Yarn Along

 ~ 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 single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I’ve maybe gotten a bit overconfident that I have plenty of time to finish Larkspur’s sweater, and took a break to knit some mittens this week.  I’ve never knit mittens before, and Beatrix really needed a pair.  The first one turned out to be too big, Larkspur’s size actually, so I made some changes before starting the second and third.  Now I need to finish a fourth and Larkspur will have a pair as well.  I chose this pattern (here it is on Ravelry), because it calls for bulky yarn, and I wanted to use up the last of the Lindon Merino I used for Beatrix’s birthday vest and legwarmers.  The pattern is simple and knits up really quickly.  I typically prefer to knit in the round, but with something so small, the seaming wasn’t a big deal with these and I was glad not to fool with double points.

I have been reading Gift from the Sea, which I received as a gift from my mother in law over Thanksgiving.  I am really enjoying this book and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s thoughts and insights.  I have found that I agree with and relate to much of what I have read so far in this small book.  She makes a strong argument for finding time to spend alone and reach into the creative part of our selves, something that is not easy for mothers!  Here’s a quote from the book:

“Mechanically we have gained, in the last generation, but spiritually we have, I think, unwittingly lost.  In other times, women had in their lives more forces which centered them whether or not they realized it; sources which nourished them whether or not they consciously went to these springs.  Their very seclusion in the home gave them time alone.  Many of their duties were conducive to a quiet contemplative drawing together of the self.  They had more creative tasks to perform.  Nothing feeds the center so much as creative work, even humble kinds like cooking and sewing.  Baking bread, weaving cloth, putting up preserves, teaching and singing to children, must have been far more nourishing than being the family chauffeur or shopping at supermarkets, or doing housework with mechanical aids.”

She goes on to say that while the art and craft of housework has diminished, the time-consuming drudgery remains.  Maybe, by bringing some of the art and craft back into our housework, or just into our days in general, we can cut back on this drudgery?

So, back to knitting! Right?

Below is a linky list if you’d like to add a link to your own Yarn Along photo.