How Bittersweet It Is

I'm knitting again. Not great masterpieces but my comfort knitting, socks. In the three weeks since I last posted an entry here I lost my dear aunt. Ruby passed away on September 11 at 95.66 years of age.

This picture was taken on her 95th birthday on January 14. She had a good life and a peaceful passing. It was hard for me to let her go. I'm still trying to fill the void. I've returned to knitting.

I am doing comfort knitting. I'm knitting socks. Presently I am working on the second of this year's beach socks, so called because the yarn has cotton content and was meant to be knitted on the beach on Cape Cod. I didn't get to the beach this year. I needed to stay closer to home. So the pair of socks have taken an inordinate amount of time to complete. Unfortunately I didn't knit on anything else in the meantime. I'd lost my knitting jones.

It's back, or at least it's coming back. I'm knitting socks on my circular sock machine as well. I've knitted three pairs. I've also knocked the whole thing over onto the computer keyboard, magnetized my ribber needles and turned my electric cone winder into a whirling dervish. But that's a story for another day.

I have a desire to start another pair of socks, one that might qualify as an attempt at lace knitting. They are the Chaussettes de Dentelle (Lacy Socks) in Nancy Bush's Folk Socks done on size 000 needles using Brown Sheep Company's Wildfoote. Folk Socks was the first sock book I purchased and the Lacy Socks was the first pattern I attempted from the book. They were to be a shower gift for a bride-to-be. The couple married, bought their first house and are expecting their first baby. The socks were never completed. They were far beyond my ability when I started them. I think I can do them now that I'm a "bona fide knitter." I think I need the concentration involved.

It's autumn. Time to think Stitches East. It's almost here. I have homework to do for my classes. I need to get that done. I hate homework! I miss Ruby.

Ruby at TGI Friday, March 2006

Bona Fide Knitter

Going Into Autumn

Now that for all intents and purposes summer is over, my thoughts are turning to fall knitting. I've already jump started my gym regimen and I'm working on my eating habits. (Kitchen renovation is not diet friendly.) So it's time to get my hobbies in order as well.

Walking the treadmill for an hour gives me lots of podcast listening time and I've found another to add to my list of favorites: Sticks & String Podcast "by an Australian bloke who knits" named David Reidy. I love this bloke! I've not yet listened to the requisite six podcasts before forming an opinion, but I've listened to the promo and three podcasts and I can tell. This guy is good! And he speaks the language without 'air fillers' (uhms, errrs, aaahs), has nice music choices and no fits of giggles. He provides information on what he's knitting, why and for whom. There are book reviews and even "patten" reviews. ("Patten" is Aussie for "pattern" as we say it in the States) And speaking of the Aussie accent, I love it. It's very easy on the ears and so is David Reidy's voice. Shades of Crocodile Dundee. There has been an enjoyable essay in each of the episodes I have listened to so far on such topics as why we give away what we knit and why we meet to knit. Give this bloke a try. I've already succumbed and subscribed.

Okay, I can't avoid mentioning my knitting any longer, or should I say 'my not knitting.' I'm about to make a list and check it twice. Then I'm going to eliminate the naughty and concentrate on the nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. By that I mean I'm making a list of the items I am going to work on next. The list will not include any of the exasperating UFOs. It will consist of only the items I plan to complete this year, maybe by Christmas. I will follow the advice of David Reidy and not let deadlines take the fun out of knitting. I will just enjoy the process. Sooooo, I am allowing myself plenty of time to complete a gift project by starting it now and the other items on my list will be knit when they're knit, and in some semblance of order. Part of the enjoyment of the process is the visualization of the completed item. I have visualization down pat. I need more actuality. Completing AFOs (Actually Finished Objects) is my plan going into autumn. The list? Coming soon.

Bona Fide Knitter

Summer's Over!

I can hardly believe we are at the weekend heralding the last weekend of summer. I know, I know, there is still some summer left, but for all intents and purposes, it's over. Where did it go? Where did I go? How did I enjoy it? What did I knit?

Summer started for me with at trip to My Laughing Place (Everybody's got one. More on mine another day.) where I dropped off spouse and LWDs and continued on to Portland, ME, for the Sasha Festival, a doll collector conference. It was a wonderful long weekend full of fun with like- minded people with the same interests.

I returned to Cape Cod and lazed around until time to return home. I never got to the beach that trip. I just barely got the screened porch hosed down for future reading and napping. We dust-covered it and returned home to a blistering heatwave that rocked the city in July. I was further rocked by the rapidly declining health of my elderly aunt, Ruby, who is 95.

It was just by the skin of my teeth and urging by my family that I went off to Frederick, MD, for a long weekend for the Circular Sock Machine Conference. I returned home after that to the start of my kitchen renovation which continues. It's been delayed by my changes and additions and an attempt to get a vacation in. I had a couple of nights and a day of shopping at a B & B in Rehoboth Beach, DE, the outlet Mecca. Then, after a couple of postponements,we went back to Cape Cod.

While back in MA I went to a doll 'show' and sale where I met with my doll guru and we had a wonderful day shopping and eating at an Asian buffet. After that wonderful Sunday (Could it have been only last week?), the next day I received disturbing news of my aunt and returned home ending my vacation in less than a week. And here I am. Home for the holiday weekend, making sure what is best (as best I can) is done for Ruby and catching up on my blog.

The danger of being home with no pressing errands to run, no kitchen counter granite samples to track down, is Internet shopping. All those books I'd been considering at Amazon might make their way to a cart today. I came this close to ordering bar stools from Overstock.com for a breakfast bar that I don't even have yet and might not get! It must be time to start knitting again.

Knit? Did somebody say 'KNIT'? I have been knitting somewhat halfheartedly on the omnipresent waiting room sock, which was to have been my beach knitting, for weeks and weeks now and am just about at the toe of the first sock. Knitting has really taken a backseat this summer. Too much heat, humidity and real life. I have done good by my Legare sock machine though. I've made a few pairs of socks and finally put the summer anklets up in my recently launched Etsy shop. Yes, they were to be summer anklets and they were made in time for summer, but just didn't get listed until now.

I do get around to doing most of the things I set out to do, like this blog entry I've been trying to get around to. Well, this was it.

Bona Fide Knitter