Brume is knit and written and at the tech editor's. I'm hoping to have it ready for a preview at the end of October, so it can be published in November. It will eventually become part of either a trilogy or quartet of hat patterns that are each variations on a theme. The crown decreases please me to no end, and I hope you will be equally delighted with them. I've made more progress on Winter Wonderland, but I'm still not to where I was when I had to rip back.

This past week has been so busy and chaotic! Three out of four girls had two shows for their ballet recital Saturday, and all the rehearsals that lead up to that during the week. Then, there is all the preparing for the Paris trip. All the shopping, and cleaning, and sorting, and packing. Since, of course, my knitting is the most important thing to consider in my packing, here are the projects I am bringing: Mariam, Ventus, Manly Rainbow Socks, and Boreas. I will also be bringing the notes and prototype for the third party publishing design this fall to write it up as much as possible. I am saving the rest of my knitting space for yarn that I will buy while traveling. So, today, my task is to weigh our suitcases and make sure they aren't heavier than 40 pounds. Wish me luck!

In my effort to get back into practice with my French, I am doing a lot of reading of and listening to French knitting groups and podcasts. A virtual friend recommended a free app, Duolingo, to brush up on my French. I tested out of the first two levels, but I'm still doing the practice exercises and having my robot conversations to practice. It is helping so much! Just doing it is a great reminder of the vocabulary and grammar that I used to be somewhat fluent with before. There are numerous language options for English speaking people, and they start at rank beginner, so if you are interested in either learning language or brushing up on one you used to know, I would highly recommend it. The app offers Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Esperanto, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Welsh, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Greek, Swahili, and Romanian. They have language lessons for Arabic speaking people, but unfortunately, don't have an Arabic course for English speakers.


French English Dictionary
Hunting Unicorns
Theology of the Body in Simple Language
One Flesh: Salvation through Marriage in the Orthodox Church
Stitching Up Paris
Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak
Sirach Bible Study and Journal
Also, the packing of the books is pretty important, so I have decided to bring these along with me. I'm still reading _Primal Loss_, though I'm saving much of it for the trip. If our bags are more than 40 pounds, _Hunting Unicorns_, _One Flesh_, and my Bible study journal are the things I'm leaving at home. I hope it does not come to that, but I'll need the dictionary occasionally, the guide book will help me find the shops I want to visit, we are still reading _Theology of the Body in Simply Language_ and haven't started _One Flesh_ yet. The kids and I have read more in The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, and I've made a bit of progress in Messenger of Truth.

Labels: Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along