not with a bang but with a whimper

This is the way the school year ends. We begin with gusto, cramming books and outdoor time and TBG and Shakespeare into our days.  Our brains grow until it feels like they're leaking out our ears.  Our hands are sore from writing and drawing and clay-modelling.  Each new day and each new subject, especially those that involve heroic tales, bring enthusiasm and joy.  The boys' narrations, when I get around to transcribing them, are pages and pages long.  And then...the dull dark days of winter arrive.  We struggle to wake and leave our warm covers.  Our morning meeting time dwindles to half of what it was, and every minute is a concession.  We say, "During the third term, we'll work on such and such subject better, and we'll cultivate such and such habit."  We give it our best effort, but the lengthening days and explosion of outdoor life call us from the school table.  And, as the weeks left in our term dwindle, so too do the number of lessons we work on each day.  This week our goals are our exams and math.  But mostly math.  Next week we begin summer break (but we still have a week or two of math before we call that quits.)

Today the boys had their annual evaluation.  The woman who meets with us is a lovely woman, who will just have one student at home next year; in the fall, her other two children will be attending the college our daughter most wishes to attend--one as a junior, the other as a freshman.  Speaking with their mother about the application process relieved some of my anxiety in that direction.  And now Z just needs to be accepted there!  Prayers in that direction would be appreciated.

Speaking of Z, the sweater she requested for her birthday is finished and blocked.  She's modeling it in the above pictures but is not officially allowed to wear it until her birthday in a few weeks.  It checks all the boxes for her: fit, color, softness, warmth.  She's very satisfied with it!  I really appreciated all of the fiddly details; they really make the sweater look professional. I especially like the faux seams. She opted out of the bust and waist shaping, going for a boxier silhouette.  I think she made a good choice, don't you?  I am not a huge fan of the brioche ribbing on the cuffs and bottom edge.  Brioche tends to stretch and the edges ended up being much wider than the part of the sweater they were attached to.  For the sleeves, I decreased drastically before starting the brioche, but I forgot to do that for the bottom edge of the sweater.  The ribbing has a tendency to flip up, but hopefully good blocking has fixed that.  Blocking also "fixed" the Rauma wool, which feels much softer after its soak.  It's still a little prickly, but I have hope that more blocking and wearing will soften it still further.

My husband is calling me to come enjoy a walk with him, so I'll end here.  I'd love to hear about what's happening in your neck of the woods...