I finished knitting this adorable Hobbit Vest for Ambrose recently and he is thrilled.
He does like the pockets(es).
The real issue is that it wasn’t even chilly when I asked him to put it on so I could take pictures and the yarn I chose is a little bit itchy. I’m hoping it won’t seem so bad once the weather is cold. I loved knitting with it because I enjoy slightly rustic yarn and the green is such a good green! I’ve been knitting with a lot of green lately. I’ll have another green sweater to share soon-a not so itchy one, thankfully.
Tomorrow I will be updating my shop with a small batch of lavender flower infused salve and the scarves I worked on dyeing over the summer and into the fall because everything takes a long time these days! I plan to post a shop preview here, so if you are subscribed to my blog you will get an email when everything is listed. There are only 19 scarves available. I wish I could have dyed more! They are definitely one of my favorite things to wear in the cooler months.
On a silly whim, I bought fifty skeins of yarn to dye. It’s been so long and I miss dyeing yarn! So far I’ve only dyed ten of them. I hope I have time to get them finished by late November! Thirty of the skeins are the base I used to knit my Hackberry hat. I do like to offer a batch from time to time because it’s the perfect yarn for that hat, with a great sheen and drape.
I’ve been wanting to share some of the things we are doing in our homeschool this year, but not only have I not had the time to do so, I am also failing to find the time to do the things I want to share that we are doing! (Did that even make sense?)
I’m teaching middle school natural history at our co op this year, and at least that is going well. Part of the homework is keeping a nature journal. I have several books about nature journaling and have had the best intentions about keeping one myself for many years, but only recently got started in order to have an example to share with my students. Of course, I planned to journal right along with them all semester, but I’ve only managed two entries. My first entry on beech nuts (chosen partly because I thought they’d be easy to sketch and I’m no artist) was evidently pretty inspiring because Mabel immediately wanted to start a nature journal herself, beginning with beech nuts as well. As far as the fact that I’m not a talented artist goes, that isn’t supposed to matter. Nature journaling is not about creating gorgeous works of art (Just don’t compare your work to The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady Oh my, I just discovered there is a coloring book too–both affiliate links.) I remind my students every week that it’s about observation, not art-unless of course you want it to be. Make it what you want, I tell them (though there are some guidelines they have to follow). Make sure you are spending time observing nature in the process, and don’t worry too much over how good you think your drawings are.
We attend a classical education co op and the children are taught Latin by rote in the early years, and starting in seventh grade they begin learning Latin grammar etc. Beyond scientific names for eastern trees and a few prayers, I haven’t much of a clue when it comes to Latin which has made it impossible for me to help my kids when they are struggling with their homework. Earlier this year I decided to start learning Latin myself. Wanting my younger boys to be better prepared for co op this fall, I ordered the Latina Christiana program for both Silas, Job, and myself. I love working through the lessons with them and find it fun to have my own workbooks. We started at the beginning of summer and somehow have only made it through five lessons. I don’t know why it’s so hard to make time for it, but it is. However, just having done the little we have, I already have a much better handle on things. I was completely clueless and now I can say, “Amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant” and I know what it means! I realize that’s not much, but it’s a start.
My younger kids have become interested in birds along with me so that’s something else that I thought we could all learn about together. While we have lots of books and field guides and do most of our learning of this sort spontaneously, I thought it would be nice to work through an organized program together so I bought the The Book of Birds set. Again, I bought myself a workbook too! We are all enjoying it, but this is another place where we are finding it hard to all sit down and work together. Having a busy three year old (who enjoys activities such as mixing liquid laundry detergent with flour to make cupcakes and can make a batch during the sixty seconds you have your back turned) is making this a pretty challenging school year so far. I feel like I could have handled this much better at 26, or even 36. Mother is 46 now, and she is struggling.
Anyway, that’s what I wanted to share, that it’s really fun to learn alongside your kids (I know! So innovative!) I wish I could share the secret for finding the time to do it….
Sitting here snickering over your post in the driveway of my parent’s airbnb (where we run over to use the internet since ours is still down after the hurricane). Resonating with so much. I’m learning Latin this year with Phoebe who is in 8th grade and I am LOVING it but it really is a challenge. We work on it daily from 1-2 after I put Titus down for a nap and it is truly a brain exercise but also so satisfying to begin to understand all this rote memorization of latin declensions and conjugations we have down for years with our co-op. Also.. just feels like the busiest school year we’ve ever had, I am trying to be so structured but it still never all gets done and there’s so much I feel like slips through the cracks, including nature journaling! Deep breath. I need to remember to pull those out. We need spontaneity and enrichment like nature journaling. Sending a hug!
Oh Ginny, I love everything about those Ambrose sweater photos! The look on his face, the poses, the colors, the vest! 🤗
We loved Memoria Press products!! So much! O, my heart, how I miss homeschooling! (My baby is 22) I used very nearly all of their Latin products (amongst a .great.many. other MP subjects) with my kids. And yes, I studied and learned right along with them! (Latin, Biblical Greek also from MP to start with, and Biblical Hebrew). And I keep up with my linguistics to this day). All of which to say: good for you! You can do it! 🩵
Good luck with latin! There won’t be any grammar problem you can’t solve if you master latin. I like to study and to teach it.
All the best! Regula
If you soak the vest (we’d call it a waistcoat in the UK 🙂 ) in water with some hair conditioner, it should smooth the fibres of the yarn and make it less itchy. The itchiness is to do with the scales of the fibres but it works in the same way as human hair and will smooth out with conditioner. If only my Mum had known that when I was small and wouldn’t wear the itchy jumpers …! 🙂 Christine xx
Aww, what an adorable little hobbit you have there!
Can’t wait to see what other colors you decide to dye that yarn!
Really admire how, in spite of all the things you have to do, you still maintain that creative desire to make things – it is just so wonderful to me!
I have figured out that I will be homeschooling until I am 62! Eeeek!!
Take care and God bless you!
Love that vest pattern. Made it for my grandson and never got a picture! My DIL is homeschooling and makes me miss it! Oh, glad to hear that you are dying yarn again!
Ginny, I so enjoy your insights and writing. You summed it up in your last pithy line: Mother is 46 now (or 41 in my case), and she is tired. I deep belly laughed at how true this is, and how this simple statement belies nearly everything at this epoch. Thank you! Alice
Thenaturejournaler.com is cool! Heather is a homeschool mom who teaches online courses. You do A LOT, Ginny!
I love the hobbit vest!
Oh, look at him with his vest and corduroy pants, the little man! So cute.