Jairah’s Jumper – Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things yarn along this week.

Jairah’s jumper is finished!  I love it and found it a lovely pattern to follow. I never used to block garments but these days I always do and it shows in the final finish of the garment.  The wool is Cleckheaton country Naturals 8 ply in forrest green (col 1841).  It was lovely to knit with and has washed up so soft, it’s really quite buttery in texture.  It’s a blend of 85% wool, 10% Acrylic and 5% Viscose and it’s made in Australia.  I’d definitely knit with it again.

My next project is this.  I have the wool, I just need to cast on.  It will be my most ambitious knitting project to date, so I can see it taking me a while to finish, hopefully before the end of winter so Tenneille can get some wear out of it.

As for reading I have read two books in the last two weeks (that’s almost unheard of for me these days).  I finished Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart.  Once I got past her constant appologising to her letter recipient, the book wasn’t too bad.  There was one phrase which I will quote which struck a cord with me and made me finish the book: “To me, homesteading is the solution of all poverty’s problems, but I realise that temperament has much to do with success in any undertaking and persons afraid of coyotes and work and loneliness had better let ranching alone.  At the same time, any woman who can stand her own company, can see the beauty of the sunset, loves growing things and is willing to put in as much time at careful labor as she does over the washtub, will certainly succeed; will have independence, plenty to eat all the time and a home of her own in the end”.  Oh my, that passage spoke volumes to me and if I were only to read this book to read the above passage, then I suppose it was worth it!  It was a freebee on Kindle too, I might add.

The other book (also a Kindle freebee) was called, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself, by Harriet Ann Jacobs.  This book is based on the life of a Southern slave called Linda.  What an amazing story, albiet, terrible in so many ways, and her escape to freedom.  Books like this make me most thankful for the many freedoms I enjoy.  I makes me think of all the untold, heart wrenching stories that will never be told of so many slaves whose lives were not their own to live.

I can’t wait to see what you have all been knitting/crocheting and reading. Jacinta x