Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Scattered Knitting and Homestead Thinking

As you will see from these pictures, there are many projects in the works right now.

This is the beginnings of a Little Coffee Bean raglan cardigan (a free pattern) that is knit in the top down style - in a newborn size, with soft purple stripes - a wool blend yarn from my local yarn shop.
Also pictured is a little gnome cap for one of my knit dolls.



For our business, I need to finish crocheting two bags to hold our matching memory games.
Still finishing King of the Wind with Sarah and enjoying it.



This is a new cast on - In Threes (Soulemama mentioned this pattern the other day) - the pattern can be purchased on ravelry.
I like that the pattern includes infant up to size 5T.  I am using some wool blend yarn in a soft pretty pink that was given to me.





Something to show you that I finished! This is a short-sleeved cardigan knit using Peace Fleece yarn, sizing up this simple pattern - I have added it for sale in our shop.


Really excited to share with you this book - 

Up Tunket Road, the education of a modern homesteader, by Philip Ackerman-Leist

This book brings up so many questions.  Here is an excerpt ~
"The joy and challenge of homesteading is that it puts us face-to-face with our ecological choices.  We are forced to confront our cultural ubringing that gives us disappearing poop, anonymous food, and ravenous landfills.  I'm reminded often of the cultural admonitions delivered to me by Mary de Pachewiltz, who was raised in a peasant family in the tiny village of Gais in the Pustertal region of the Italian Alps.  As she watched me sort the castle's garbage and recycling and cope with the unmethodical composting efforts of the American college students living there, she would shake her head and say, 'Where I grew up, we never had garbage.  We didn't even have a word for garbage.  We had only what came from the earth, and then it went right back to the earth when we were finished it.'"

So much to challenge us as our family considers our future as homesteaders - is it possible with children - older children making it more challenging than the younger ones, by the way.  How much money do we need?  What can we live with and what can we live without?  Can we conserve money so we have more money to give?  How much time is leftover after earning enough to provide for the essentials? (and what are the essentials anyway....)   The process is exciting and thought provoking.

Looking forward to all of the sharing with Ginny today - the knitting projects and the books.



11 comments:

  1. You are so busy! Everything looks wonderful and thank you for the book recommendation.
    PS- Made your pumpkin bread yeasterday and my family loved it, thank you for sharing.

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  2. Oh, Tonya...look at all your knitting on the go! I usually am a one-project-at-a-time girl, but I can see the benefit of picking up what you are in the mood for. I do have some sheep's fleece I am picking, so maybe that counts, too ~ I can choose between knitting wool or picking it! And that book looks great...I will look for it at our library ~ thank you.
    xo Jules

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  3. that last little cardi is so sweet. i love it, such a great color.
    i so much want to homestead, so inspired by so many of the blogs i read. one day, one day... hopefully. :)

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  4. This is what of those books that needs to be read. I am not a homesteader...at least not yet :), but like you, I am equipping myself with as much information now before it happens :) Lovely sweater...
    m.

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  5. Such thought provoking questions, and ones we've been asking ourselves as we prepare to buckle down once more with our new baby arriving in December. My husband and I were talking last night about people who don't care about the environment...then acknowledged that we contribute our fair share to global warming with our daily commutes (scenic and rural though they are), and just the stuff we buy and/or throw out.
    Love the cardigan pattern..printed it off for new baby! She'll have loads of sweaters to get her through her first winter!
    And thanks for asking: I'm doing well!

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  6. Tonya,
    That cardigan is so pretty.
    I like the excerpt from that book. I love learning more to reduce waste.

    Love, Taryn

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  7. Neat to see you reading that book! The author is a good family friend of ours! Lovely knitting!

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  8. Good questions to wrestle with. I hope you all find the happy balance to make your homesteading goals come to fruition. That orange is such a cheery shade. Blessings.

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  9. Sorrel is wearing the bonnet you sent right now. I love the pic of Emmy wearing her's in your header. Hope all is well up there. I too dwell on the bittersweet challenges of homesteading! It's a constant struggle in every way...except the fact that we can take a step back and think one of two things: 1.) we are SO outnumbered in our efforts for a better way of life...or 2.) wow, we're defeating the odds...making ends meet (if only barely) proving to our children that we can have the life we want. I go back and forth. It's good/essential to have a support system when straying from the beaten path!

    :)Lisa

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  10. Well dear Tonya, I already said my hello earlier, but now I am stopping by here too, and so will say hello again on this nice post with your pretty knitting and good words. I really like that cardigan and will have to look at the pattern. Of course I most really LOVE the little goldenrod cardigan you sent for baby :)
    Oh, and I learned that trick for the pumpkins a few years ago, it really is so great!
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Love, Renee

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  11. Is it easy to just "Size up" something? Is there a method that everyone knows about but I don't? I'd love any help with that that you can give.

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