Saturday, December 27, 2008

Encounters with Non-Knitters, Part 1


Every knitter's been through it: knitting in public, or just at home with company, will always earn you a comment. Over at Ravelry there's a very old thread that I stumbled upon, collecting our more... notable... experiences. My favorites in there are the woman who was asked if she learned to knit in prison and the man who was asked if he learned to knit in rehab. Some knitters are hardcore, sure, but we don't all pick it up in state institutions! (Oh wait, I learned how at university... whoops.)

Anyway, I got a good one on Christmas. Over at my Beloved's parents' house (yes, avoiding my family). Mom's been stressing out, Granny's been demanding, Brother's been a jerk, and Dad's been trying to stay out of it, as have Beloved & I. We get through dinner (tacos - heck yes!) without major incident and everyone sits down to play cards. I don't know how to play 31 and Beloved is trying to avoid the powder keg, so we curl up on the couch. He got an HDTV for Christmas (thank you, Mom & Dad) so he was flipping through the manual. Yes, my boyfriend reads the manual. He's a keeper. I, of course, pull out the knitting - Grandma's shawl, from the post below. (Yes, it's late, but I finished it today - see below.) Dad looks over and we get the obligatory remark:

"Look, it's the old folks sitting this game out."

'Scuse me? I'm 20 and Beloved is 24! We were two of the youngest poeple there, we were being plenty sociable, and we were getting our business done. What do they expect? We catch crap when we pull out our laptops, too - like browsing the internets prevents us from talking. Are we supposed to just sit blankly and watch whatever they want on TV?

Before this turns into a rant, I finished the Prayer Shawl! And I have some yarn left over so I can put an entry in for the New Beginnings contest.

LINKAGE!
Answers to Common Questions from Non-Knitters Tote
New Beginnings Butterfly Mask
New Beginnings Bubble Tree Pendants

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

New Beginnings


The California Crafter's Club of Etsy is doing a "New Beginnings" contest this month and it sparked some thought. I've been working on a "prayer" shawl for my grandmother for Christmas. (I say "prayer" because I don't, personally, pray, but I had the familials each "bless" the yarn I'd be using for it on Thanksgiving.) I can't enter it into the contest, because it's not for sale, but this particular project has certainly made me think.

This is a time of new beginnings. Craftwise, it's a new project - and every new project thrills me just a little. Blending the yarns is fun, but there's something about turning that one-dimensional string into something that can wrap around all three dimensions of a person. I've also never made a shawl before, and I hope it's wide enough. There will be fringe at some point! Another thing I haven't done in a while, at least.

The shawl is also a symbol of a new stage of my grandmother's life - the stage where she has cancer. She was diagnosed after her annual mammogram, and I'm taking it quite seriously. She starts chemo next month and asked for a prayer shawl specifically. I'm doing what I can. It's a new stage for me, too - I've never felt so threatened by illness before.

And, of course, the new year approaches. I will begin working in the psych labs, join the honor society, play a cop onstage, turn 21 (at long, long last), and start new projects. I will continue to love a wonderful man, run a small but successful business, attend to my family, kick ass at school, and be the best teacher I can be. A year ago, I would have been amazed at all the new beginnings that have happened since last New Year's Eve. I can only hope that the next year proves as fruitful.
~~~
You can't buy the shawl, so here's a different handmade white thing (by me!): Organic Natural Brushed Cotton Scarf
A cool shawl by a fellow Calfornian: Micro Granny Square Poncho in Sand
Another cool shawl by a fellow Californian: Winter Capelet