It Begins Again
Reading and Knitting Along with My Witches
Hey Friends!
We’re already well into October. (I’m not entirely sure where September went….)
But life is settling into the grind of the school year.
I suppose people exist out there who don’t think about the year relative to the traditional school calendar, but I seem always to be drawn back to it. From infancy through earning my college degrees, my life was ruled by the August-July calendar. Then I became a public school teacher and the perspective continued. When I stayed home with my first kiddo, my husband’s early work years were still in the same July-July rotation. And by the time he was done with that, my first kid started attending an early education program that ran in conjunction with the school calendar.
Now that I am in my fifth year of homeschooling my kids, the school calendar dominates my life. I AM the school calendar! 😂
As you can imagine, the late summer into early fall seasons trigger a switch in my mind that whispers, “Begin again.” This time of renewal is both stressful and reassuring. Thankfully, I’ve reached the point in the year when I feel like I have jumped in the lake, and all of the splashing and resulting waves have calmed into occasional concentric ripples.
Call Me AL
Perhaps I’m a perennial student at heart, because I adore a good “Along”— a Knit Along, Sing Along, or Read Along, to name a few. I love having a set goal and an established timeframe. (Also, I work best with a deadline!)
I’m currently participating in my first official Read Along (RAL)—that isn’t required for a grade! On a whim, and thanks to some influential social media posts, I committed to a Real Time Read Along of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. (The RAL is hosted by All Souls Discussion Group — @allsoulsdg — on Instagram.)
Now, you are probably thinking, didn’t you just come out with a knitting pattern based on that book series?! Yep. That’s me!
And yes, I’ve read those books atleast 3 times already. BUT… I’ve never read ADOW on each day as it unfolds in the book! The book’s timeline ranges across a month-and-a-half (September 18th - November 1st), and each day we are assigned certain chapters to read that correspond with that date. I am so enjoying this little excursion!
A Witch of a Sale
Between my A Discovery of Witches reread and the impending Halloween holiday, I’m in the mood for all things Witchy. Since I assume everyone thinks like me (😉), I’m running a Witchy Sale on a few of my patterns throughout October.
I have four designs that were inspired by various witches or wizards, and you can take 25% off any or all of them through November 1, 2024 (11:59pm EST). No code needed on Etsy. Use code ALLSOULS25 on Ravelry.
Patterns clockwise from top left: Whomping Willow Warmer, It Begins With Socks, Falliday Cowl, and Dumbledore’s Army Socks
Speaking of Alongs… I’m going to be announcing my first ever Mountain Song Designs Knit Along (KAL) in the next month or so. Don’t miss it!
