yarn along

This week I am longing for spring! I can't wait to see green grass again and where flip flops! Spring come soon. I am still working on my lovely sweater. It has been fun and I love working on it. Recently I finished the Family Romanov. It was an excellent read! I love history, so this book was great for me. 

I am saddened that Downton Abbey is over for this year. It was such a great season, by far my favorite.

What are you knitting or reading?

yarn along.

My sweater is doing great. I love working with my favorite yarn and I am letting go of fears and perfection and pressing on to complete it.  Also not pictured I am learning to crochet. A friend from church is teaching my sister and I. It was such a great experience to learn another craft. I told her that I was afraid to learn and she answered, "Why are you afraid?" In my mind, I answered the fear of not getting it. But I let go of the fear and learned the basic stitch. It's so good to be surrounded by people who help you become a better person. I am so going to miss them all when I go to college. 

This week I finished reading the Astronaut Wives Club. I (wish) but didn't grow up in the space race, so I didn't firsthand see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon or anxiously watch the television as Apollo 13 circled the moon. But after reading stories and watching documentaries, I have always been amazed of the bravery of the men who went up to space. Through it all I never really thought of their families, but just of their famous trips into space. This book answered all of my questions. It mentioned the lives of the astronaut's wives, how they raised their families, and how afraid they were as their husband's went into space. It was a great weekend read that made me admire both the men and their wives bravery.  

What are you knitting or reading? 

yarn along.

Can I just say how excited I am to start my sweater again! After a few weeks of cowls, I am happily ready to start the back of my sweater. Hopefully I will not have any struggles, the first part was easy and I pray the back will be too! :) 

This week I am reading the Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen. I can't get enough of Jane! It has become such a passion for me to read anything related to Jane. I even checked out a dvd from the library that explores her home. Can't wait to watch it. But for now you'll find me knitting and watching X-Men! Have a happy Wednesday! 

What are you knitting or reading? 

yarn along.

Finally, I am on the last cowl 4 out of 4! Hopefully by next week I'll be knitting the back of my sweater. But I have to say, I really enjoyed the process and I liked working with different colors of yarn. It always seemed like I was knitting with a different color each week. Through all of this I have learned to be patient and that the best is yet to come! 

I have finished listening to Emma. It definitely took me awhile to finish it, but it's my second favorite Jane Austen book (my favorite will always be Pride and Prejudice.) At the end of the book I really enjoyed this quote that Mr. Knightly told Emma, "If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more." So heartwarming!  Right now, I am reading Jane Austen's First Love. It's a sweet book written by the same author who wrote the Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen.  

yarn along.

This week I am still working on the cowls! Yes, even though there was the Superbowl and Downton Abbey, my knitting has been quite slow.  But on a brighter note, wasn't episode 5 of Downton Abbey the best? It was by far my favorite episode ever. I just love Downton! 

Right now, I am reading The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. This book is on of my favorites and I totally recommend it to any Jane Austen fan. The memoir is all about the life of Jane Austen, it is a fiction book, but her personal life, family, and friends are all factual. It's a great read and makes you long to read all of Jane's books again! Thankfully I am still listening to Emma and am almost done! 

What are you knitting or reading? 

yarn along.

This week New York and some other cities/states were hit by snow! It was definitely surprising to wake up to snow. I am originally from Colorado so I have seen alot of snow, but I haven't seen snow in a city. It felt good to shovel snow again and marvel at the beauty of white powder. 

Anyway I am still knitting the cowls, I am on 3 out of 4. I originally was going to make 5, but ran out of yarn. Also I am using the same pattern for all of them, which helps me to not get confused! Still wishing to pick up my sweater again, but first the cowls need to be finished! 

I am still listening to Emma and reading the paper, especially with a enticing cover story! 

yarn along.

I am still working on the cowls. Right now, I am on 2 out of 5. My goal is to start and finish a cowl in one week. It's definitely a big task, but thankfully I love making cowls. Unfortunately my sweater has been neglected, but after the cowls are done I want to start working on it again. I also think it's good to take a break from projects and work on others. It helps me not lose interest in the project.

At the moment I am listening to Emma by Jane Austen. I did finish the Goldfinch, finally! It wasn't my cup of tea and I do wish the ending was better but the main thing I am keeping in my heart is this song by Toby Mac, We lose our way, We get back up again It's never too late to get back up again, One day you will shine again, You may be knocked down, But not out forever.  

What are you knitting or reading? 

yarn along.

I finished the back of my sweater a few days ago! I couldn't believe how fast I knit it! I had plans to cast on the front part of the sweater, but a friend of mine asked if I could make a few cowls for her. So I jumped on the opportunity and took a break from my sweater. For me, I think this will be a good idea. I happen to get tired of projects to easily... and this will be a great break for me. Hopefully I'll finish the sweater, even though it may be completed in the summer. But the good thing is I'll be able to wear it this fall at the college I am attending! Bonus points right?!

Right now, I am finishing reading the Goldfinch. I really liked the beginning, but disliked the middle. I am hoping the end is good, because I really want to know what happens!! It's definitely not my favorite book, even though the beginning was amazing. 

Yarn Along.

I am making a sweater!!! The first part is fairly simple, but I am soaking up the simple moments because I know it will get harder in the future. The sweater pattern is called Hayward by Julie Hoover. Her designs are so pretty! 

Downton Abbey premiered in the US on Sunday. Since I don't have TV :( I was still able to watch the show on Masterpiece Classic PBS. If anyone would like to watch the 5th season click here. It's free and legal! :) It was so awesome to watch the show again and have my knitting in my hand. 

Right now I am still listening to Emma, but I also started The Goldfinch. I heard it was a really good book and the beginning is set in New York (where I live.) I can't wait to find out what happens in the end. 

What  are you knitting and reading? 

Yarn Along.

Honestly the title of the post should be, Melissa is making a sweater and has no idea what she is doing! I decided that I have been knitting cowls and scarfs for a while and have not ventured out to do something big (I think I was to scared that I would mess up.) But now I am ready! I decided to make this sweater on the night Downton Abbey starts and finish the day it ends to find more details about that click here. Also the yarn I am using is from Cascade and it is my favorite brand. Even though I am a little bit nervous this might be the hardest project I have ever completed, I am glad that the pattern is easy and I am using my favorite yarn! That's all that matters right!?

Anyway right now I am listening to Emma by Jane Austen. It's another great book by Jane. 

What are you reading or knitting? Also any helpful tips or encouragement would be greatly appreciated! :)

Downton Abbey Knits.

Downton Abbey is by far my favorite TV show. To be honest, I don't follow a lot of TV shows, but this one really stuck for me. Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong era, because I really enjoy the outfits everyone wore and how the men would stand up if the ladies walked in. Anyway back to reality, Downton Abbey season 5 is airing (in the US) on January 5th 2015 which means I will be glued to the TV waiting to see the first episode.

While I am watching I want to be doing something with my hands, which will be knitting. So my goal is right when Downton Abbey starts I'll cast on a project that I really want to make and my goal is to finish the project at the end of the season which should be maybe in February. I bought the Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits magazine but am still debating on if I'll knit something out of that. 

I have watched all of the seasons of Downton Abbey, but my most favorite season is the 2nd one. What about you? 

If you would like to join me in this project, I would love to see your knitted projects. If you have an instagram or twitter use the #downtonabbeyknits so I can see all of your creations. On my blog I'll be sharing my progress once a week. Also click on the Downton Abbey Knits tab to find out how you can join! And as always happy knitting! 

The Downton Abbey print is from fox and winston, the tea and Downton Abbey ornament is from PBS shop, and the mug is from Anthropologie.