…Joining Ginny’s YarnAlong, sharing what I’m knitting and reading…

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As I was knitting on the socks I wrote about last week, I had some frustrations with my knitting needles. I bought some wooden knitting needles in a brand I’d never tried before because it’s all they had at the yarn shop I went to. (The woman there said they were her favorite.) Immediately a chunk of wood fell out, then splinters started snagging my yarn, and the progress was slow. Then one of the needles cracked in half all together. So I set that project aside until the next town trip when I could get new needles.

Of course I couldn’t be without a knitting project in the meantime and I felt like something fun and quick. I wanted some instant gratification knitting. I cast on another hat for Bracken. Does he need another hat? No, not really. He has his Bear Hoodie, his blue Clyde Bonnet, his green Pixie Hat (that he’ll grow into one of these days), not to mention that he still fits into the Elf Hat I knit him for his second birthday. So he didn’t really need a hat. But I had absolutely fallen in love with a hat pattern that I couldn’t get out of my head. I literally couldn’t stop thinking about it, I knew I must knit it. It’s an owl hat pattern called Chouette. You can see it here on Etsy and here on Ravelry. See what I mean? Love, love, love. 

Luckily, I happened to have the exact knitting needles I needed to knit it, so I took that as a good knitting omen. I already had the yarn on hand, waiting for me. I wanted to knit it in a light grey and found the perfect colorway: Iceland from Quince & Co. The yarn is soft and squishy and knit up so quick. Just knitting a row here and there, I’m almost finished already! All that’s left is to stitch up the top and add the tassles. It looks a little funny in these pictures because it’s all bunched up at the top, being on the knitting needles. I can’t wait to finish it and add the button eyes. This was my second cabling project. It was a good learning experience and the pattern had good directions. Bracken keeps wanting to try it on, he wants mama to get a move-on.

I told a friend about my knitting needles, saying I needed to get new ones. She loves to knit tiny yarn and she suggested trying metal knitting needles for the small sizes. I love knitting with wooden knitting needles, I love the warmth and the way they feel. But I thought she had a good point, I thought the metal needles would be stronger in the size 1 knitting needles. She had an extra set of metal ones she offered me. Yesterday she gave them to me and as soon as I started knitting with them I was so glad I switched. I still plan on using wooden ones for the larger size yarn, but for small needles I will probably use metal in the future. I’m making progress so much faster now, the soft yarn just glides across the needles and the knitting feels peaceful and enjoyable again (rather than frustrating with those darn splintery needles.)

I started reading ‘The Garden That You Are’ by Katherine Gordon. It was a gift and I’ve been saving this book. Looking at it on my shelf, waiting for the right time when I felt I could fully delve in. What a treat it is to read each page. I feel a connection to each gardener I read about and I pause to soak in the beautiful, colorful pictures. It really makes me want to visit the Slocan Valley in Canada someday, it sounds like an amazing place. This morning I woke up early, before Bracken, and read by flashlight under a blanket. Getting so much reading time to myself was wonderful. This book is making me think about our own garden and connection to this place. I can relate in different ways to each gardener in the book. With some I share favorite plants and others similar dreams. Hearing their love for their gardens… we’re kindred spirits.

How about you? 

Knitting? Reading?