Behold my hat, spindle, and sippy-cup of wine.
Where were we? We were at Belmont Raceway for the inaugural gala event, Purls and Ponies - a get-together of knitters and spinners from our local Panera group, organized by Betty, with the only stipulation being : you must wear a hat.
I must confess: wearing a hat was almost a dealbreaker for me - not because I don't like hats, not because I don't look good in hats, but because I have a small head. Proportionately small, since I am a small person. However, small enough to make it difficult to find hats that fit.
I wanted a cloche. Impossible. Every.Single.Cloche came down to my chin. I love hats with big, flowy brims. Forget it. I'm 4'10", and a big, flowy brim makes me look like one of the mushrooms from Fantasia, or like I should live in a house that looks like this.
Which I don't.
Anyway, we had a wonderful time, despite getting terrible, if expected, news two days before - that Lisa, who had been one of the Panera women from the start, had died. (In memory: Lisa Grossman, The Tsock Tsarina.) We got together anyway, because that's what a a family of friends does, and it was right.
You can see how right it was from the photo, yes?
Betty worked at Belmont for many years, so she edumacated us about reading the program and selecting horses. We ignored the edumacation, and bet on horses for all the right reasons - because the jockey's silks were purple, because the horse was named Loretta Lynn, because ooh, look at the pretty grey horsie... We had lunch, we laughed, we remembered, and we reminded each other again and again that love does go on.
(and because I know you'll all ask - I'm the one in turquoise.)
"Don't let your history decide your future" was a recent writing prompt from "Writing in the Margins." It's a good one, isn't it? One way to avoid that trap is to have good friends, and to pay attention to them.One of mine, Anna, who gave me a beautiful stranded-work hat for Winter, also made a pair of mittens in stranded-work... (I'll spare you the mitten progress today. In fact, until I finish a mitten, I won't even mention the squirrel...) which gave me the desire do some stranded-work myself.Knitter's Therapy, my beloved LYS, is sponsoring contributions toward the annual St. Baldrick's Foundation hat project. I dropped by and picked up my yarn on Saturday. I was going to do a standard hat, really I was, but something in the yarn just didn't want to go there. Or something in me just didn't feel standard. (As if it ever does, that dratted something.)
Anyway, this is what I came up with. It's finished except for the decreasing on top, which will be light green, and some major repair work finishing. I'm quite pleased with it. I followed no pattern. In fact, I don't even think I followed any logic. The yarn did what the yarn did. I just hope that someone will enjoy wearing wonky greenery.
So thank you, Anna, for introducing me to a technique that I thought would be out of reach forever. Another part of my past -- knitting cowardice -- gone!
I've begun to re-read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I'd almost forgotten that I'd read it at al, but when I started it for the Ravelry Book Club, I remembered. My reaction in 2006 was odd. I don't think I was in a good frame of mind for it then. Maybe I am now. I'll let you know.
Why "initializing world"? That's the message that my screen displays when I click on the icon for Second Life. If I'm to follow the advice of today's writing prompt, I have to initialize each day. If Teabird Tigerpaw can face SL anew with each click of the icon, so can I.
Namaste.
First, a finished project! This is for Caps for a Cure: Checking on the colonel in Patons Decor. It's very very soft, and the pattern shows up very well (although not in the photo). I'm pleased with it, and I hope it gives some comfort to its recipient.
I'm still struggling with the Anne of Green Gables lacy scarf. I think I'll stick to razor lace this time, since nothing else seems to be do-able with my mind in a fog, fibro- and otherwise. Now, for the big news. Did you see this? A second X-Files movie! How great is that?
It's so lovely to have a day off. The only sound in the house is the whirr of the washing machine. Earlier, you would have heard buzzing; that was the sound of my defuzzerizer. (Translation: lint and pill remover.) Once the laundry is done, I shall settle down, listen to Anne of Green Gables, and knit.My thoughts and energies have been darting about, exhibiting and causing great mischief. Therefore, I've been doing small knits - a dishcloth, hats - and only doing larger or longer projects a half hour at a time, if that long. Still, I have gotten some things done.In the picture: a pink beanie for Caps for a Cure, and the beginnings of a red Spiral Preemie cap. (The hat is so cute that I want to bite it.) I started the hat at the beginning of last night's Yankee game. I'm sure every Yankees fan's emotions were spiraling until we had a comfortable lead. (Damn that Steinbrenner!) The blue lace scarf is Barbara Walker's vine lace, and the yarn is Starry Night. I had a couple of really bad false starts with the pattern because I didn't read the last lines - i.e., end K2, or end K1. After a few "why do I keep ending up with 2 extra stitches?" experiences, I went back to the book... I'm substituting Slip 1-knit1-psso for the SSK because I hate SSK (and because Barbara Walker says I can). Although I still plan to knit mittens for Anne of Green Gables, I have decided that this scarf will also be a project for Anne. - "Listen to the trees talking in their sleep," she whispered. "What nice dreams they must have." The scarf will the her night sky.....
