~ 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 photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~
A gorgeous skein of cashmere yarn has been sitting on my shelf since just before Christmas, just waiting for the time to be right. February in Virginia? Sunny marmalade colored yarn? Perfect! I am knitting up a quick and lacy cowl and enjoying every stitch.
Reading….(for those of you who are Little House fans) I did go on to read The First Four Years. Honestly, I was feeling a little weird by the time I got to the end of These Happy Golden Years, but having The First Four Years in my possession, I felt compelled to read it too. I remember having these amazing insightful thoughts about my feelings regarding these books, but alas, I’ve forgotten them. At any rate, I don’t believe I will be rereading those two books, and I may have to change my mind about which of the Little House books is my favorite. My book club is reading a short story collection, Family Happiness
I did get really excited about a children’s picture book called Extra Yarn this week. I’ve been eagerly awaiting it’s release for some time and love it so much that I even carried it with me last week so that I could read it to my little knitting students. Any children’s book about knitting is worth owning I do believe. This one has great illustrations and the story is cute as well. It’s been a big hit at my house.
that book looks wonderful! lovely colour yarn too.
Thank you for hosting, I have posted a link to my very first yarn along ever. It’s not even close to being finished but I must say that I absolutely love knitting already. Thank you for all of the inspiration!
A children’s book! I’ll have to recommend it to our Children’s Librarian at work.
That’s a very pretty color of yarn you have there.
Lovely yarn color…thanks for hosting. 🙂
Thank you for hosting. That cowl looks lovely!
For a quick and lazy cowl it is awfully pretty. I love the pattern – I’m drawn to wanting to do only pretty, non-functional patterns right now. A cowl is functional…but now where I live.
The First Four Years is, was for me, the toughest of the books to stomach. In the other books there are tragedies and setbacks but Ma and Pa’s indomitable spirit leave you with a sense of hope for the future. In the First Four Years, Laura is an adult and doesn’t see the world through their lens anymore. I’ve heard that it was never edited like the rest of the books in the series.
You’re right–it was published after her death, having been found in a series of notebooks in her belongings. I also have mixed feelings reading it.
I had a LOT of trouble reviewing the “Rose” series for my daughters (who, being toddlers and younger, won’t be reading for a long while–but I’m a lifelong Laura fan, so I thought I’d try and see what the sequels were like). I missed Laura’s writing style, and Rose got on my nerves in one book so I think I’ll stay with the tried and true.
One really neat book I found was “Little House in the Ozarks,” a collection of editorials Laura wrote as an older woman in Mansfield. I found them very interesting! (and not depressing either)
Oh, love the color of the cowl and the Extra Yarn book is going to have to make its way to my girl’s bookshelf. Thank you for the Yarn Along!
I haven’t been able to to articulate my feelings after reading the last of the series either, though I remember feeling a lot of things. And Tolstoy and I are not well acquainted either, much of a doofus as that sometimes makes me feel among my well read home educating friends.
Oh, now I really want to know why These Happy Golden Years left you feeling weird!? Please tell us?
Lori Ann and I both blogged about that book “Extra Yarn” last Wednesday for the Yarn Along! It’s a sweet book. I especially love the simple black and white and then the colourful knitted prints that slowly take over page after page…
that yarn is beautiful and will make such a lovely cowl. From your photos I have a feeling that colour looks really nice on you. 🙂
What a nice bright color to work with at this time of year!
LOVe that yellow…we are oddly seeing snow today, which makes it actually feel a bit like February!
:)Lisa
what a lovely colour of yellow C:
Thanks for hsoting! That cashmere yarn looks GORGEOUS!
Love the yellow cowl, will brighten up a winters day. I’m joining for the first time today and sharing a pair of socks I’m working on.
that yarn looks scrumptious…
That cowl looks so pretty already, I love the color!
I have also slipped in a quick cowl and there was some improvement on my first socks as well, hurray for “yarn along”!!!
As for Tolstoy, he is my only favourite writer from Russia. I gave up on all the others because of far too many people involved, too many pages, too much history etc. My favourite book of Tolstoy is “Resurrection”, I don’t know though if I still had the patience to read it with a kid around.
Happy Knitting and reading to you all!
I love that color of the yarn!
This is my first real yarn along. Looking forward to seeing how it goes!
I just saw someone mention that book on Ravelry and think it’s SO cute. Can’t wait to read it.
Sigh. I somehow linked to the wrong post. I did a re-post now and linked to the real post on the not real post. Grr. Sorry everyone. And I wanted you to see how my blankets are coming too.
The children’s book looks delightful! And I love the sunshiny yellow of the cowl!
I’m going to have to try to find that Extra Yarn book. My Lil One always points out the knitting in Goodnight Moon. The Mitten is another good children’s story with quality knitting in it. Obviously illustrated by someone who knows knitting.
The cowl looks lovely so far!
Yea! I’m # 130, I feel so special. 🙂
Have a beautiful day knitters!
Mary
I’ve been seeing reviews of “Extra Yarn” everywhere. I’m on the hold list for it at our library, and I look forward to the day when it comes in!
Love that gorgeous color! It seems like all the cool kids are knitting cowls these days, I must join in and do one soon too.
Grey socks, the total contrast to your jolly cowl! I should go get some jolly sockyarn. :o)
I have been eyeing that book. It is on my “to buy’ list. Love that yellow yarn!
i’m knitting with yellow right now too!
although mine’s not cashmere….
That yarn is *gorgeous*.
Nothing like a lovely yellow yarn to chase away winter blues! Thanks for the tip on the children’s book–I’ll keep an eye out for it!
That yarn looks sunny! Makes the dreary winter bearable!
Oh, what a fantastic book for children! I’d enjoy reading through it too! About that cashmere yarn, I think I’d knit slowly so I could prolong the sensory experience. Luscious! Your cowl will be gorgeous in that pattern.
🙂
I love that yarn you’re using and am working on something yellow myself! Yellow’s one of my favorite colors!
I love Extra Yarn!!! I dream of living that fairy tale! 🙂
Extra Yarn is waiting for me on the hold shelf at the library. I can’t wait to see it. I live the illustrator, Jon Klassen.
Your comments made me a little nervous about the Little House books. Right now my girls and I are reading On the Shores of Silver Lake – but I haven’t read any of the later books. We’ve already had to take a breather because we were finding them awfully sad. Do they get worse in that respect?
Your yellow cashmere is lovely!
I’ve been wondering about the “Extra Yarn” book. I used to be a librarian in an elementary school and have always been a sucker for children’s books! I especially love alphabet books… and am making one right now that’s an ABC book of yarn and “knitter-y” stuff.
I REALLY like the mandarin color of your yarn in that picture too. It’s just such a happy color. 🙂
Zaujal ma tento nápad a pokúsila som sa tiež zapojiť. letitia-tiba.blogspot.com
Greeting from Slovakia. 🙂
My small contribution to the creative community…
beautiful sunny yarn! so out of an abundance of curiosity, did you end up not enjoying those later LHOTP books? And Tolstoy…sheesh, not easy reading. Recently watched a movie about him and while it was beautifully filmed, the way he treated his wife and family really got under my skin.
Love that yellow!
Love the yellow cashmere! And I remember loving These Happy Golden Years but not liking The First Four Years as much.
Hoping I can get a camera sometime today and participate in the yarn along. 🙂
My learning is going slowly, so my strip of purple practice knitting and I are bowing out of this week’s yarn-along until I have something new to share. But my oldest son (11 yesterday!) is so anxious for me to advance to the point where I can teach him! So cute!
I’m not buying books for myself this year, but my kids might need “Extra Yarn” very, very much.
The lacy neckwarmer is beautiful.
You are an inspiration, Ginny.
Thanks for sharing, love the colour of your yarn, gorgeous!
x
I bought Extra Yarn a couple weeks ago. I haven’t read it to Little Man yet because he’s still destructive with books. So, with that said, it’s on the shelf with his other “good” (i.e., not chewed, ripped, or otherwise well-loved) books. Perhaps in a few weeks he’ll be ready…or not.
I love yellow yarn! It’s not my favorite color in most things, but there’s something so cheerful about yellow yarn that always makes me happy as I knit with it.
Oh lovely, the color and the pattern ! The book looks cute too. I will have to check our library for it.