I think I've reached a certain pinnacle in my blogging, because today, in my comments, I received my first “Rock On!” For a middle-aged old fart like me to get a “rock on” is kinda special. Thank you, Carine!
A quick report on my morning which, so far, has been very productive. By 8am, I had gotten a lot of knitting and a lot of reading done. The catch is, it was in my car. During my commute. And I’m the driver. Need I say more?
Knitting Knews
The second Catalina sock continues to look much like the first one although, for some reason, smaller. Poo. And the clog looks much the same as it did before, although it now has its cuff, which had to be constructed in a truly odd way: Knit the cuff twice as wide as the finished height; from the inside, pick up the loops from the first row of the cuff; fold the cuff over; hold the two left-hand needles together; and do what amounts to a three-needle bind off. Truly freaky. (I was concerned about the fact that the cuff was leaning to the outside until I saw Yarn Harlot's picture which showed the same thing—and this girl Knows Her Clogs, being, by her own admission, addicted to knitting them.)
In the absence of any progress on my current projects, I wanted to give a nod to Robbyn of The Yarn Path who, in my opinion, is creating some marvelous “knitting how-to” pages with precise instructions and clear, step-by-step photos. Hop on over to her page and check out her entries on edge selvedges, cabling without a cable needle, decreasing, knitting backwards, and making bobbles.
I'm not a very spiritual person, by any means, but I've always felt that as a human family, our differences actually bring us closer together than our likenesses--and since we ARE all part of the human family, to restrict our experiences to only persons who are most or exactly like us is silly. Besides, to critize others who may be different from us for whatever reason--color, ethnicity, sexual orientation) seems to me to say God had made a mistake. Well, as we all know, God is GOD and SHE doesn't make mistakes.
And in truth, Ryan, it is actually YOU who have given your readers a great gift--by sharing so much of yourself with us, you have taken the great and courageous step of putting a great deal of yourself out there for us all to get to know. For this, I thank you and congratulate you.
AND lastly (to borrow a phrase from the 1990 Clinton campaign), after all, "it's the knitting, stupid!" That's our link to each other. It's the knitting we all care about, really, and everything else helps to enrich our experience, certainly, but at the same time, makes everything else immaterial.
And to focus on knitting: I second Janine's request for comments on the chemo hat recipient. Barring knitting several hats in various fibers, then shaving my head and trying them each for a few days, I'd like to know how yours is received, and most of all if it is comfortable on a bald head.
Actually, maybe all your blog readers COULD shave our heads and each try a different fiber for a chemo cap as a test and report back to the group. Wouldn't that bring us all together in a marvelously fun way? Who wants to go first? Mary
Posted by: Mary on March 12, 2004 11:14 AMMary, I'm working on a longer response to your lovely comment but, in the meantime: Are you suggesting a bald-along?!
Posted by: Ryan on March 12, 2004 11:19 AMYeah! That's it--a bald along!
ps As for the size differential in the Catalina sock--I'm sure the first one is only larger because were all stuffing our fists into it the other night. Once finished, and blocked, I'm sure the elastic will take over both of them will become the same size. OR, you could repeatedly stuff your fist into the second one and size them that way...
M
Mary, no one is more surprised than I am that I am "out" in my blog since, in my real life, I am very "in." There was, indeed, a point in time where I had to decide to what extent I was going to discuss my life in the blog. But once I started writing about the natural dye garden and TMK's and my joint efforts, and once I saw the blogs of other knitters "like me," I thought, what the hey. People who object will just not read the blog; and the people who don't object are special and worth getting to know. But I never imagined in my wildest dreams that people from Guild would read it, and that I would know so many of my Dear Readers in person! Bottom line, I made the right decision, partly because I don't have to "filter" what I write, and partly because it gives me so many added things to write about, like TMK's woodworking.
With regard to the chemo hat, time to make a small confession: I'm being quite selfish. I finished the hat a couple of weekends ago but, rather than deliver it right to the recipient, I've been holding on to it so I can take it to Guild for show-and-tell! In my defense, she's only had one treatment so far and is nowhere near starting to lose her hair. But I'll give the hat to her the day after Guild (Scout's honor!), and later on when she's using it, I'll ask her how it feels.
Thank you for your lovely and thought-provoking email, Mary!
Speaking of TMK's woodworking ...
Update!
Childe, re the woodworking, I am waiting with baited breath for the birth of TMK's next creation--a side table. It has been assembled, and sealant has been applied; as soon as she puts on the finishing oil and it's dry, I promise a picture!
Posted by: Ryan on March 14, 2004 03:58 PM