It's Wednesday; you know what to do . . . joining Ginny for yarn along.
This week I am bending the yarn along rules a bit as there have been requests for several photos of The Penguin. ;-)
I finished the penguin-unbelievable. I am pretty stoked. The penguin was pretty easy as he was all garter stitch. This was a great confidence boosting project. I never imagined I would be knitting toys-ever. I am proud to say this one looks almost exactly like the one in the book. I am thinking for my next penguin, I'll add a bit of yellow-orange for the border so it will look more like an Emperor penguin.
The pattern is from Itty Bitty Toys, one of the best knitting books I have come read. There is also a nice section with super-clear pictures of techniques like the kitchener stitch. I have the kiddos searching through the book for something to make next. So far Helena likes the lamb; Elijah is undecided; Doran says "yeah" to just about any project I show him, and Eden wants everything. She even made the hand motion over a photo with a large collection of the projects featured in the book. Me, I am partial to the knitted nesting boxes. I love boxes, plus I am always looking for pretty storage for various bits and pieces floating around my house.
For my next project though, I am making Valentine hearts from this pattern. Let's hope it works out. I have never knit front/back so this should prove interesting.
While Eden loves her penguin, the look on her face is not from shock that I finished her toy, but the result of a dastardly cold. She is such a trooper-poor thing.
I am still reading Just One Thing, and it's making a difference. For example, I was much calmer last week when I discovered I got the kids out of school early for a dentist appointment on the wrong day-a week early to be exact. Oops. In the past I would have berated myself for the goof, the "wasted" time, and added inconvenience. This time I gave myself a break and it felt good. It was nice for the kids to watch me make a mistake and not get upset about it. This week's intention is seeing the good in myself.
The kids and I are still reading Heart and Soul. I'm learning new things too. We are also delving into Our White House simultaneously. We'll read about President Lincoln in Heart and Soul and then check out the "articles" about him and his family in Our White House. I love going to varying resources about the same subject with the kiddos. We are reading about slavery, Lincoln, abolitionists and free blacks in Heart and Soul. In Our White House, we learned how Lincoln "spoiled" his sons and that a free black woman, Elizabeth Keckly was Mrs. Lincoln's personal seamstress and close friend. She was the first person Mrs. Lincoln called for when President Lincoln was assassinated. This is some amazing stuff. Of course, I am a bit of a history nerd.
What are you reading and making lately?
