Joining Ginny’s Yarn Along, sharing what I’m knitting and reading.

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I took these pictures yesterday morning of the Milo vest I’m working on for Bracken, but things have changed since then. I made mistakes under each arm hole when casting on the stitches, before joining the round. I continued knitting for awhile, thinking it wouldn’t be that big of a deal (I had a hard time figuring it out after many tries and just forged ahead past the frustrating point.) But as I looked underneath the arms, I knew they would be uncomfortable for Bracken to wear and possibly wouldn’t work at all. At one point I declared myself too grouchy to knit. (Which I now think is hilarious.) Basically I was a grumpus because I knew I should rip out my work and go fix my mistakes, but part of me didn’t want to. Then during Bracken’s nap, I took a deep breath and pulled out my needles. Then went back and carefully picked up each tiny stitch. As I worked, I felt my frustration disappear and a peace wash over me. I had a beautiful “aha” moment where everything just clicked. I figured out what I had trouble with before and I did the part underneath the arms correctly this time. I’m back to knitting happily and it feels so good! (And empowering.) Overall, it was a really good learning experience.

I’m reading a book my Grandma Jensen sent to me to borrow. It’s called ‘Sarah’s Seasons: An Amish Diary and Conversation’ by Martha Moore Davis. (And it’s signed by the author, isn’t that fun?) My Grandma knows I enjoy reading books about Amish life, yet another thing we have in common. The book is about an Amish woman named Sarah, living in Iowa, and also about the friendship that formed between her and the author, Martha, who is not Amish. Sarah’s diary is basically a few notes about what they did each day. I love reading about their simple living, about what they planted in the garden, the homecooked meals they shared, and clothes she sewed for her family. I get amazed at all Sarah accomplished in a day and how much cleaning she did. It inspires me! I remember living in Iowa when I was a little girl and seeing Amish families riding in buggies on occasion, along the highway. My eyes were glued to the window and I was absolutely fascinated.

How about you? Knitting? Reading?