~ 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


Yarn-along: January 15, 2014

Yarn-along: January 15, 2014

Good morning! It’s a balmy (but really misty) 0730 morning at 50 degrees; we’re only supposed to warm up to 53 so it’s a very good day to bake some crispy potatoes and broccoli. 59 years ago today my parents said “I do” … 7 kids and 21 grandchildren were in their future. So wish Dad (who died in 1995) were here to see all that he has wrought.

But … on to the yarn-along …

On my needles: it’s hat-making week this week at Chez Gildersleeve. I finished HotRod’s Caps-inspired cap yesterday; which he then proceeded to WEAR all day yesterday. He really loves it. Kit’s slouchy tam (with just a bit of cabling) in a bulky yarn is on the size 11 needles and should be finished this afternoon. HamBone (turns 15 this Saturday) wants a black (yes … BLACK … solid … no color … no fancy stitches) cap to wear to the National Right to Life March next Wednesday; the yarn comes today so I should be fine … but …. BLACK? Doesn’t he know that at 52, knitting black wool is not easy.

On my reading table: some fun books are on their this week.

  • In anticipation of being able to get out and do nature walks and nature journals soon, I got a really fun practice journal: 20 Ways to Draw a Tree and 44 other nifty things from nature by Eloise Renouf. Each two-page spread is for a different nature item — on the left side are 20 sketches (realistic, cartoony, stylized) with a blank sheet on the right for drawing your own 20 trees (or whatever). A nice gentle approach to nature journaling. Love this one.
  • For my knitting-book fix, I found Sweater Girls: 20 patterns for starlet sweaters, retro wraps and glamour knits by Madeline Weston and Rita Taylor. This is a book packed with ultra-femine sweaters and tops (and some accessories, too) that recall the golden-age of the knitted top (the 40s and 50s). I’m not thin enough to do these justice …. but my 13yod would look amazing in these!
  • A book that’s not shown in the picture … but is proving to be a fun read … is The Southerner’s Handbook: a guide to living the good life from the editors of Garden & Gun. This is a fun read about everything Southern: how to make the perfect glass of lemonade or sweet tea, what to wear to the Derby, artists and authors that you must meet and, of course, SEC football. The essays/articles are written by a plethora of Southern writers and are just fun for me to delve into since I’m a wanna-be southerner, born in California but living south of the Mason Dixon line for over 25 years (with a couple of years in Austria and Colorado – both foreign countries!). I particularly like the quote on the opening page:

    Because I was born in the South, I’m a Southerner. If I had been born in the North, the West, or the Central Plains, I would be just a human being. — Clyde Edgerton

  • Our read-aloud, which coincides nicely with our history unit on the Middle Ages, is the classic book by Sir James Knowles The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights. This is proving to be a fantastic read-aloud for my middle schoolers with lots of lovely word-pictures and phrases. I’d never heard some of the tales we’ve read … so it’s quite fun for us all.
  • So what’s on your needles and reading table? Wanna come play ….sig block

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