Slow and (Un)Steady...

Well, I wish I could tell you I've been whizzing along on Project No. 31, the Florentine Shrug:

But, as you can see, not much progress is being made.  This is DEFINITELY not a project I can take along riding the bus; and there have been some late hours in the office lately, and working on weekends, and all manner of non-knitting going on (sigh).

As well as unexpected events, starting with a car accident.  Last Monday afternoon, I left work at 2:30 to take Libby to the vet.  She was in a lot of pain all weekend and her neck and back seemed to be bothering her.  Just as I was about to hit the freeway, a car ran a red light and slammed into me.  Don't get me wrong, car accidents are never exactly pleasant, but considering that no one was hurt, and our cars are insured and fixable, and it was just about a perfect accident. 

I was having a sort of premonition for the last month that I was about to have a car accident, strangely enough.  Even while it was occurring, a few weird thoughts passed through my head:

    a)  Hmmm, maybe if I hit the gas, I can avoid that white car which doesn't appear to have stopped at the red light and is whizzing toward me...

    b)  Aw darnit. This is Nathan's first day of driver's ed!  How am I going to buy TWO cars??!?

    c)  Hmmm, maybe if I hit the gas, I can avoid that white car which doesn't appear to have stopped at the red light and is whizzing toward me...

    d)  Oh, look!  There is a church at the corner!  That must mean everything will turn out all right.

    e)  Thank goodness it is just 2:30 and not rush hour - the street is almost empty, I won't hit anyone else if she runs into me...

    e)  WOW, she hit me hard!!!  But wait, our cars are still moving, the steering is working, let's just pull over...

It is so funny when time slows down like that, and you sort of watch what is happening in slow motion, realize the myriad thoughts you can think in the flash of an eye...

The other driver, a young film student, was a bit shaken up, but we were both just fine, physically.  She was worried that her parents would be mad, but I explained to her that her parents would just be so happy she wasn't hurt, and that she should take it easy that night because of the shock of it.  We sat on the church steps, called our insurance companies, and chatted while we waited for our tow trucks. 

A few days later when we were on the phone, just wrapping up some insurance details, she said, "I told everyone that I was so lucky that the person I hit was so nice.  Just think; driving downtown and all, I could have hit a nasty LAWYER or something!!!"  I explained that I was, in fact, a lawyer, and there were a few of us who were less nasty than one might expect...

Then I took Libby to the vet; she has maybe a slipped disk or a badly pulled muscle, causing her not to be able to look upwards or to the right, and causing muscle spasms in her neck and chest.  The vet agreed with me that she was in way too much pain, and put her on an IV of Valium, and then gave me painkillers, a muscle relaxant, and upped her dose of cortisone.  After all that, the poor little thing wasn't in pain anymore, but also not quite sure how to operate all 4 feet simultaneously.  She seems to be doing a bit better now, but I have to get her to the point where she can be comfortable without being on so many drugs.  The vet mentioned surgery as an option, but I don't think I could do that to my poor rescue dog; her life has been hard enough.  I've also had a few people mention there are pet chiropractors out there, so I will try that next. 

So, back to the knitting (just like my head, this is going to be a discombobulated post, for sure...).  Since I can't knit the Florentine Shrug on the bus, I picked up some of the pretty yarn I bought 2 years ago at the Shepherd's Harvest festival in Lake Elmo, MN, from a yarn dyer called Happy Hands, in a beautiful mix of purples, teals and greens, and a pattern from Classic Elite designed by Helene Rush, called the Charlie Vest.  It is knit in one piece from the front buttonhole edge, across the back, and to the other front, decreasing and increasing as necessary for the neck and armholes, and is just rows and rows of soothing garter stitch.  I started it at the legal conference (yes, I knitted at the legal conference - there, I said it.   So sue me!  tee hee hee!) and just finished it last weekend.  I guess I would have liked to make it a bit longer but I didn't buy enough yarn.  I wore it unbelted on Friday, but think it looks better belted, actually. 

And what ELSE am I working on while commuting, since I can't embroider on the road, you ask?  Well, I decided to move ahead on the KOTOTW projects.  First I started in on Project No. 32, the Rose Trellis Scarf.  As you can see, I've knitted all of the roses, leaves, and scarf parts:

I'm going to take advantage of the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend to try the felting part (YIKES!)  I also have a bag that my sister asked me to felt for her, since she doesn't have a top-loading washing machine (or any washing machine at the moment; she and Paul are living in a small apartment waiting for their new home to be renovated, which may take quite a few months).  So at some point this weekend, in between eating too much turkey and pumpkin pie, I will have a little felting party.

I am always worried that I will blow the felting process, and it won't come out evenly; I've been known to overdo it and accidentally over-shrink something.  Oh well, I enjoyed knitting this trellis stitch so much, I actually wouldn't mind having to make another one!

Speaking of knitting more trellis stitch; I was working on this and suddenly realized that it must be the very same stitch used in a VERY famous Nicky Epstein pattern, Nicky's felted rose trellis bag!  (...WHICH I have always yearned to make, and which I suddenly knew JUST how to knit!)  So I splurged (well, I found different types of feltable extra-bulky wool at Webs so it wasn't so much, really) and started knitting the bag, too!  

You can see that it is on a TOTALLY different scale from the scarf:

In fact, the size 15 needles feel more like broom handles than knitting needles... which unfortunately ALSO puts this project firmly into the ranks of non-commuter knitting.  (However, I am letting myself do a few rows in between embroidering because it is so addictive!)

So, you ask; what ARE you knitting while commuting these days?  Well, on the one hand, because December is so event-full (it seems I have to drive during work to a meeting almost every day), I find I only have a couple days a week when I get to take the bus (sigh...  I am NOT much of a social butterfly.  I am hoping that in January I can just settle into a routine where I don't have to do quite so much schmoozing).  But during those days, I can't just sit there with idle hands, so...

I started Project No. 32, the Damascus Dream Dress:

I had measured myself and made some adjustments in the number of stitches and rows, but like a dope wrote them down on my work photocopy of the pattern instead of into the book itself, so tonight's task (after giving two dachshunds a bath and finishing the week's laundry) is going to be to try to recreate that backward so that I can figure out what I had decided to do about lengthening it and widening it.  The options were 40" and 44" and I wanted something closer to 41 - 42"; and I know I planned to lengthen it, but don't remember how much, or how I figured out where to make the stripes at the waist hit my body, hmmmm.  In any case, I need to figure it out before tomorrow, so that I will have something to knit on the bus!

With Thanksgiving approaching, I have so much for which I am truly thankful, this year.  )Besides such wonders as walking away unscathed from car crashes, even!)  I had a great talk with Nicky yesterday who is back from a number of trips and looking forward to the holiday season with her family.  I told her I was pretty sure that by next year this time, I will have completed all of the projects!  So we're working on planning a proper celebration of that event.  And I'm also thinking more seriously about auctioning off some (or all? yikes!) of the finished KOTOTW pieces for a charity close to my heart; I just don't want to do it unless it will make some serious money, and I don't actually know if there would be a market for these finished pieces, or if there is one, how to find it.  But approaching the end of this project is something that makes me smile, because it feels like a big accomplishment.  Oh, and because when I was little my brother teased me about never finishing anything I started, so this is proving to myself that I can, in fact, finish something truly Herculean.

My son is happy and thriving, and conquering high school; my family is well, and doing well.  I have had a really good year at work, despite the down market.  I've done a lot more public speaking and taking on committee work and tried to become more active in the legal community, and for the first time I've been attracting clients of my own, all of which makes me feel more confident about my future, and my strengths as a lawyer. 

And best of all, I have a circle of friends; actually, it feels more like I have a series of concentric circles of friends, with whom to share my love of knitting and making things.  So many kind and generous people, and I'm honored to be part of a growing community of others who share my passion and pleasure in this craft. 

May your hearts be as filled with gratitude and hope for the future, as mine is today.

XOXOXOXO, Mar

 

Comments

[Jasmine]

I had to have a little lie-down after reading all that!!! I am glad you are both (all) OK after the accident. At least it sounds like you were hit by a student who actually had insurance to cover her being at fault. Might not happen here!
Nathan sounds like he is settling into Big Kid school just fine; and I hope your poor puppy is feeling better soon. Poor thing with all those drugs inside!
Hugs,
Jas

[Linda Chan]

I'm glad no one was injured in the car accident. Your poor dog. I hope she feels better soon.

I can't wait to see the trellis scarf felted. Felting is such an interesting transformative process. The scarf pieces look great now and afterwards they still will, but in an entirely different way.

Have a wonderful, safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving!!!!

[nicky epstein]

Dear Mary, you've had some week! Even I don't know how you do ALL you do!!! # 31 looks stunning, hope you'll wear it for the new year, looking forward to seeing it on you! Take care and have a Happy Thanksging

[Marie Pessolano]

Mary,
I love reading your posts. You are a lovely,loving,TALENTED!!! woman who only deserves the very best! When you celebrate the end of your knitting from Nicky's book, I want to be there as I was there at Lion Brand in NYC when you started. I still have hanging in my bunker(knitting room)the red world ornament that you gave everyone! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Marie Pessolano

[Barb]

Oh Mary! There is so much to comment on in your post, but most importantly I am so so grateful you weren't hurt in that accident. (I confess that I did get a chuckle out of the 'nasty lawyer' comment from the other driver though :)!!)

Mary, I hope you have a wonderful, joyful, peaceful happy Thanksgiving and thank you so much for sharing so much with us. It is a treat to be able to read and enjoy your 'world knitting adventure'.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family & friends!!

[Steph]

Keep at it! And Happy Thanksgiving!