The winter of our discontent

Spring just can't come soon enough. I'm likely placing way too much hope that spring will bring change for the better. When I fret, I knit prayer shawls. I just finished one in record time that has prayers for so many people woven into every stitch. Sharing those prayers in such a public forum seems somehow intrusive and self-serving, so suffice to say that a winter's worth of suffering just HAS to end.

The Comfort Shawl pattern is one of my favorites for combining yarns and varying the size. You can find the pattern here: http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/shawls-shrugs/comfort-shawl.htm. I crocheted a ruffle along the edge for a bit of whimsy and am quite pleased with how it turned out. The mix of yarns - a thick fuzzy merino, some novelty yarn, and a heathered wool work well together. Now I'm thinking about using some girly pinks and greens for the next shawl.

The mukluks turned out exactly according to the design, except I felted them too long. So they fit AG's feet perfectly. When they're supposed to be larger so they'll fit next fall. Darn it. AG wants them anyway because "they feel like big thick socks." I'm going to give her the rejects and cast on another pair. They really do knit up quickly, I like the way they look, AG loves how they feel, and the yarn isn't expensive (hurray Paton's Classic Merino!), so I'm not too bugged.

I have two more weeks of Preschool Phonics after Spring Break, and am both sad to see another class of preschoolers move on to Kindergarten and glad to have some free time. My freelance writing assignments are coming in steadily (I have another speech to write this week and just finished a really technical piece for an IT company), so it's good to have more hours to put into those jobs. And the Nature Center is gearing up for summer camps and the Butterfly Festival, which means exhausting times ahead.

But right now, it's cold and damp outside and Spring seems just too far away. So I'll go cast on another prayer shawl and keep a little faith in better days ahead.

Brrrrr . . .

Easter was yesterday. Handel's Hallelujah chorus, pews filled to bursting from balcony to front row, and a gorgeous blue sky. Lovely ladies in snappy Spring ensembles (black and white geometric and floral prints predominated), kids in cool new duds, and flowers bedecking the cross. Oh, yes, and it was FREEZING.

That's the South for you. Just when you think you have it pegged, March comes marching in with some crazy weather. I'm wearing light khakis and a twin set and longing for my heavy black Einstein. But nooooo. Wearing winter wool after Easter is not "proper." Tomorrow morning comes with a freeze warning, but I will shiver in my spring things. I can't help it. I am bound by my Southern upbringing. Easter and Memorial Day bind our definition of proper attire as surely as cheap acrylic yarn pills.

Thank goodness I invested in that lovely knee-length khaki trench coat. I probably won't take it off all morning.

Dunwoody is innately Southern, from the monogrammed, smocked dresses on preschool girls to the personalized note cards attached to every gift. We welcome all newcomers from points north and east and throughout the world, then work quickly to help them get into the Southern mindset.

• Slow down. Don't talk so fast. Savor each word and put a little song into it.
• The most cutting thing you can say about someone is "bless his/her heart." As in, "She really has a special way with fashion, bless her heart." Or, "He's trying really hard with that lawn mower, bless his heart."
  
• If someone says they're rooting for Georgia, they don't mean the state. Or Georgia Tech. It's GEORGIA - the one in Athens.
• Biscuits are a meal unto themselves.
  
• If you're in a long line of traffic anywhere in Dunwoody, it's an unwritten rule to let people in who are waiting on side streets and driveways. Slow down, flash your headlights and motion them in with your hand. The proper thank you for such courtesy is a wave of the right hand so the driver behind you can see your gratitude.
• Impromptu cul-de-sac weekend evening parties are a summer tradition, but it's improper to enjoy that camouflaged beer or wine too much while the kids are playing nearby. (One of the preschoolers I teach assured me last year during a lesson on spelling "wide" - misunderstanding me to say "wine" - that his mom likes wine a lot, but his dad likes beer better.)
  

On to the knitting front.

I'm designing a new bag, finished both mukluks and felted them, and will shortly embellish them and attach the soles. It's a busy week, filled with Scouts, softball, work and a freelance writing assignment, but that's life as usual.

Stay warm. I'm going to go add wood to the fireplace now. Imagine. A roaring fire in MARCH!

Clapotis croaked and I had to rip it, rip it, rip it

Clapotis is forcing me to learn some new techniques. It's a tricky design, to say the least. I'm adept with kfb (knit front and back), but pfb (purl front and back) is awkward. Then there's the dropped stitch/knit into the bar technique that had me flummoxed. I lost count, cursed, and ripped back to the beginning. I really like the SWTC bamboo and its colorway. Clapotis is worth the effort. I'm just too distracted at the moment.

So in a fit of frustration I decided to put together a few WIPs. I have an assort of totes and cylindrical wine gift boxes (the kind you can find at Michael's for a buck if you hit the sales right).

WIPs on deck:

• Ice Queen - using a Rowan Kid Silk Mohair in deep, rich purple. I won't add beads because they aren't "me." The subtle glints in the yarn will add just the right dressy note. Yarn + pattern + needles placed in wine box.
• Mukluks - using Patons Classic Merino Wool in turquoise (main color) with purple, pink, chartreuse and brown for embellishments. Yarn + size 8 double point needles + book fit perfectly in a huge Anne Klein straw bag lined with a fun beachy print - brand new, found at Goodwill for $2!
• Clapotis - not giving up on this one. SWTC Bamboo in Parrot + needles + pattern placed in wine box.
• Design-as-I-go felted tote using remnants of Patons Classic Merino Wool. Balls + size 10 needles + notepaper and pen to write instructions as I work now staged in basket.

That feels better. I'm all organized and can grab a project as I head out the door. The projects range in complexity from mindless knitting to better-think-about-what-you're-doing, so I can fit them to the destination.

Tonight is softball practice at Murphy Candler, so the Mukluks are on deck.

Take a hike

Ten miles. That's how far the kids and I hiked this morning. We looped through Dunwoody, headed over to the Perimeter Mall area, then trekked up Ashford-Dunwoody, back through the Village, and home. Finished in just under 3 hours, with a stop at Starbucks. Urban hiking rocks!

A has to complete five ten-mile hikes plus one 20-mile hike to earn his Hiking Merit Badge. That, and Personal Fitness, are all that stand between him and his Eagle project. It was a great morning for a hike - overcast, 50's. He's already completed hikes on the Big Creek greenway at North Point and Stone Mountain Park. He opted for an urban hike this time so he'd have access to restroom facilities. Just two days since Remicade, and things are still settling down. These physical merit badges are really hard for A, but he's gamely trying to meet the requirements.

It's been a hard month on so many people around us. One lost her mother to a horrible automobile accident and weeks of hospitalization. A friend is in the Northside ICU with double pneumonia and collapsed lungs. She has three girls between the ages of 5 and 14. Two weeks on a ventilator and still counting. Another mom of three young girls between the ages of 2 and 10) visited her last Tuesday, then was admitted to the same ICU the next day with Type H Influenza (the 1918 strain that was so deadly). Flu has been roaring through our preschools and schools here in Dunwoody. She contracted one of the rarer strains that is always around, but usually affects only the very young and the very elderly. She's in critical condition, also on a ventilator.

Awful.

I worry about A being exposed to flu and pneumonia - his immune system is compromised at best, and at the moment it's completely suppressed thanks to Remicade. But we can't keep him in a bubble, so keep hoping and praying for the best.

Knitting Progress

• Finished: another prayer shawl for the knitting ministry at St. Luke's. This one, also in the Comfort Shawl pattern, combined black and cream in yarns of various textures.
• 90% complete: At the instep for Jaywalker #2! I expect to finish it in the next few days, thanks to some unexpected waiting room time at Curry Honda. The van's transmission is hinky.
• Starting: Swatching for a felted runner idea, Ice Queen.
  
• On hold (temporarily): Mukluks.
  

Casting around for the next project

As if my queue isn't busy enough:

• Jaywalker (half done - casting on sock #2)
  
• Prayer shawl #3 (1/3 complete)
• Mukluks (just beginning)
• Layette for ShareAtlanta (complete except for booties)
• Ice Queen
  

I've been mulling some ideas for the next project.

Saturday morning, I visited my favorite LYS, Cast-On Cottage in Roswell. I hadn't visited since the new owner acquired the shop. There were two classes in progress, friendly staff meandering through the pattern room and various store areas, and lots and lots and lots of yarn, patterns, accessories, etc. Even better, the staff was friendly and seemed to really enjoy working with knitters.

I needed sock forms to block Jaywalker. They had them! In various sizes! I wanted a shawl pin to accent my mixed-media design from last year. They had some real beauties! I wanted to see some of the latest patterns. They had an extensive library! I spent just an hour in the shop this time, but will definitely return shortly because I did indeed get some ideas.

Hello to Marcie! I told you I'd mention you and the shop in my blog.

She and owner Theresa Giordanengo were wonderfully helpful to T when he arrived with the kids in tow get my Christmas present. They even called other LYS to help him find an item that was sold out at Cast-On Cottage. Unlike the sniffy staff of another LYS in Atlanta (how dare he arrive near closing time to purchase a ball winder!!!!), they really believe in customer service.

Where everybody knows your name . . .

Every town has one. That eating place everyone goes to all the time. It's been around forever, the decor is forgettable, the prices are low, and the food is pretty basic.

The Old Hickory House in Dunwoody is that place. It's a barbecue restaurant that really shines at breakfast time. Every Friday morning, T and I meet there after he drops off A at the high school and just before I go to the Nature Center. He likes his big fluffy biscuit sandwich. I like a fried egg and rye toast or sausage links. Nothing fancy, certainly nothing healthy. But we really enjoy the time together.

I just got off the phone with TangleGirl (yo, Kris!), catching up on felted clogs, the forgiveness of felting and the heresy of incorrect patterns. (She purled awhile, exactly as the directions indicated, only to find out it was WRONG and mucked up the pattern. Don't you just HATE that?)

Rip it. Rip it. Blasted frogging.

I'm casting on the mukluks this weekend and will post pix of the yarn and WIP as I go. I'm also continuing on Jaywalker #2. We'll see if fun outpaces tedium.

Road trip to Greensboro, NC

We visited friends and family in Greensboro, North Carolina over the weekend, spending some wonderful time over terrific food . . . so much food . . . too much food! Wow, can my sister-in-law COOK.

I worked on the Stars project I'm designing and stopped by LYS Yarns Etc. on Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. It's one of my faves for its very nice selection of European yarns and amazing spinning section. Spinning wheels, raw wool, dyed roving, felting boards, and more take up half the floor space in the shop. The look is thrifty (I don't think they did anything after renting the space but put a sign on the door), but the yarns and supplies are wonderful and the prices are surprisingly reasonable, considering the high-end brands.

A nice guy with a beard was relaxing on one of the shop's seen-better-days chairs, chatting with a few knitters. But he welcomed me cheerfully and pointed me to some new stock they'd received.

Which reminds me of T's experience with an Atlanta LYS when he was shopping for my Christmas present. The guy knows nothing about knitting other than that it's occupying WAY too much of my time (in his mind - not mine, of course!). But he gamely decided to obtain a ball winder AND swift. He remembered my frequent visits to Cast-On Cottage, so he started there. They didn't have both items, so they very nicely called around to other LYS and found one (not to be named here) that could help. (Note: I love Cast-On Cottage!)

HOWEVER, it was 4:30. The shop would close at 5. T raced the 30 minutes from Cast-On Cottage, heading down 400 and racing to beat the clock. He arrived a breathless 5 minutes before closing time.

His greeting? Very grumpy shop-persons, who made sure he understood just how irritated they were that he was shopping so close to their "gettin' off time." Lots of huffing and eye-rolling. He made his expensive purchase and got a belligerent thank-you in return.

I'm thinking about returning the thing I wanted so much because the price was too dear. And I'm not talking about the sticker price. I suggested as much to T, but he knows how much I wanted it and is all "mighty hunter fight big-time for woman" so the LYS is getting more than it deserves.

LYS Alert: if a big guy comes in, clearly doesn't know what he's looking for, but is ready to drop mega-bucks on a knitting tool he neither understands nor appreciates, would you PLEASE give him some validation? I'm betting this is the last time T will step into a LYS. Thanks ever so much!

Five Projects I'm Working On This Month

1. Mukluks for AG from Folk Style by Mags Kandis using Patons Classic Merino Wool in turquoise with pink, purple, and chartreuse embroidered accents.
2. Jaywalker socks.
3. "The Stars Project" - more to come on that in the near future.
4. Ballband Dishcloth to replace the one I wore out (it lasted a really, really long time!).
5. Prayer shawl - multi-textural design using a bunch of stash remnants in cream and brown.