It’s 77 degrees here in Texas today!
Naturally I’ve finished a hat and have another one on the go this week. Is it a good time to start a sweater? This week I talk about tricky {for me} crochet stitches and how one student inspired me to start reading my Bible again. I’ve been eating salads to detox from vacation and enjoying my back-at-home routine immensely!
Finished Objects
I just loved this hat pattern when I first saw it on Instagram! I’d just bought a skein of handspun yarn on my Thanksgiving trip to Oregon and I thought it would be perfect for this hat.
It took some trial and error to get it right. The original pattern calls for worsted weight doubled and the handspun was a heavy worsted on it’s own. I decided to add in a matching color of Kidsilk Haze {dreamy} and go down a few needle sizes. Then I adjusted the size by adding more stitches. All edits can be found on my Ravelry project page.
Fast forward quite a few months, and I’ve finally got it WIP’d before the end of the month. Just in time for our 80 degree weather!
WIP’s- Focus Projects
I started these socks all the way back in October 2017. The yarn was a seasonal Halloween colorway from Knit Style Yarns called “Monster Mash” and it came with a coordinating bag that I just had to have! {Sharon ships quickly and her yarn is beautiful!}
I’ve declared these socks a “WIP-it” for March, so I knit on them at many different restaurants and bars on my trip last week in Charleston.
Around the same time, the Grocery Girls Podcast talked about a new pattern called “Clark Socks” by Jaclyn Salem. Tracie started a pair, so I did too!
The pattern is really fun and clever. The diagonal purl stitches help you keep track of which cable row you are on- making it totally memorizable!
I’ve changed only one thing- the heel. I believe the pattern calls for a short row heel anyway, but I did the “Fish Lips Kiss Heel” as I have it memorized.
These are my March socks, so I hope to have them done by the end of the month. I’ve just got the feet left. Then they will go into my Box O’ Sox until Christmas time when they will be gifted.
Something New
There have been so many times in this hat pattern that I’ve reached a place where I’m completely lost. I know at that point that I need to set the hat down until tomorrow… or maybe a couple days. When I go back to the pattern the next time, it usually makes more sense! I don’t know what it is about giving my brain a chance to rest and process. This week I needed a little more help with the “Linked Double Crochet.”
When the written instructions still sound like a foreign language, I used this video from Moogly’s Tamara Kelly. It’s actually really easy! As soon as I saw her do one stitch, I went back to my written pattern. Suddenly I understood- the translating power of YouTube!
I’m so close to the end of this beautiful hat! It has been quite the challenge. Can’t wait to wear it in 10 months 😉
What God’s Teaching Me
This week, I was walking down the hallway of the public elementary school where I work, when I saw something that surprised me- a 5th grader reading the Bible.
He wasn’t using his phone or an illustrated children’s copy, this was a legit, hard-copy of the Bible.
I think I would be shocked to see anyone in public these days reading a physical copy of the Bible, really a physical copy of any book. {Aside, isn’t this another way that technology is stripping down our social connectivity? I used to see the cover of someone’s novel and have the desire to start a conversation with them. Now we have no way of knowing if someone is reading or browsing Twitter.}
When I saw this young kid reading his Bible in such an open, casual way, I felt a pang of guilt. When was the last time I cracked open my Bible? I think it’s been three weeks since I was last in town for a Sunday church service… but I probably just used the Bible app on my phone for that. I felt a God whisper, “Natalie, this boy is reading his Bible AT SCHOOL, because HE WANTS TO. You used to have that desire. I want to give that passion back to you, but you have to give me the time.”
Yes, Lord.
I know myself pretty well, and I’ll have to structure the time and space for reading the Bible. When I used to go to a weekly Bible study, I desired to read my Bible and complete the workbook each day. I enjoyed getting to discuss God’s Word with others. About eight months ago, we moved out of the city and to a new church that doesn’t run these studies. I’ve long since fell out of the habit.
I’m going to start small, by using the Bible app on my phone. I know it isn’t a physical Bible, but I will get there. Each morning while I’m getting ready for work, there is a period of time where I’m waking up and playing on my phone. Usually I’m on Instagram {shocking}, but now I’m going to be disciplined enough to open my Bible before I can get on any other media.
I use YouVersion, which is available for both Android and Apple. They have versions on versions of the Bible, but the best thing they have is reading plans. These plans include a devotional reading and related Bible verses. Some plans even have videos or audio to listen as the devotional. You can search for plans on any topic. I’m starting with a 7-day plan called “Never Say No: Raising Big Picture Kids.” Although I don’t have my own, I’m interacting with students every day; I want to love the like God loves me.
Even reading the super-short devotional in the morning has been a challenge for me. It doesn’t feel enjoyable; although it’s an interesting read, it feels more like a check mark on my morning to-do list. So, the most important step in learning to be like that boy, devouring his Bible at school, is inviting God in to change my heart into that of a student.
“Lord, feed me the desire to learn more about your Word. Give me a heart like your son, the little boy at my school who loves to read his Bible. Teach me how to study the Bible with a passionate heart. I love you, Father. Amen.”
What We’re Cooking
After a ful-filling (literally) vacation diet last week, I’ve been trying my best to detoxify. Salads are such an easy meal to put together. I make mine really simple by buying mostly pre-washed and cut ingredients- spinach, carrot chips, cherry tomatoes, and sliced mushrooms. I make them up two at a time and fold a paper towel in the one I’m going to have two days later- it absorbs the moisture from rinsing veggies! I can eat the same thing all week without getting bored, so veggies and fruit have filled my lunchbox.
Tonight I am trying out this Pillsbury recipe for beef empanadas. They look super simple. I think they will make an easy weekend dinner! I will share more next week.
What I’m Reading
I’m in the last chapters of “Ready Player One” and on the hunt for my next book.
I would love to read “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’engle, but as it’s going to be a movie, the wait lists at the library are a mile long. I’m #266 on 36 {digital} copies! Luckily our 5th graders read the book this year so I think I can manage to borrow a copy. I’ve never read this book before and I can’t wait to see what it’s all about!
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