Yarn Along

One of my favorite things about blogging is discovering new people with similar interests that you would normally not meet.  Through a friend's blog, I found another blog, of another homeschool mom across the country who also loves to knit and read.  You can find her blog here.  I think if we lived closer we would be good friends!  So this week, when I saw her event called "yarn along" I thought I'd join her party and make a post with what I've been working on this last week in regard to knitting and reading.
 
The knitting item is a stocking for the new little one, soon to make her arrival at any moment.  Knut and I bought our first stockings for our family from World Market when Silje was born.  We got 3 knitted stockings all different.  We knew we'd have more than one child, and we thought it would be tedious to try to find an exact stocking year after year, so we just picked the knitted "theme" and try to make sure that each one is different.  I didn't know how to knit at the time, and I actually wanted more of a velvet theme, but Knut insisted.  I love that man.

However, finding knitted stockings has become increasingly difficult.  Finding ones that are different than the ones we currently have is even harder!  So this time, it dawned on me that I am a knitter, and if I want to knit a stocking for the baby, that would be perfectly fine. Keeping with my goal this winter of choosing projects that would help me practice the stranded technique, this pattern was chosen. (You may need a ravelry membership to view the link.)

I was planning on finishing it last night, and I guess you could say I did, but I'm not pleased at all with how the heel and toe turned out.  (Knut who normally is complementary of my work also agreed it is not hanging right at all.) I've never made a stocking, or sock for that matter, so I followed the pattern to a T.  I think that tonight I'm planning on frogging it back to the heel, and winging more of a short row heal.  (The term "frogging" is one I learned from my internet knitting friends.  Frogging means that you undo your work.  Why the word "frogging"?  Because you "rip it...rip it...rip it...") 

I've never just felt my way through something like this, but I'm trying to convince myself it's not like I'm performing surgery.  I'm a good knitter, and I can figure it out.  I'm hoping this positive affirmation will help because I need to make this stocking work!  I'm not frogging the whole project, and I have no budget or even good choices of store-bought stockings and this baby and Christmas are both just around the corner.

The book is the one I incorrectly cited my previous post. I've just been reading bits after the kids are in bed and I'm attempting to get sleepy.  I've only had time to go over the chapters on prayer and I must say, it is quite uplifting and calming all at the same time.  I sincerely recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with God as it's full of inspiration on how to take the time to just enjoy Him.