Secret Knitters' Language

Today we had Sunday lunch at the mother-in-law's.  We always try to arrive a little early so I can help set the table, and we usually end up being the last to leave because our car gets blocked in the driveway by all the other family members' cars.  Today, I actually planned to stay a little late because my ma-in-law, who started knitting about a year before I did, finally joined Ravelry, and she needed me to show her how to use it.  While we played around in Ravelry, our conversation went something like this, "Oooooh, that's a pretty pattern."  "I know! It looks like there are a lot of yarn overs, though, and I always lose count."  "Oh, I don't have as much trouble with those as I do with kfb's."  "No, I can do the kfb's easily; it's the m1's that get me." "Hey, I tried a new method for casting on this week -- the backward loop -- have you tried it yet?" "No, you'll have to show me."

Now normally, my husband, daughter, and I would be the only ones still there, but today everyone else stayed a little later than usual to visit as well.  And, it quickly became evident that our knitters' language was bothering some of the other family members.  The Aunt-in-law asked, "What in the world are they saying?"  To which the grandmother responded, "I don't know, but I hate when they start that knit talk. They could be talking about us and we wouldn't know it!"  Both Ma-in-law and I giggled, but once I started thinking about it, I suppose we knitters do have a language that sounds like code to non-knitters.  And come to think of it, it IS kinda' fun... Like the secret languages we made up when we were kids and had clubs "for members only." 

Maybe my mother-in-law and I should adapt the terms so that we CAN talk about the other family members.  *wink*

Lesson Learned from Knitting

This week, which marked the seventh week of the first term (and I can't believe it's gone that fast), felt like the first week of school all over again.  It was busy, and I came home each day and crashed on the couch for an hour or two.  We had faculty meeting Monday until 5 o'clock; Tuesday, I had a parent conference for nearly an hour after school; Wednesday was school picture day, and it felt as though I was herding cats most of the day; and Thursday I took the officers of my Honor Society kids to a leadership workshop.  Yesterday was the only normal school day, but Fridays are always busy, as I have to prepare for the next week's lessons.  I wanted to knit each night, but after my impromptu naps, I was so groggy that I knew if I attempted to work on my Christmas gift projects, I'd screw them up.  So, for the most part, I sat like a lump on the couch and stared at the TV; luckily, the new fall season began this past week, and there was plenty to watch.

I did manage to knit one thing during this busy week: A former student had his birthday yesterday.  He made sure to remind me everyday leading up to it, and Monday before he left school, he stopped by my room to say, "You could knit me a hat if you want to."  I told him that I really didn't know if I'd have time this week, but I managed to make time for it.  I used a favorite, very simple pattern that I've probably made at least 8 times before.  It's a pattern that's easily memorized, and because I have lots of the Vanna's Choice yarn in several different hues in my stash, I play around with the colors every time I make it.  This birthday boy got a black hat with a gray stripe toward the bottom.

I wondered, as I was finishing the hat up Thursday night, why was I knitting for a student?  It's simple, I love this kid (as I do nearly all of them), and he appreciated it.  And I think that's what we all, knitters and non-crafty types alike, want from others: a little love and a little appreciation.

When Knitting Isn't Enough

I love to knit. (No doubt, many of you are thinking, "Hello, Captain Obvious!")  However, once in a while I see something that makes me think knitting is just not enough.  For example, today I was watching an old episode of Knit and Crochet Today! on my local PBS station, and it featured knitted and crocheted jewelry.  The knit necklace which was shown was cute, but the crocheted necklace was STUNNING.  Every time I see how intricate and dainty crocheted jewelry can be, I get the fever to learn yet another hobby.  Just look at these examples:

Julie Cuff by Robyn Chachula

Crochet Ring by Brett Bara

Flowering Necklace by Linda Permann

I actually took a "learn to crochet" class at my local yarn store last year, and I failed miserably at it!  I could make chains all day long, but I never could figure out how to do anything beyond that.  I suppose my brain is already too hard-wired for knitting to broaden my horizons.  Maybe I'll try again someday; these patterns are just too pretty to ignore.

No Such Thing as Coincidence

For a couple of weeks now a thought has been lingering toward the back of my mind.  Once in a while, it pushes its way to the front, but I keep shoving it wa-a-a-a-ay back, as it doesn't go with the picture I've created of how the rest of my life is supposed to look.  And yet, the thought just won't go away.  Finally, I gave voice to it, just to see what would happen.  It went something like this:

Me to Husband: "So, here lately, I think I'm not going to teach forever after all...  I think I want to open a yarn shop within the next ten years."

Husband: "Okay, I can't say that I'm terribly surprised."

Me: "Really? 'Cause I am.  You think I could do that? You think I'd be successful?"

Husband: "Yes, you are creative, and you know I have a mind for business; we would make it work together."

Me: "I feel like I would be happy doing this, and you know that's always been my first concern when it comes to work.  I think about my knitting all the time lately, and if I could do it and make a living from it, that would definitely make me happy."

So, there it is.  I've always said that I had zero desire to ever own a business, and yet, here I am thinking about doing exactly that... and thinking about it often.  What's more, the very next day after the conversation with my hubby, I was talking to our school's administrative assistant about my weekend trip to the yarn store in Yazoo, and she said, "You need to open your own yarn store someday."  My eyes grew very wide, and I told her about what had been said the night before.  We shared a kind of nervous giggle, and I walked back to my classroom, even more thoughtful.

I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe that God works in the lives of his people, sometimes in quiet ways, and sometimes not so subtly.  Recently, I've been feeling as if he's been smacking me in the back of the head, much like Gibbs on NCIS, one of my favorite TV shows.  Maybe it's time to start making steps -- baby steps, mind you -- toward this relatively new goal, huh?

Monster Mania

After making my first of Rebecca Danger's patterns, an itty-bitty "monster chunk," I was smitten.  So, I purchased her Big Book of Knitted Monsters, and started working on one for my husband.

Meet "Tony the Toy Box Monster," renamed Humbug because my grumpy-old-man husband plans to throw him at people, and he works on computers... which get bugs... which he has to fix.  Isn't he clever?  ;)

Now, which monster to tackle next?!

Doing My Part as a Patriot

Today is, of course, the tenth anniversary (though I don't like using that word, as it usually connotes a happy occasion) of the terrorist attacks on America in 2001.  Though most still refer to it as 9/11, this day also is known as Patriot Day.  Many Americans honor it by flying an American flag at half mast or by attending special prayer services.  However, many other Americans, at the urging of President Obama and his wife, honor the lives of the nearly 3,000 people who died on this day by volunteering their time in some capacity.

I felt the call to do something too, so I started a new project; I've begun knitting this scarf for the 2012 Special Olympics.

This is only one of 4 patterns created for the 2012 Special Olympics.

The official site says this: "Handmade scarves donated as a result of the 2012 Special Olympics USA Scarf Project will be a symbol of unity, support, compassion and empowerment, as the Special Olympics athletes, coaches, families, volunteers and supporters wear them with pride in knowing they have become part of the Special Olympics family."  How great is that?!  And how appropriate for this day that their colors are red and blue?  My husband and I just so happen to be friends with a couple who have a daughter with Down's Syndrome, and I'm excited to be knitting this in her honor.

I encourage all other knitters to join in on this very worthy project as well.  The deadline isn't until February 1, 2012, so that means there is plenty of time to knit up a few of these scarves!

Hello, Lover

Today, my mother-in-law and I finally took a trip which we've talked about for the past two years.  I drove us 45 minutes north of where we live to a wonderful antique furniture/yarn store in a small town.  It was 100 percent worth the time it took to get there and back!  The store is Grace Hardware and Knutty Knitters in Yazoo City (They don't have a website, or I'd link to it, but Janie at Southern Lagniappe did a fantastic post about a trip she took there, with pictures.), and when we entered, though there were wonderful antique pieces of furniture everywhere, neither of us noticed them; we immediately looked to our left and were thrilled to see yarn floor to ceiling, just as promised.  It was a fiber enthusiast's dream!  I only allowed myself to take 60 dollars in cash because I knew that I would spend whatever I took, and I didn't need to spend more than that.  It was overwhelming, and I saw yarns I'd never even heard of.  After touching them, I wanted to take them all home.  I even held a gorgeous skein which cost 105 dollars... I put that back very quickly.

However, I did bring home something which I'm pretty well thrilled about...

I picked up 3 skeins of the vibrant Noro Kureyon.  I've no clue what I'm going to do with this yarn yet, but I've longed for quite some time to get my hands on it.  Had I unlimited funds, a few skeins of all the Noro yarns would have come home with me; the silk especially called, "Buy me!"  Alas, I had to tell it, "Another time, lover."

I also was drawn to a precious yarn called Candy.  It's mostly cotton, which is so easy to work with, but it has some elastic in it too, so it has a little stretch.  It told me that it wanted to be turned into a lovely pair of socks someday, possibly for the 'tween daughter.  How could I resist?

 

Of course, I could not.

Are YOU Ready?

I lied...

I can't get back to writing about my knitting just yet, not when there's something much more important which must be mentioned right now.

Real football, with games that actually count toward one team's winning the Lombardi trophy, begins tonight.  And, my Saints are getting it started!

Who 'dat?!  (I am a happy, happy woman.)

Bravo

I interrupt my regularly scheduled knitting posts to bring you the following message:  If you're a parent, or a teacher, or someone who might day have children or teach them, and you're seeing this post, please click on the link and read it!

What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents.

"We know you love your children. We love them, too."  If we didn't, we wouldn't do the job.

A Life of Labor

On this Labor Day, I'm thinking about an amazing woman - my maternal grandmother (or Nana, as I've called her since I began talking), who turns 80 years old today.

She is far from perfect... As a matter of fact, before most of our visits end I usually want to shake her, but nonetheless, she is a remarkable woman.  My Nana is driven, wise, beautiful, God-loving, and probably the most giving person I've ever known.  When my mother and aunt were young, Nana worked two or three jobs to provide for her family in a time when men were usually the ones to do that, but many times her alcoholic husband couldn't keep a job.  She then would come home and sew clothes for her girls to wear to school.  After 27 years, she finally divorced the alcoholic, and she worked as an apartment manager for many years.  Much of that time, she helped to raise me, as my single mother often couldn't make enough money to make sure I would eat.  Nana made sure that I never went hungry.  She married again when I was about eight years old, this time to an airline pilot who should have been able to take care of her for the rest of her life... and for a while, he did.  Then, his 90-something-year-old mother moved in with them, and Nana took care of that woman, who did nothing but curse my grandmother and accuse her of trying to take her money. The mother-in-law passed away last year, and that should have put my Nana back living the "golden life," but due to several bad financial decisions she and my grandpa have made over the years, she has had to take a job again; she works in her town's funeral home, greeting families and making sure they are comfortable in their time of sorrow.  And, she doesn't complain about it; in fact, she says that she enjoys the chance to wear her nice clothes and put on makeup and talk to people.

No one says "80" when they guess her age.

Yesterday, when we surprised her after church with a party to celebrate her turning 80, I started thinking about the fact that my grandmother likely won't be around too much longer, and for a very short time I was nearly paralyzed with a sense of emptiness.  It's hard to imagine that our family will be able to go on without her, and yet, I know that by setting such a hard-working and kind example, she has made sure that when the time comes, we will  do just that, and we will do it well.

I Get by with a Little Help

While I adore knitting, I despise the finishing that has to be done for most projects.  Not only that, I'm not at all good at that part, either.  My sewing skills leave much to be desired; therefore, I often enlist the help of my honey - his single mom made sure that both he and his brother knew how to sew well, so that they would never have to rely on a woman to do it for them.  My latest finished project -- a charcoal gray cable purse with a seed stitch handle (a gift for a cousin-in-law) -- wouldn't have gotten done if it hadn't been for my husband's patient help.

Bless him, he sewed a liner in this purse, sewed the handles in place, and made sure that the button wouldn't go anywhere. My sweet hubby is definitely a keeper!

Rrrrrrrrowr

Watch out, everyone.  There's a monster in my house, and this time, I'm not referring to my husband or my daughter.

Thursday, I was looking for something quick, and thereby immediately gratifying, to knit, and I found the Monster Chunks pattern by Rebecca Danger.  I made the body of the monster in an hour or so and then had to go to bed.  Last night, I made his itty-bitty legs and sewed him all together.  And, I am SO happy with this little guy!  I'm seriously thinking about making a bunch of these in lots of different colors.  Like any other semi-serious knitter, I have plenty of leftover yarn in my stash.  Christmas is going to be very slim for extended family this year, and this fun pattern may just be the answer... Who wouldn't smile at him?!