Yarn Along

I've really missed the Yarn Along over at Ginny's blog, Small Things. I have been so swamped with writing report cards and marking and mothering that I haven't had time to do anything other than knit a row or two here or there. It's so nice that it looks like things are easing up a bit and I can get back to so fun things. Now, if only I can find some time to read some other Yarn Along posts tomorrow. There's something about women who read and knit that make me feel like I have come home!

So, for this week:

knitting - all over the place I definitely have too many things on the go at once. I still have to finish dad's scarf, get a dent in the one that I have started for my brother and I have started a hat project. I had this crazy idea of trying to make matching hats for the family and then to have a photo taken of all of us in our hats to be our Christmas card. It's a nice idea but in reality, I don't love the yarn I have used and the first hat is a bit snug on the hugs heads that we have in our family. Finally, there's the project above - a square for a group blanket. A friend organized a knitting club at our local library and we meet every other Thursday. It's a very diverse group - ages ranging from about 70 to 30, I think, with most of us somewhere in between. At first, I didn't enjoy it that much - I'm shy and sitting around with people I don't know that well isn't always something I love. Now, though, I am really enjoying it and I look forward to my time with our group each week. As a way of thanking the library for the space and the publicity, we decided that we would do a blanket for the library and they can raffle tickets. The yarn was donated and I don't love the texture but the square looks o.k. and I think that the finished blanket should be fairly nice.

Books - again, I am all over the place. There's Matilda by Roald Dahl. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE him but I often feel a bit funny about reading his books to my class. They can be pretty dark at times and the humour can be a bit mean or scary to some kids. I thought I'd read this first and see if it would work for my class. The jury is out on that one. I am finishing Indigo Dying by Susan Wittig Albert. I really enjoy her herb mysteries - they came along long before the other theme mysteries that seem to be all over the place right now and they are very readable, whether they are "special interest" mysteries or not. I have a new Alexander McCall Smith series to start and I can't wait. I love his meandering pace and quirky characters. I hope this lives up to his other books. Finally, a friend lent me a copy of Mary Jane's Farm. I'm loving it! It lets me dream of the gardens I'd like the plant, the crafts I'd like to do and the natural lifestyle I dream of (although I am not altogether sure that I would enjoy as much in reality). It's a lovely read and I think I am going to have to get my own subscription!

I can't wait to see what everyone else is reading and knitting this week!