~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ Ginny at small things

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Good morning … where did July go?

We’re almost at the end which means these yarn-along posts are going to trend toward school and fall/winter knitting projects and generally leave our hot, sticky, muggy days behind.

But for now … let’s talk about summer.

I have tried FOUR times to make something with the natural-colored Plymouth Cleo … you can see one of the attempts here. Nothing seemed to feel right. The stitch definition of the Cleo is fabulous … and the yarn feels wonderful … but somehow, it just didn’t gel. I even put aside the natural and picked up the red to make a shop model of my Knittin’ Love shawl, a shawl that is getting rave reviews from folks who come in and see it at Dog House Yarns. You can see a closeup of that shawl in last week’s yarn-along …

But there was something about what I was trying with the natural that was just not working … the yarn didn’t look right. I just knew the right design would come off the needles but my “college tries” just weren’t there … the yarn was telling me something.

But what? I couldn’t hear …

… until this past weekend when I decided to try a lacy poncho … this worked and it’s currently blocking.

Just call me the Yarn Whisperer!

I’ll post more about The Yarn Whisperer’s Poncho once I get some better pictures and proof the final design.

What’s on my needles now that the Cleo-calamity is solved? I’m currently doing a swap on Ravelry where we have to create an “inspiration box” based on a word (or words) from our partner. My partner is a school counselor … the word she chose was “relax” … so one of the things I’m putting her box is a brand-new hot-water bottle with a knitted cover. I’m not sure if I’ll add another stripe of colorwork or just finish off with the solid, pale lavender … what do you think? I’m loving all the “relaxing” things I’m finding to put in this box and can’t wait to send it off! I love swaps ….

On the reading front: well, summer is winding down and school is just around the corner. Of course, I’ve been planning the school year all summer, but now I’m getting down to specific books we’ll use. You can see a few of them in the picture above:

• The Sketchbook Challenge by Sue Bleiweiss — I want to add more creativity to our homeschool on a regular, scheduled basis. This book has specific challenges, twelve in all, which will focus our journaling a bit. Yep, I’m going to participate WITH the kids … we’ll probably start with making our books and decorating the covers … and then jump into a weekly challenge.
• Help Your Kids with Language Arts from DK is a wonderful book I’ve found to review grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We’ll use this as an addition to our writing program as the two I’ll have homeschooled this year have learned all the “rules” — now we need to practice them and improve their overall writing/communication skills.. We’ll be trying out the brand-new (not even shipping till first week of August!) Cover Story curriculum — the kids will learn to do short-story, non-fiction, poetry and other writing types while creating a magazine. I’m excited about this one.
• Will Cleveland’s books Yo, Sacramento (and all those other state capitals you don’t know) and Yo Millard Fillmore (and all those other presidents you don’t know), are wonderful for helping the kids remember all the state capitals and presidents … just good general knowledge in a fun presentation.

What’s on your needles and reading table? Wanna come play …

Would appreciate you sharing with others who may be interested ....

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Categories: accessories, Crafty things (non-knitting), designing fun, family, home accessories, homeschooling, Lace knitting, resources - books, shawls and shawlettes, swaps, women, yarn suggestions, Yarn-alongs · Tags: art, hot water bottle cover, inspiration box, journaling, language arts, presidents, state capitals, The Yarn Whisperer