Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Busy hands.

This is what I've been doing:


I finished embroidering a gnome. The Elf thinks it's amazing. I think it looks haphazard. I'm still not sure which gnomes I'll swap, which I'll put in my Etsy shop, and which I'll leave around for the kids.


The Beast's birthday is at the end of April. He's currently in love with My Litle Pony (don't laugh, okay - it isn't violent and actually sends a decent message most of the time). I'm using Linda's unicorn/pegasus pattern. This will eventually be Twilight Sparkle. If I can find suitable colors I know he'd like some of the other ponies as well.


A sock. Or, the toe of a sock. I'm trying a toe-up with a short row heel. Only.. it's way too big for the littles and probably too small for B or myself. So.. it may never be a sock. It may be frogged to become a better sized sock.


I was so excited about these gloves. I'm a huge BSG fan. So finding a pattern for dradis inspired gloves was magical. I used a gift certificate given to me at christmas to indulge in Malabrigo Rios yarn (way out of my normal budget). Sadly, after knitting one glove I can tell you that it doesn't fit well and my stripes seem extremely off center. The off-centerness seems to be just part of the pattern, though. I'll be frogging this glove. Perhaps when it's closer to cool weather again I'll give it another try in something more solid colored - and with a much smaller needle. (Ravelry notes here)

Aside from that I've been trying to eek out a science curriculum for the Elf. I was thinking about having him study the human body. But then I ran into the dilemma of if I should start with biology (with an extended visit to the human body). With that in mind, I guess I'm looking for a place to start. Cells, maybe.

We're also about to hit the crusades in history. I have a particular interest in the crusades. It was a bloody, horrible time. But it is *fascinating* to me. Maybe because I don't have anything that could be called religious fervor. Maybe because it's been romanticized and some of my favorite books and movies (and games!) relate to that time period in some way, shape, or form. I don't know. But I find it most enjoyable to research. I will admit that I'm unsure of how to relate it to a ten year old and even less sure of where to start and what to skip over. I will say that he's very mentally mature when it comes to this sort of thing and he already knows some basics. Also, a friend pointed out to me John Green's Crash Course World History. The Elf has been *asking* to watch these nonstop. Score!

Anyway, that's where my thoughts have been while my hands have been busy. Linking up with Nicole's Crafting On post.

6 comments:

  1. I love your little gnome!!! So beautiful! My son watched Strawberry Shortcake for years! He loved the skateboarding Blueberry boy. I am going to check out Crash Course World History. Sounds interesting.
    have a great week
    Lisa

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  2. I love the gnome!! He is beautiful :) bummer about the mitts not being to your liking. That's when I gift them to people. Or frog them ;)

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  3. I love your gnome too, he looks magical.

    I know you don't like the glove you knit, but what about the yarn? I love this yarn and am now saving my pennies to buy more.

    I'm so glad you found something great history. I think cells would be a great place to start for science, comparing plant cells to animals cells is a lot of fun.

    PS- found a few math books and will look for more before the end of the week. :)

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  4. Beautiful projects! The gnome is really cute and I love those yarn's colours.

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  5. Your gnew gnome is fun. I like the vine-y flowers...

    Also, this book is set post-crusades and touches on the idea of how brutal, unnecessary and unjust the crusades were http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Hunt-Katherine-Langrish/dp/B005IUZMKK/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363151857&sr=1-3&keywords=langrish We loved this book in our house -- super readable (and has a faerie aspect to it also... I really wish the author would write another book soon!)

    xo

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  6. We're My Little Pony fans around here also. Even my 20 year-old son and husband watch it, though they pretend not to. There are bronies, which are guys that are into the show, so it is socially acceptable nowadays for guys to be in to it, unlike when I was a kid. My daughter is so into it, I've had to research all these background characters and so forth. I know a ridiculous amount about the show. Since the latest season was so short, her current passion is waning and I can only hope will never peak quite so high again. Then again, her new interest is Spongebob Squarepants.... ugh!!! I can thank to my 18 year-old for introducing her to it!!!!! I'm also in the process of trying to knit a pegasus unicorn from the same pattern! In fact, I just started casting on the stitches this afternoon, but already messed up and had to start over! We'll see if I can do it, as I am a newbie knitter. I have dark purple (more plumy than yours) yarn for the body and silvery/gray yarn for the horn and wings. Mine is not supposed to be Twilight Sparkle, per se. I didn't even know she was going to get wings when I purchased the yarn and pattern. What type of yarn are you using? I spent a long time researching my yarn and I am disappointed that it is so scratchy feeling. I'm not sure my daughter will like the unicorn/pegasus because of the texture. I LOVE your gnomes BTW!!!!

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