~ 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! ~

The stack of five or more books that I am somehow reading now is sure evidence that the past week has been a bit intense schedule wise. My focus is all over the place. I am still reading At Knit’s End in bits and pieces, which I am sure is how it’s meant to be read. I read an unschooling book that I picked up from the library in a little over an hour one evening after putting Silas to bed. I wasn’t particularly inspired by it. I don’t think I am part of the audience that the book was targeting. I am still reading Project Based Homeschooling (that one is good.) And finally I bought a copy of How to Raise Good Catholic Children last week, and after reading the first chapter, I love it.
I am almost finished with the first sleeve of Beatrix’s orange Sunday sweater. Hopefully the sweater will be finished in a few more days. To be honest, I don’t like the color. This shade of orange isn’t my favorite, and while it doesn’t show up in the photograph there are murky brownish areas that just aren’t pretty. But, we dyed this yarn ourselves, Beatrix wanted a sweater in it, and I needed to knit my pattern one more time. Hopefully I can make the pattern available to you all very soon.
One last little thing, in case you missed the post yesterday and like to cross stitch: together with a friend I am hosting a Winterwoods ABCs cross stitch sampler stitch along. Details are in this post.

The color reminds me of warm spices and fall days. I’m sending lots of good knitting mojo your way as you finish those sleeves (sleeves always slow me down).
I love the orange! And that is a beautiful pattern, I wish you the best of success in getting it published. A perfect kids’ sweater!
Blogger was giving me fits today but I finally got my post up.
I am anxious to get that pattern! 😉 I love your color.
I love that rusty pumpkin color. It screams Fall and leaves and winter curry. You dyed it yourself?! Rad.
P.S. I finally finished my shawl.
Hi Ginny,
I saw when you posted that “The Betrothed” was one of your favorite books (i think you said that..) so I bought it – and am trying so hard to like it.. I love reading – but am 20% in (can’t see page number on a kindle) but finding it slow and not so good – please tell me it gets better? need encouragement to not give up on it! or does it just basically stay the same throughout whole book? (just read part where Renzo and Lucia tried to trick Don Abbondio into marrying them – i hated how she just stood there and did not speak up!!)
thx – and fyi – love your blog
Yes, it’s definitely one of my favorites, but I love to read classics. I can’t promise that you will decide that it gets better of course, but I can tell you that it is the most widely read book in the Italian language and considered by many to be THE masterpiece of Italian literature. I do think that once Lucia and Lorenzo flee (which is where you are at now) the action picks up significantly. Try to stick with it. If at the end you hated it–well, I think it’s a risk worth taking just to read the descriptions of life during the plague in 17th century Italy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_plague_of_1629%E2%80%931631
Thanks Ginny – I love classics too. I won’t give up!
ariele
Can’t wait to see the Sunday sweater pattern and I like the color you picked. Am curious about the Raising Catholic Children book. Thanks you too for doing Yarn Along.
I also like the sound of the project based homeschooling book. We have toyed around with half homeschool half unschooling around here. My children are still pretty young though and I imagine we’ll trend more towards scheduled learning as my oldest begins the first “tested year” in a couple years. (We’re just beginning 1st grade now.) The knitting is fabulous as always. I hope to soon dip my toe in the sweater knitting pool.
Your yarn is gorgeous! I’m going to try natural dyeing again this week. I’m hoping that the woodland sunflowers the boys and I collected will yield a nice rustic orange.
I know that you said that the orange is not your favorite…but tell Beatrix that I agree with her! I just love that color, it is the epitome of Fall. Burnt orange, sienna, whatever you call it; it makes my heart sing. You are going to have to post pictures of it on her. I know that it is going to look awesome!
Good to hear you are enjoying the Project Based Homeschooling book think I will have to check it out for myself.
I just previewed How To Raise Good Catholic Children over at Amazon, and it is going on my to-read list. I already love what the author says about the saints and imitating their lives–good stuff!
I cannot wait until the Sunday Sweater Pattern becomes available. I think the color of the one you are knitting up now is lovely and autumnal :- )
you know, you have to find the homeschooling that works for your own family. after years and years of trying to be comfortable in unschooling we are back into a bit of a sort of schedule and you know EVERYONE is happier. it was at that moment that i decided that you just gotta do what works in your own house and forget about what everyone is doing.
well, i can’t see the whole sweater, but that color looks lovely, very fallish.
Project Based Homeschooling definitely sounds like something I should check out.
The yarn looks so much like autumn, and that makes it special that you dyed it yourselves!
Your orange yarn is perfect for the coming fall season; just lovely. Of course, photos on the web are never exactly true, but I still like it anyway. Like you, we’re pretty free outside the 3 Rs…so much life to live and so much to learn. Life simply doesn’t fit inside a box. 🙂
Blessings,
Lisa
I am *so* excited for the release of your pattern! I anticipate dropping everything and casting on as quickly as possible. 🙂 This week I shared pictures of my results of your legwarmer pattern. I made them for my youngest and they’re perfect! I also shared my new scarf…and I’m excited to say that my sister and I are joining the stitch-along! Have a great day xo ~Mackenzie
That color is so so pretty. It screams fall. If you want to read an unschooling book I would check out John Holt- Learning All The Time is my favorite, but you don’t seem the unschooling type so those types of books probably scream wrong at every turn 🙂
Actually, outside of the three Rs we totally “unschool.” (I am just not into labeling it.) This particular book supported that, but encouraged things that we as a rule don’t do on a regular basis, like playing video games. The format is a bit odd too.
Well, if the format and video games are what turned you off, then you would probably like John Holt. He’s pretty straight forward and his books have a really nice flow to them.
Great yarn! I hope she loves her sweater!
Looking forward to seeing Beatrix’s finished sweater. The color is just beautiful ~ perfect for fall.
Still love that orange, and the Yarn Harlot too!
I do love that orange, but then again, I get seasonal pumpkin-colored glasses about this time of year and everything burnt orangish looks good to me!
The sweater looks great from here, but I hate that feeling of working on something that is not as you pictured it in your head. Hopefully, you will be finished soon and more importantly she will like it!
i am so anxious for your pattern to be finished. i really love love love the sleeves on that sweater. (as well as the lace pattern of course!) my library doesnt have a copy of the top down sweaters book by ann budd unfortunately, but i have indeed put it on my wish list!
Won’t that colour look great beside her sister’s sweater? Like two leaves.
Won’t that shade look great beside her sister’s sweater? Like two leaves.
Looking forward to your pattern.
I think it is so neat that she wanted a sweater of the yarn you dyed:)
Thanks for sharing again about Project Based Homeschooling, it is on my wish list.
I really love that orange color! Of course, autumn orange is my favorite. I can’t wait to see Bea wearing it. 🙂
I think you are incredibly clever, for both dying the yarn and knitting your own pattern with it! What wonderful skills to have. 🙂
The colour of the yarn you are knitting in is rich and beautiful. Thanks for the book link, Project Based Homeschooling, it looks lovely.
I can’t wait to see Beatrix’s sweater all finished. I worked on a scarf this week and am excited to learn how to block it!
Couldn’t link here for some reason…here’s my yarn along post, though:
http://www.theknittygrittyhomestead.blogspot.ca/2012/09/yarn-along-baby-stuff-rainbow-socks-and.html
Orange is one of those colours…like yellow or green, there are nice shades of it, and not so nice shades…I like yours, though! Lovely for fall.
I see your yarn and think “Pumpkin season!”. I love it.
I agree with the others that the sweater looks very pretty , shame you don’t like knitting the colour but I’m sure it won’t take you too long. x
I think it’s a lovely color, but I know how it is when you’re making something that you’re not so crazy about…..my children’s taste doesn’t always suit me either, but I remember well how much my mother hated many of my fashion choices! I guess it always comes back around, doesn’t it? 🙂
I’ve had How to Raise Good Catholic Children on my shelf since Gabe was a baby, and I do like it. I have to skim through it periodically, and I am glad you brought it up so that I can put it on the bedside to look through again.
Sorry about Bea’s sweater; I know how hard it is to plod through a project when you aren’t in love with it. But I am really looking forward to your pattern, though!
I know how you feel about colours. We just painted our lounge what we thought was a lovely warm mushroomy brown, actually it’s just mud!
I’ve just added project based homeschooling to my wish list, thanks for the recommendation.
Aww Ginny, I like that orange yarn, very Autumnal!
I think the color is very pretty! It looks like a warm and fall looking shade of orange, I like it very much. The pattern is beautiful and I can’t wait to see the finished sweater!
Sorry you don’t like the yarn color. It does look GORGEOUS in the photo – but I know how photos can fib. Maybe it will turn out glorious?! Here’s hoping!
Ha, your focus is really good compared to mine… I started all kinds of books, but I didn’t really read any of them. I’m even struggling to focus on proofreading my own book… That sweater is looking gorgeous!
Oh, I’m sorry to hear you’re not keen on the colour – I’ve been admiring it for weeks for it’s warmth and seasonality. Maybe it just needs the help of your gorgeous child to really shine?
I’ve been a bit all over the place this week too but am sorely tempted by the stitch along!
I completely understand the feeling of not liking a color after you start knitting but I am sure it will make a very pretty sweater. I am interested in How to Raise Good Catholic Children, I might have to check it out. Happy Knitting!
I love the shade of orange that you are knitting with. But then I am attracted to muted shades. I think it’s lovely and your daughter is going to look so “fallish” in it!!