The Black Snake

The Spring Forward routine has left me with one foot in the old time and one in the new, yet again. I feel like I'm stuck in a Star Trek transporter accident and can't wake up.

Mourning shawl border report: 18 of 29 scallops completed! The middle one was the toughest, I kept getting distracted for some reason, and having to tink back a couple of rows because of a forgotten YO.

Gladys Amedro (thanks to Marcia for this link) uses a non-standard knitting abbreviation vocabulary that throws me for a loop (no pun intended). Her use of "T" to mean "Together" (as in, "knit two together") is translating in my mind, even after a week, as "Twist". I don't actually twist my stitches when I see the T, but I do say or think the word "twist" and I think it is unhealthy. I may have to seek hypnotherapy or counseling or maybe just Scotch.

My favorite Monday evening show on tv is now "Antiques Roadshow". I learn a lot by watching it, about a variety of subjects. The show travels from city to city, and when it stops, it sets up shop at some convention center or large meeting place, and folks from the area bring in what they consider to be antiques for appraisal. The show selects a few of these items and experts explain what the item is and give their opinion of its estimated value. Once I saw a very nondescript side table appraise for over $30,000. Later, at auction, it sold for over $50K!

Last night the show was held in New Orleans. A woman had brought in a dress made by some great-great relative. The garment was made of black fabric with small white polka dots, and was obviously a maternity dress. The appraiser explained that it is rare to find maternity dresses from this era (mid-1800s) but what is even more special about the dress is that it is also a mourning dress, a very unusual item. Maternity dresses of that era were typically constructed of bright cheerful colors, and the only reason for making or wearing a dark-colored one was for mourning. Judging by the workmanship, the dress had been made hastily. It was valued around $2K. I kept wondering whether it was my great-great-great etc.'s dress (you know, the one whose baby was named Mourning?). And all those questions (who died, why, how, when, where) came back.

Yesterday I signed up for the Norman Kennedy Natural Dyeing Workshop, to be held April 26-27 in Preston, not too far from home. Sandy told me about this a while back but I had forgotten until Ryan pointed it out. Norman is a delightful man and I am looking forward to learning a lot that weekend.

Posted by Sheila at April 8, 2003 08:42 PM Posted to Introspection | Knitting | Mourning Shawl | TrackBack