May 11, 2007
A Dulaan Milestone
When you’re drying your hair and you’re overcome with the unending tedium of looking at your pillow-wrinkled “morning face” in the mirror, here’s what your brain comes up with:
What romantic song did the bull sing to the cow?
By the Light of the Silvery Moo.
(Good luck singing it the correct way now.)
The squash-colored-yarn debate became an instant non-issue when I realized that the sweater, which was supposed to be the smallest size (4 years), would fit Babar twice over. Indeed, it was giving the Four-Acre Sweater of Incredible Vastness a run for its money.
So I hear you asking the inevitable question: Did I make a swatch? Although over the years I’ve become the reformed smoker of swatching, a devout swatcheist, if you will, in the case of this project, no. I figured if I used approximately the right weight of yarn and approximately the right needle size, I’d end up making something approximately the right size. Exactitude didn’t matter because I could always fall back on the Dulaan mantra: “It will fit someone in Mongolia.” That would be true if [insert name of burly, steroid-infused American football player here] decided to play for the Mongolian football team but I just took a quick glance at the sports pages and he hasn't.
(TMK, if you value your sanity, don't read this part.) So, inevitably, the jacket has been frogged and restarted with, literally, half the number of stitches. Stripe-wise, it’s now going to be terra cotta, pine, an earthy robin’s egg blue, and then the squash, despite many readers' earnest wishes for me to keep things as-is. Now, God only knows what I’m going to do with the sleeves because by then I will have run out of the one-each skeins of Avalanche yarn I appropriated for the project. Urk. Perhaps there's an extra one in the refrigerator. Or in the new washer. Or in my underwear drawer. Or in TMK's garden shed. Or under the Magic Cone. Or maybe I could frog something I knit for Mongo... Help.
(TMK, you can start reading again.) Ironically, in an email I received from Meredith at F.I.R.E. yesterday, she asked me to remind you’ens that this year they need items for adults. You've done such a great job of providing clothes for the children that you've caused the pendulum to swing the other way.
Wait. As much as it's my nature to just rush on, let's take a moment to think about that sentence: You've done such a great job of providing clothes for the children that you've caused the pendulum to swing the other way. A Dulaan milestone, and a very powerful thing to realize. Wow.
Of course, now that I’m encouraging you to knit bigger projects, I should also let you know that there are only 51 days left between now and July 1. Even worse, if you want to mail by June 15, which is what we’re encouraging you to do, there are only 35 days left.
Thirty-five.
Three. Five.
35.
I can’t breathe.
(Note to Kim: Meredith is sending us yummy things for the Dulaan-a-thaan, music, more footage of Mongolia, and maybe more photos!)
Public Service Announcement: Meghan from Portland wants to drive up for the Dulaan-a-thaan and wants to know if any other Portlanders want to car pool.
Lastly, while not exactly on the subject of Dulaan but still on the subject of charitable knitting, a photo of the hats knit for my employee's cancer walkathon, which is tomorrow. Note the beaded and braided ribbons that were added to some of them!
As I've never completed an adult sweater in my life, I'll go for hats, so I can do my five before the end of the Dulaan season. Well, I have one, but it's freakishly small, and some newborn in Mongolia will be snuggly for a while. Working on!
Posted by: Carrie on May 11, 2007 01:13 PMI'm still holding out hope for a webcam.
Could I get an idea of an Mongolian adult size for mittens? I use the handy book of patterns, so does someone have an average?
Posted by: Jenn on May 11, 2007 01:19 PMWhat part of the "sweater-I'm-currently-knitting-is-too-big-for-a-child-so-I-frogged-it-and-started-it-over-in-a-smaller-size" and "Meredith-says-we-need-adult-sized-clothing-for-Mongolia" did I miss? MaryB
Who, with very heavy heart has just realized she will miss the Pajama Party, Dulaan-a-thon because she is going out of town that weekend to celebrate her THIRTIETH wedding anniversary with dear hubbo....when I said I'd be there, it totally slipped my mind that my anniversary was coming up...what does THAT tell you?
Posted by: MaryB on May 11, 2007 01:48 PMCome on, MaryB! Your husband is totally welcome at the Dulaan-aa-thaan! What a great way to celebrate your anniversary--and inexpensive, too!
Posted by: Janine on May 11, 2007 01:55 PMThe part you missed, MaryB, is (a) I might have exaggerated a weeeeee bit about the size of the sweater, although it was truly bigger than the largest size in the pattern, and (b) I don't have enough Avalanche yarn in enough interesting and coordinating colors to make an adult size, even if I had wanted to.
And you can't come to the Dulaan-a-thaan?!! But you're....you're...you're...MaryB! You're one of the backbones of the project! But I understand. Charitable knitting projects come and go but husbands are forever. Congratulations on the anniversary, by the way!
Posted by: Ryan on May 11, 2007 01:56 PMForget the swatching. You should have taken a picture before you frogged that thing. /ducks
I've been dyeing yarn with Dulaan in mind. Now it's time to hurry up and knit.
Happy Weekend, Ryan!
Posted by: Cookie on May 11, 2007 02:40 PMWhat Avalanche yarn do you need? I probably have some in my Avalanche stash...Hugs to Frankie...
Posted by: Morgen on May 11, 2007 02:58 PMMy 5 items will be going in the mail this week or next. Please update me on finishing my 5 when you update the Dulaan 10,000 or bust page. I don't think my emails are getting to you.
Thanks.
Suzanne
Posted by: Suzanne on May 11, 2007 05:02 PMawww come on now - you can't get that much yarn under the magic cone can you?
I must stop socks long enough to do 2 more hats before the mamil in date.........
Holy Moley, 35 days :eek: Time to start cranking out some more stuff. I could make at least a few more adult sized hats by then.
Posted by: Jessica on May 11, 2007 09:56 PMoooooooooooh dear. AC4C focused on 2-10 year olds. good thing i did some adult hats, eh?
Posted by: minnie on May 11, 2007 10:04 PMHurray for Dulaan milestones! I just this week mailed a package for Dulaan, and it contained a pair of grown-up-size socks, four adult hats, and two nice thick scarves. And five kids' hats. But after reading your post, I'm glad most of the things I made were adult-sized!
Happy weekend!
Posted by: Julie on May 12, 2007 07:09 AMOh sure, now I've got that song worming around in my brain...thanks. (actually as songs go, it's not tooooo bad) still.
I'm thinking some of my Cupcake hats will fit adult sized heads, a couple of them fit my big round noggin...should be good...still going at it and will continue until the 13th of June....
This is eerie -- I was actually hoping there'd be a stated need for adult hats! While the photos of the kids have touched me, it was the images of the adult male prisoners which stayed with me. Can't guarantee five hats, but I'll give 'em my very best effort. And would sewn microfleece hats do in a pinch? I still have leftover materials from my Soaring Eagles adventure...
Posted by: vatergrrl on May 12, 2007 09:33 AMI finished my five items (all scarves) for Dulaan yesterday, and they will be going out in a box with other items from Toronto knitters sometime next week. (Hopefully the person sending them will take pics as I did not *oops*)
Not having much time to knit these days, I was wondering if there is anything else we can send that FIRE might not get much of for adults...like new underwear? Storebought warm socks? Any shoes? Any other items we can contribute which might help?
Posted by: Nina on May 12, 2007 08:02 PMI started my 4th hat yesterday and realized that I might only match my last year's total, not surpass it. I figure matching is better than not even matching...
Posted by: CarolineF on May 14, 2007 07:24 AMI just mailed box #11 out this morning, and thanks to my mom, there are four teen/adult sized scarves in there, two from each of us. I'll put the brakes on kids stuff for the moment (with the exception of putting buttons on sweaters--my nemesis if you will), and will whip out a few more scarves for the next box.
Posted by: Nancy O. on May 14, 2007 09:30 AMMeredith is so cool. That's great that she can send up some 'atmosphere.' Thank you!
Can't wait! I've posted some interesting facts folks might want to know on my blog. We might use them during one of the games...(hint hint).
Posted by: Kim on May 15, 2007 10:38 AM