to get up around 5 or 5:30; I think I'm stuck on Daylight Savings Time. I'm not going to bed promptly at 10:00 p.m, anymore. It's more like 11:00.  This morning I visit with dh and strip the sheets, gather the laundry, and settle down at the computer to drink chicken broth and check the blogosphere for news. My lower back aches, the kids don't have school, and I feel like relaxing. 

I wake Meg by 8:00 so she can get to work, start the laundry, and do a little Yoga with Adrienne to limber up the muscles. Y'all, I am totally sold on this yoga thing! Looking at my cousin's pics on Instagram of her amazing poses, I decided to try it, and I am amazed at how good it makes my back feel. I'm told I even look thinner despite not losing any weight. I know my balance is much better than it was when I started, and I feel much better, spinally speaking.

Sooooo, two blog posts on Wednesday wiped me out, evidently, so you're getting Wednesday and Thursday on Friday. Because that's how I roll around here! It's not as if Wednesday was stressful....

After schooling all morning, Meg and I went to adoration for an hour, ran a couple of quick errands and came home. I knitted and read all afternoon while ignoring the laundry that needed to be folded. I cooked an awesome dinner at the last minute, and then more knitting and reading until bedtime. 

That's my kind of day!

Thursday was a bit more labor-intensive...dropping the kids at school at 7:45 and hanging out to visit while waiting for traffic to ease up. I came home for a few minutes (blogged, I think) and then went to the Mobile Farmer's market for milk, meat, veggies, etc., and then Trader Joe's---which involved discovering these awesome Kringles! Our boys used to do a fundraiser selling these and I love them so much! The Kringles...and the boys. I was thrilled to find them at TJ's. Have you ever had one?

Unpacked the groceries and took the dog for a long walk, enjoying some of the last of the warm weather.  Lunch and reading. Started a new book blankey which I'm excited about! Right now, I'm kind of Cavalier about it ;-), but that has nothing to do with the theme of this one.  Any guesses?

Picked up the kids after school and spent the afternoon decluttering the main floor, dusting, and generally making it look a lot less neglected! I had a lot of things to do yesterday (none of which involved knitting or reading), so I stayed pretty busy until Meg and I left for American Heritage Girls, where I also stayed busy with Treasurer duties for 2 hours.

Family prayers and bed. The down comforter is feeling awesome, now!

Yarn Along

Two posts in one day! That's kind of miraculous, but we aren't going anywhere else today, so blogging it is!

I took this today for Instagram, but it's perfect for this post! I started a pair of socks for Christmas, and I'm trying to wade through Gone With the Wind. It's a seriously large book; I had forgotten how big! I don't know if I can get through this AND Scarlett before they're due back at the library.

I'm also working on three separate book blankies! Knitting never ends here, but with multiple projects I don't get bored.

Stop by Ginny's to see the other yarns and knits. xo

Tuesday in the Life

Up at 6:15-ish to visit with the hubby while he shaves, then downstairs by 6:30 to make sure Meg is up, Pip is still sick, and check the mail. You know, I really hate writing down for the world that, other than my morning offering immediately on waking, I'm not starting my day curled up in prayer and spiritual reading. See what changed on FB and email before a quick shower and taking Meg to school.

At school, I go in to drink my coffee and chat with other moms until traffic dies down. It's dangerous and stressful to try to make a left turn out of the school in the morning, so a little coffee-klatch is awesome. Get home around 9:00 to check on Pip who is alive and talking! Yay! He's feeling well enough to be downstairs and watch all three two episodes of The Lord of the Rings today. lol.

I make myself a decent breakfast and some toast for him, then settle in at the computer to write yesterday's blog post (and start today's), catch up on email, read a few blogs, and do some necessary Sacrament of Confirmation paperwork for Pip.

Hot chocolate/mocha, and sit down to knit for a few minutes before I feel compelled to clean up the house!

Hmmm, not sure I ever really felt compelled to clean up the house yesterday! I knitted (watched a video on YouTube and learned how to double-knit so both sides look like knit) and watched LOTR for about an hour until it was time to pick up Meg from school.

I've been listening to Year of Wonders on CD in the car. I've been enjoying it, and I'm near the end, so I sat in the car for a few minutes after I got home, to see if I could finish it. But no. Would you believe the only CD player in the house these days is in Meg's room?

On the schedule after school was more LOTR, ;-), and tagging and boxing my first Etsy sale. That involved rubber stamps, inks, trial and error, etc. Then a little more knitting before starting dinner which was spatchcocked chicken, roasted butternut squash, and salad. That was about an hour of prep!

More playing with yarn....I've decided I need to keep a notebook where I write down the yarns used and the design for the things I make and sell, like the book blankies (because I might want to repeat it sometime). 

Dinner was late because DH was late, and then I helped with the kitchen, started the crockpot going for chicken broth, and sat down with hot chocolate to knit and read GWTW until prayers.

I'm really, really going to try to take pictures for you today! :-)

A Day in the Life

Do you want to know what a week in my life is like these days? It's not filled with quite as much mayhem as in the past, but it's still pretty busy. I rarely sit and do nothing, although I do spend a little too much time engaged with my phone when I do sit. I'm trying to curb that habit. I'd really rather read or knit, or both, and the iphone is a black hole!

Monday is a home day for our 2 hybrid home-schoolers. Katie was home Sunday, stayed over- night and had to leave at 10 a.m., so after checking email, FB, and blogs, I woke Meg and Pip around 7 or 7:30. Pip's response was, "I have a sore throat." He rolled over and stayed in bed. Meg got up. I gathered their laundry, sorted it, and started a load before I went down to the basement to alter Katie's chorus dress and re-hem and repair a thrift store skirt she got. I listened to "The Catholics Next Door" podcast and talked to a couple of people who called me early in the morning while I sewed.

Meg was up doing school when I came back up; Pip was on the sofa with a fever. I changed out the laundry and started another load; Katie left, and I sent Pip to bed so he could get better rest and we would get less exposure to the plague. My frantic fingers were itchy, so I brought up a bin of yarn to see what I could make with it (as if I didn't already have at least 4 projects going!). I sat at the table and knitted up this cowl while Meg worked.

I checked mail and FB while walking the dog, and I declared it a gorgeous day when I got back! Look at the vivid blue sky behind her! Meg modeled the cowl for me for Rosy Knits.

Afterwards, Meg decided we needed burgers for dinner and that required buns from the store. So, I checked on Pip and gave him whatever he needed, and Meg and I walked the mile to the store and back again. (She hates exercise, but she likes little adventures!) Not one to let grass grow under my feet, I added the cowl to the Etsy shop while we walked! After that, I promise I put the phone away and we enjoyed our walk!

More laundry after the walk, and a little rest. Pip was still sleeping. I can't even remember what I was wrapped up in after the walk---probably trying to figure out what to knit next---and doing some work on the computer, like editing the school newsletter. Meg was a sweetheart and folded the 3 loads of laundry. I think I knitted the rest of the afternoon until it was time to cook dinner because I was feeling kind of blah myself.

After dinner there were some newsletter fires to put out, and emails to return, FB to check, knitting to do, until bedtime. I should have taken pictures, but I hadn't planned on doing this. The family room and kitchen looked a disaster with yarn, laundry, and books everywhere!

Stay tuned for tomorrow, a school day! Aren't you excited? :-)

Yarn Along Rambles and Book Blankeys

::Weekly Rambles::

I'm combining my Rambles with the Yarn Along this week since I have so much to share, and yarns of all sorts are always favorite topics!

What’s really on my mind and heart?

So many things! Sometimes I feel like a hobbit who feels things deeply and is afraid to speak of them for fear of saying too little or the wrong thing. 

What am I thankful for?

Mid-term elections.

What’s going on in school?

Meg is sleeping and Pip is hard at work. No big projects this week, but we are skipping today's farm field trip to make up for a big, school-interrupting Costco shopping trip and a movie at the new, spectacular Avalon, where they've been showing $2 movies for a week.  Meg wants to live there, and I can't say I blame her!

What’s cooking?

Something with the chicken breasts that are thawing in the fridge. Got any suggestions???

What’s on the needles?

I did NOT have to rip out my shawl on Sunday. Since I totally dreaded untangling the 3 different colors, I ignored it in favor of something else, and it turns out that I only made one small mistake---instead of the big one that would have ruined it---and I was able to fudge that one and move on. I'm going to finish that one in a day or two and then start on some socks for my son.

And that's just the "personal" knitting. I've also been working on #bookblankeys a lot. I finished the Very Hungry Caterpillar and the Rainbow Fish, and I'm working hard on a Lorax blankey. They will be in the shop (see below!) very soon.

Fishy has a face, now. I love the texture in his body!

He looks happy! His body is a very touchable alpaca blend. Yum!

What’s special about this week?

Nest Egg Knits Etsy shop is now online! This is the brainchild of my good friend, Kathleen, who came up with the #bookblankey concept: a cozy blankey to go with your favorite (or your child's favorite) storybook. In the next couple of days we'll get a bunch more blankets in the shop. These are so much fun to knit and crochet. We have both fallen in love with the Tunisian crochet, and I think it makes a great fabric for these blankets. You can see that in this Cat in the Hat blanket in the shop:

Won't you stop in for a visit and favorite our shop so you can see what we post next? Like Kath's totally adorable Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom blanket! Which book would you like to see turned into a blanket?

You can also follow @NestEggKnits on Twitter and Instagram!

What am I reading?

Upstairs on the nightstand (are a lot of books, especially in my Kindle!), I'm actually reading the third Kristin Lavransdatter book---The Cross. I'm having trouble putting it down, but I try to force myself when dh turns out the light! I'm also insane and checked out Gone with the Wind and Scarlett yesterday from from the library. I haven't read GWTW in many years, and after watching the movie a couple of weeks ago, I really want to revisit it AND read Scarlett to get her and Rhett back together again!! (Spoiler there, sorry.)

What am I praying about?

I am praying with and for everyone who is struggling to find a diagnosis for their illness/ailments. I'm praying for peace, trust in God, and the doctors who treat them. There are several, specific people on my heart, and I hope you'll pray with me. God knows who needs the prayers!

What projects are happening at home?

I'm not really doing any projects, other than knitting and crocheting, but I am trying to figure out how to keep this large house clean with a large percentage of my workforce missing! Yes, I know they're not here to make messes, but the bugs and spiders and dust still accumulate!

Starting to think about Christmas gifts---what to make, what to buy. Don't tell me you're on top of it or already done!

Frogging

Guys, there's nothing like having a nagging feeling in the back of your head whenever you pick up your knitting, that you've done something wrong. But you can't figure out what it is, so you just keep knitting. It's also not very pleasant to wake up in the middle of the night and suddenly realize what the problem is. Then, you can spend way too much time lying there thinking about how to fix it without ripping out the whole thing.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a fix for this, (my short-rows are too short!) and the whole thing...well, one third of it...will have to come out. And that is such a pain when you're knitting with multiple colors, and all the color changes involve twisting the yarn around each other. So it will all have to be untangled as Iunravel it. Oh happy day!

What fun are YOU going to have on this beautiful fall Sunday?