Yarn Along

Every week I've been inspired by Ginny at Small Things to post a picture here of what I've been reading and crocheting, but really it has turned into so much more than just a weekly blog post for me.

This week, I picked up another ball of thrifted yarn. It is very unlovely in quality, but it was just the right color (white) and the right price (just shy of free).

Somehow it turned into a very lovely spring cardigan for my little girl.

I shocked myself at being able to complete an entire sweater in 5 days, and I suppose that is a testament to the fact that practice, practice, practice does in fact produce speed.
I've been doing much practicing in the last few weeks months, since starting Yarn Along and I really can't believe how much I've improved!  With every project my confidence is increasing and crocheting has been the encouragement I needed to pick up knitting again (which I found very difficult the last few times I've tried it).
Of course my little sweater is again full of amateur mistakes, but there are certainly less of them this time around and I'm learning how to follow patterns better.  The finished sweater is a deviation from a free pattern I found on Ravelry. (89-15 Crocheted Cardigan in Muskat by Drops Design). Basically I just subtracted everything to make it smaller and followed the basic idea; also,  I dropped the lace stitching.

I finished it off with another special vintage button, which Ava again chose herself (good taste, this girlie has!)
Then she had to try it on with the rest of her Easter Sunday ensemble (she loves her clothes and plans them out for special occasions far in advance) including the new white leather shoes.

The book I've been reading and re-reading this week is " I like to be Little" by Charlotte Zolotow. It's a lovely little find we came across in our thrifting a couple weeks ago.  I hadn't cracked it until the other night and when it was chosen for bedtime the other night, we ended up reading it about 3 times over.
The text is sooo precious and the illustrations soooo gorgeous.

 It's the story of a little girl having a conversation with her mother, just like the conversations I often have with my Ava-girl. The mother asks the little girl why she likes to be little and her daughter replies with some of the simplest and most profound reasons for why she loves to be a child.
After reading it through the last time, I gathered my little girlie up in my arms and just prayed silently that I might be able to give her a childhood that will last; that she'll be able to somehow hold onto the innocence and wonder of these years that are slipping by far too quickly along with all the simple and untainted pleasures they hold.

Yes, this has felt like a rather special Yarn Along week for me, I'm so glad to share it with you! This humble, simple book touched my heart with it's loveliness and the humble, simple stitches of my yarn all added up to something lovely too.

I hope it's been a lovely week for all of you and a lovely one to come!