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

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Bracken has gotten so much use out of the blue milo I made for him and I decided to knit him another one in a different color. I found this beautiful grey wool yarn, in the DK weight I needed, from Timberwolf Farm. I actually started this project during our Florida trip because I thought it would be a great knitting project for traveling. When we returned, it got set aside while I finished other knitting projects and I just brought it back out again. It came along to the restaurant last weekend while we ate dinner with my dad and uncle and of course I told them about how wonderful knitting is and about this talk saying they’ve found the same rare brain waves in knitters as they’ve found in meditating monks. “I’m tellin’ ya, knitting is awesome!”

Even with this simple to follow pattern, I made two noticeable mistakes so far (knitting two rows in a row rather than knit one row, purl one row.) I seriously considered ripping the whole thing out and starting over again, but Jeff assured me you couldn’t tell at all (as an outside observer) and I talked myself out of doing it. I tell my perfectionist side: it’s those “mistakes” that add so much character to handmade things. 

I was gifted some books from Christopherus Homeschool Resources and am finally reading one. I’m reading ‘Kindergarten With Your Three To Six Year Old’ by Donna Simmons. There’s a lot of good information and inspiration in it. When we started Rainbow Bridge, some other children were starting kindergarten at other places at age two. I was so surprised because I had no idea there were even kindergartens for that age group. People often ask when Bracken is starting school or ask what grade he is in, (or those who know we’ll be homeschooling ask about our homeschooling now) and it always surprises me a bit since he is only three. This Waldorf style homeschooling book for kindergarten starts at age three, which surprised me as well. (But while reading it and seeing the approach, it makes more sense to me.) I always thought more along the lines of five years old for kindergarten. Honestly, the typical ideas about “academic learning” are not a focus for us at his age. We’re more concerned about providing Bracken with enriching experiences. And there is so much important learning that happens at home like cooking, cleaning, and gardening, and in the communities that we are a part of. I feel that daily household tasks are so important for children to be immersed in. (Bracken already knows so much more about where food comes from and how to grow it in his first three years of life than I did in my first twenty!) So when I started reading this book I was somewhat relieved when I realized that we’re already doing many of the things that she talks about, and it’s giving me inspiration for other things to do as well. To me, spending time is nature is essential for children (and everyone) and I love that Waldorf highly values that. I feel time outside is so vitally important for us to give our children.

How about you? 

Knitting? Reading?