Multiple drafts are amazing!

This week, one of the kids checked out My Grandpa is Amazing! from the library.  After reading it, she decided to write her own My Dad is Amazing! book.  So, naturally, Lucy decided to write Katryna and Nerissa are Amazing!  I have some little blank books available for such occasions, so I sat down to take dictation.

Lucy wrote:

At that point, Lucy told me that was all she wanted to write, but that she would fill up the rest of the pages with pictures.  And she began to draw Katryna and Nerissa again and again and again.

Now is when I hear the worried parents who've been in my classrooms over the years.  "All he does is play with blocks."  "If I left it up to her, she'd play fairies all day every day."  And to them, I say "what's bad about that?"  If only we can trust the value in what they choose to do!

On the very next page, Katryna suddenly had a neck, a body, legs, and feet (something Lucy's rarely done before):

Then it was back to only heads, as she practiced eyes:

Then came arms with hands and fingers:

Lori Pickert, in her book Project-Based Homeschooling, encourages parents to "try to put yourself into a different frame of mind.  Creating multiple drafts of the same work allows your child to raise his efforts to a level that isn't possible if he simply creates first drafts over and over again.  Rather than thinking about new versus old, consider the importance of an artist or craftsman revising and polishing their work, introducing improvements at each pass.  Think about first and final drafts--and how much the work improves between them... Creating representations is about communicating, and doing multiple drafts allows your child to get closer to what he wants to say." (pp. 117-118)

And, of course, books can't communicate without a reader (or listener).  So Lucy's been reading her book to everyone this week, including Monkey:

A few days ago, Lucy decided she couldn't draw a guitar.  But she was so pleased with these new bodies, she thought maybe she could try again in one of the many pictures she draws of Katryna and Nerissa each day.  And this time, she was satisfied with her results.  (Nerissa's holding the guitar, on the right, below.)

The Nields project

Lucy has a new love.

Almost from day one, she has disliked it when we sing, or when we listen to CDs.  Early on, she took a music class with Katryna and Nerissa Nields, and she enjoyed it.  But she's a talker.  And if we sing--or listen to music--we're not available for conversation.  No good.  So she'd usually ask us to stop, or turn it off, or she'd just talk right over the music.

But we love music.  So we kept on trying.  And for some reason, seeing the Nields at First Night this year flipped a switch.

Three weeks later, she's still singing all the songs they sang that night.  And asking us, again and again and again to talk about when Katryna fell asleep.  (You know the song "Mama's Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow?" When they sang about getting sleepy on the way home, Katryna yawned, sang slower and slower, sat, lay down, and eventually snored.)   "I can't stop talking about that snoring part!  I have to laugh every time we talk about it; I can't stop."

That part had made a huge impression.  So had the motions that Katryna used while they sang.  She loved the flailing hands for "in cases of emergency," and from that, was able to remember the whole song:
She was so interested, I pulled out the Nields' CDs which have been gathering dust for a while as she's been uninterested. Suddenly, we're all singing the songs together with joy (oh, what joy!).

One song on a CD got her wondering.  What does "Mango Walk" mean?  I remembered that they had explained it in their book, so I pulled it out.   Now she had a new avenue for her Nields' research.  "I can't stop looking at the photo in the Singing in the Kitchen book."  She turned the book back and lay it on her pillow, photo up, to study before going to sleep at night.  We could hear her after lights out, reciting to herself "Katryna and Nerissa.  Katryna and Nerissa."  She flipped through the book, studying each of Katryna's little sketches, matching each one to a person, or a song.

It seemed to give her an idea.  Maybe she could draw them, too.  Yesterday, she emerged from the studio with a drawing of two faces on an index card.  "It's Katryna and Nerissa."  Then she left and came back with another drawing: "it's the train song!  That's the chain, and that's the train, and those are the people inside, and that's a singer." 


 I asked if she might like to draw some of their other songs.  She loved the idea!  She ran back and forth, showing us each as she finished.  I wondered if she might like to put them into a book.  YES!

She decided her book should have only songs they sang at First Night.  After she drew them, we discussed what lyrics should be added, and I took her dictation for those and for a title.  She found an illustration of a singer on stage, and was inspired to cut it out and add it to her cover.

I loved her little book so much, I wanted to share it with Katryna (who'd once been a parent in my classroom).  So we made a copy, added a letter, and it's in the mail.  (Lucy's quotations here are from her letter.)

Today, she played guitar (being Nerissa) and directed me to be Katryna, and we sang and bantered back and forth as they do.  "I like to play Katryna and Nerissa."  Later, we took a walk around the block, and the whole way, she kept us in persona, asking me to tell stories with her that we "remembered" from when we were girls.  ("Katryna, remember when you were sick, and you threw up...?")

I'm loving this project of hers, and can't wait to see where it takes us next.

Yarn along: anticipation

 
Ahh...I'm finally able to join in again for Ginny's yarn along.  I haven't had much time lately for either reading or crochet, but I have only one more day of work before I get to go on vacation!  So I've picked out a pattern and some yarn and have it packed and ready to go (6 1/2 hours in the car minus tons of Lucy-entertaining-time equals some time for crochet, I hope!)

I wanted something super-simple to help me ease back in to crochet after a long absence (my brain is going to be in vacation mode, after all), and I wanted to use yarn we had on hand (thanks, Melissa!).  I chose Merlin.  Wish me luck; maybe I'll come back from vacation inspired to be crafty again.

I'm reading One Vacant Chair by Joe Coomer, but unfortunately, it's been slow going.  In the past, I've loved Joe Coomer's books, especially Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God.  (I read that many years ago, and immediately began it again, very rare for me.  A few years later, I found myself in Portsmouth, NH, and kept saying "I've been here before," "I know this place," though I hadn't.  I finally realized it was his descriptive writing that made me feel I'd been there.)  This time, however, I'm just not getting into it.  I can't blame the book.  I've been like this with most books lately.  I just don't have the time to sink deeply into a book, and I am almost always sleep deprived.  I've packed pure fluff reading for this trip to accommodate my current brain fog.

Have any good recommendations for this tired, time-crunched Mama?

Lucy's alphabet

In the past few months, Lucy's begun noticing letters everywhere we go. Crossing a parking lot with freshly-painted lines, she excitedly calls out "there's an A for Mommy!" (Mommy's name is Andi), "an L for Lucy and Mama!" (Mama is me, Lise), "a T for Tim!", etc.

We began photographing her letters, thinking some day we'd make them into an alphabet book for her. Because we're keeping it completely Lucy-led (in other words, we don't go out on a letter-hunting walk, but just wait for her to show us another one), it might have been a very long time before all the photos were ready for the book.

But I've begun to learn a good trick of making things, especially handy for busy moms. Don't wait until you're ready. Do it now, or you may never do it. So last week, I grabbed a little photo album (not the perfect one for the project, just the one I had on hand), and put in the four photos we'd taken so far. On the other pages, I put in index cards, on which I'd written the letters for which we don't yet have photos. Now her book is ready to read now, when she's most excited about the project. Quick, easy, not as beautiful as the "perfect" book I might have imagined, but here and in use, unlike those "someday" perfect projects.

A tomten in our home

One of Lucy's very favorite books this winter is The Tomten and the Fox. Tidying up a cabinet recently, I came across this gorgeous fox I'd gotten once at a tag sale, and was inspired to make her a tomten to go with it.

I'm just figuring out the wonderful world of craft supplies, and am working out kinks like paint pens bleeding on the wood, and tan paint coming out greyish. (I need to figure these things out soon, as I have big peg-people plans for Lucy's birthday next month.) But overall, I'm pretty thrilled with how he came out.

Lucy is too. (Here she is playing with him before the glue on his beard has even dried.)

Yarn along: tying up loose ends

I finished two crochet projects yesterday! (Well, almost; just need to weave in ends.)

I finally did the sock-monkey coffee-cozy I'd intended for a Christmas gift for my sister. (It got bumped for her birthday next week.) Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to fit an actual take-out cup! (Not without spilled coffee everywhere.) It's awfully cute, though. Shoot. (Edited to add: it fits!)

And I finished my purple cardiff cowl. Next up is Lucy's matching one, by request, and then I'm going to move on to something other than cowls (I've made 5 of these since Thanksgiving!)

I'm reading a bit of fluff at the moment, because I just finished something horrifying. I'm also reading All Together Singing in the Kitchen, written by local musicians/former parent-in-my-classroom/Lucy's infant music teachers Katryna and Nerissa Neilds. Like me, they were raised in a musical home, with parents who made music and instruments all around, and it really shaped who they are. I've just begun the book, but I can tell already it's going to be inspiring and useful. (There are little ideas that are so obvious, but somehow I hadn't thought of them. Like sitting at the piano, playing a note, and playing match-the-note, singing it with your child. Lucy loves to play at the piano, and would enjoy a simple game like that.)

What are you working on? Check out Ginny's yarn along for more inspiration.

Yarn along, with an extra book

(Whoa--a whole week went by! I had so much I wanted to share. Oh, well, it was well-spent relaxing.) Meanwhile, here we are back at the Yarn Along. My cardiff cowl is coming along very slowly (argh...I had to pull out the first row twice! I've been distracted...), but at least I have no deadline on this one! I've started The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, which was a Christmas present. It's such a fascinating book, told all in vintage pictures and scraps of text, as if it's a scrapbook from the twenties. (Lucy says "grown-up books don't usually have pictures!") It doesn't feel quite like reading a novel, but I'm really enjoying it! If you like the 20s or enjoy looking through vintage ephemera, you should definitely check this one out.

And, since I was on vacation, I finished my last book and read a whole other book since the last yarn-along, and I just had to mention it, because it was a great read! After Astrid and Veronika (a truly beautiful book, but very sad), I needed something lighter. I looked through the heap I'd thrifted recently with a friend and chose:

Shelter Me
It turned out to be less chick-lit-ish than I suspected it might be. I loved the characters, and found myself completely wrapped up in the story. It was rather predictable, but I didn't care one bit; it was just the perfect read for vacation. Recommended!

Yarn along: even more cowls

I've finally finished all my Christmas crochet projects, and it's time for one for me. I've been wearing the not-good-enough-for-a-gift cardiff cowl a lot, and have been wanting to make myself some more scarves for wearing all day as part of an outfit (not just for outdoors). I'd made my wool-sensitive sister a cotton-and-cashmere version, and loved it so much, I decided to make myself the same one. (And Lucy's requested a smaller matching one for herself.)

After the first version of this cowl, I learned to do a foundation single crochet, which made subsequent ones so much nicer (I love the helpful comments on ravelry for tips like that). I'm terribly slow at it and not very tidy yet, but I'm getting there. Meanwhile, I'm still reading Astrid and Veronika, which is turning out to be just the right pace for Christmas vacation.

Now that I can reveal the past month's work, here's one of the finished cowls, made as a gift for a friend:

And, if you're interested in that kind of thing, here's the ravelry link for the replacement red one I made for my sister.

I'm joining in to Ginny's Yarn Along. There's lots more yarn-and-book inspiration there!

Yarn along: beginnings

Haven't much to show for the yarn-along today, just beginnings. I finished The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (which I liked, but didn't love like the reviews made me expect I would), and I think Astrid and Veronika will be next (for the simple reasons that I love the cover and it starts in dark winter, which seems just right about now. Choosing books is an odd process, isn't it?) I've also finished my last (secret) crochet project, and next in my queue is this coffee cozy for my sock-monkey-loving sister. I don't have much time for either crochet or reading at the moment, but only one more work day and a couple days of cleaning and wrapping, and then I'm on vacation for a week! I'll be hanging out with family and--I hope--crocheting a lot as we chat.

Yarn along: cowl factory

Joining in to Ginny's yarn along again today. Not a lot of reading going on this week (though I'm still enjoying this book when I get a spare moment). It's been all late nights and freezing fingers outdoors while I crochet cowls, cowls, cowls. Here's the latest, finished at midnight last night. This one's a gift for my sister, who can't abide anything even slightly itchy, so it's made with cotton/cashmere yarn that feels oh, so yummy! (I may be making a second in January for myself...). Back to work; there are lots of gifts yet to make!

Yarn along: practice runs

I finished the cardiff cowl I've been crocheting this week, and it's embarrassingly wonky. I'd thought it would be a gift, but I'm going to keep it for myself, as it's wearable, but clearly a beginner's project (the bottom half is all stretched-out with extra stitches and mistakes; the top half is straight and lovely.) I spent a ridiculous amount of time last night trying to figure out how to do a foundation stitch rather than a chain for the next one--I love everything about this cowl except for the tight chain in the middle. Now I'm hoping I have the skills to make the next one better (and much faster, as I'm now one gift behind where I thought I'd be!)

For a quick in-between project, I began work today on some crochet hair ties for stocking stuffers. I'm making some little flowers from a pattern in Crochet Adorned, which I plan to attach to hair elastics for cute ponytail decorations. My fingers feel awfully huge for that tiny hook, but I'm hoping I'll get the hang of it soon.

So I haven't actually created many gifts yet, but let's just call these practice runs for the real thing.

I'm reading The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. I've just barely started it, but ooh, it's good so far! On our recent trip to Boston, we lucked out at the thrift store, finding a huge heap of good-looking books. I grabbed this one because I vaguely remembered reading good reviews of it, and because Barbara Kingsolver gave the blurb for the cover, but I didn't know anything more than that (the advantage of books under a dollar is you can judge a book by its cover without much risk!). A bad time of year to start a good book, though; I find myself thinking "read? make gifts? read? make gifts?"

See what others are reading and creating at Ginny's Yarn Along.

Yarn along: easy reading and tricky crochet

We're having a sick day here--all of us with fevers--so I'll keep this brief. But I did want to share a project with the Yarn-Along, as I'm so happy to be crocheting again! The Christmas-gift bug has hit! I'm making (and unmaking, and making again) a Cardiff Cowl. For some reason, I'm finding this pattern a bit tricky to follow, and have ripped out and started again several times. But I'm loving the look, and the yarn is fabulous, so I still have high hopes. If it works, there will be more.

I'm reading something very unusual for me, a suspense novel: Every Secret Thing, by Laura Lippman. Too much going on right now for "serious" reading.

The photo was taken on the picnic table, as it's been unseasonably warm this week and I've been crocheting while the kids play outside!

Yarn along: cheating edition

Ok, this is definitely a yarn-along cheat. I'm not actually crocheting anything at the moment, but I did make it so far as to choose some yarn for some Christmas gifts today. Now, let's see if I actually get started on anything this week! (It's been a long time. Do I even remember how?)

I've been reading The Freedom Writers Diary, which is a flashback for me to the kind of books I loved to read when I was in college, studying to be a teacher (I read all kinds of 60s progressive fight-the-system teacher's books, outside of my classroom assignments). I bought this one at a book sale years ago for my sister, then found out she'd read it, so it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. It's fascinating and amazing (a first-year teacher and the "worst" kids in school accomplishing so much!), but I want to know more. How did they get there? I can't wait to talk with my sister (a high-school English teacher) about her thoughts on this one.

And with the kids, I'm finding myself reading Donkey, Donkey over and over again this week. Four donkeys moved in around the corner from us, and we walked down to meet them this week. That made one of the kids ask for "that book about the donkey that cuts his ear on the nail," and it's been requested again and again. (Fine with me; oh, how I love those Duvoisin farm animals!)

Yarn along, after a long absence

(Sick of these arm warmers yet? I am. There's just been no time or energy or motivation for crochet lately, and when I let a project languish too long, I tend to lose interest.)

My family's been dealt a terrible blow recently, and I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else. Blogging about anything seems trivial in the face of it. And yet, life does go on, and I want to spend part of it focusing on the positive.

In that light, I wanted to return for the yarn along, which I've missed.

I'm reading a wonderful new book. I was lucky enough to be able to hear Jodi read from it this week, accompanied by Ellen (the songwriter for the included CD soundtrack). Jodi Picoult cracks me up (when I see her in person), and all her books make me want to block off a day just to read. But the theme of this one, of course, is near and dear to my family's life, and so I was particularly thrilled to be able to see her this time. I love how, whatever issue she's addressing, she can make you feel sympathetic to characters on both sides (doubt it'll happen this time, but you never know...). The signing line was long and super-efficient at this reading, but I managed to tell her "thank you--if anyone can change minds, you can." She said "I hope so." Me, too.

Yarn Along 16

Work has stalled on my arm warmers, until I can get to the store for a new hook. And I'm still reading The Book Thief (no fault of the book, just of my too-busy life). But mostly, of course, I'm reading picture books. This week's favorites are two vintage Little Golden Books.

Most-read is The Monster at the End of this Book, both by me to the kids, and by the kids themselves. Here's part of what I wrote to their parents today about it:

Do you remember The Monster at the End of this Book? It’s a 1970s Little Golden Book about Grover—and is probably the only t.v.-tie-in book you’ll ever see in this house. But it’s such a great one, it deserves its solitary existence here. We’ve been reading it a lot this week. On the first reading, some of the kids worried it might be too scary (there’s a monster at the end, you know). But once the older kids start laughing, the younger kids edge closer to find out why, and soon we’re past that first reading and on to the pleas for “again!” (If you’re not familiar with it, Grover is worried because the title page said there’d be a monster at the end of the book. He does everything he can to stop us from turning pages to get there. But it turns out it’s just him!) Of course, the kids love it because it’s very funny. And it’s fun to keep turning pages that have been tied shut or bricked over, creating havoc and panic for Grover. I love it for those reasons, too. But I also have a secret teacher-y love for it. Do you see the giant text as Grover yells? And the speech bubbles? And colored lettering? It all draws children’s attention to the text, and keeps it there as they read the book themselves. Big text tells them to yell. Tiny text tells them to whisper. And they’re looking at it all as they “read” the quickly-familiar words, nudging them one step closer on their path toward reading. And read it they do, over and over. I caught everyone “reading” this book to themselves or to a friend at various times today: “I’m going to tie this page up so you can’t turn the page.” “You turned another page!”

And then there's The New Baby (or Baby Dear). Mother cares for her new baby, while new-big-sister cares for her new doll. Totally sweet. I have been so inspired as I read this one over and over by the clothes! There's the cutest green bonnet with embroidered flowers that I think I must make for Lucy. And the striped dress has me thinking about a men's shirt I could transform...

There's lots more yarn-along inspiration at Ginny's blog.

Yarn Along 15

Still reading the same book and working on the same arm warmers. (We've had visits from 4 grandparents, 1 aunt, and 2 cousins in the past week, so there's been little time!)

Only after I bought the yarn did I read the part in the pattern where it said self-striping yarn would pool strangely on these, and I guess it is. But I'm so happy with how they're coming out! I'd procrastinated getting started because the pattern is for an extra-small woman, which I am definitely not. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to adjust it properly. But I've been trying it on as I go, and it's fitting beautifully, with only slight adjustments (a hook one size larger; one extra row to make more room for my thumb). This is only the second thing I've made for myself, and I'm really looking forward to wearing them.

Want more crochet, knitting, or reading inspiration? Check out all the yarn along posts linked at Ginny's blog today.

Yarn Along 14

Not a lot of time for reading or crafting this week (other than Lucy's birthday cake, of course.) But I've read enough to be getting into my book (a slow start, but one that promises to be very good). And I've pulled out this beautiful yarn again, and am determined to get started on those fingerless gloves, at last.

Maybe seeing everyone else's Yarn Along projects will inspire me to get going with them!

Yarn Along 13

I'm joining in to Ginny's Yarn Along again today, although it's a stretch to call my latest project crochet. I'm chaining and braiding reins for the stick horse I'm making Lucy for her birthday.

I finished One Thousand White Women (great read!), moved on to The Red Garden (wonderful!), and have started The Book Thief, so it's no wonder I have little crochet to show!

Check out the links at Ginny's blog for more reading and yarn inspiration!

Yarn Along 11

If you haven't yet joined Ginny's Yarn Along, today's the day to do it; she's hosting a giveaway!

A few weeks ago, Ginny's yarn-along post reminded me of these hearts I'd wanted to try since last year. I tried one, and really struggled with the tiny scale; it came out nearly unrecognizable as a heart. So then I tried this pattern, with more success. That gave me the courage to try more super-tiny ones, and this time, they came out pretty cute. I'm thinking the larger ones will become a valentine's day garland for my kitchen window, and the smaller ones maybe for my mirror.

And I'm still reading One Thousand White Women, and highly recommend it!

Yarn Along 10

Time again for Ginny's Yarn Along.

I finished the necklet I was making for myself last week (after pulling the whole thing out and starting again; apparently that class took all my brain power and I failed to notice I'd made it twice as wide as it should have been). I added some gorgeous vintage-inspired buttons. I love it! It's the first crochet project I've made for myself.

Up next is some fingerless gloves, also for me. Check out that fabulous yarn I got for them! As an added bonus, my friend used this yarn to teach me his mother's technique for rolling a ball of yarn so that you can pull it from the center. I had no idea you could do such a thing! (We got him yarn and hooks for his birthday, and it seems we've successfully recruited him.) I've been wanting some fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while crocheting outside and to wear when I sit down to work at nap time (if you stop moving, this house is freezing!). Most of the crocheted ones I've seen look too bulky, but these look just right to me. (Wish me luck resizing them; I'm still learning that skill.)

I'm reading One Thousand White Women. (Well, "reading" in the mom-of-toddler sense of the word; I've read one page!)

What are you reading and making?