I feel much better today. Still have residual cold-ness, but with weather like this, who could feel bad for long?
Last night was Halloween – Gerry took the kids around and I manned the front porch (knitting, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea and handing out goodies to tiny Ninjas and Princesses – the most wonderful night!) Hannah was a pirate and Max was a “Dead Bridegroom” – very odd choice – and even more odd when the little girl he has a MAJOR crush on showed up as the first trick or treater as a “Dead Bride”. Note – these kids do NOT go to school together, but perhaps Max got wind of her costume somehow.
I think Max had visions of an impromptu Trick or Treating “Date” – but his hopes were dashed when his intended announced that she’d rather go begging for candy alone. (alone meant with dad standing on the sidewalk in front of every house she visited.) While I questioned her taste, I had to admire her moxie. Max stood on the front porch and watched his ghost bride melt away in the South Orange twilight.
The sweaters are starting to arrive from the Men Who Knit knitters – this whole experience is SUCH an education! I’ve learned so much about writing a pattern, making instructions clear and keeping communication open with knitters. The latter has been very hard with all of my traveling, but now I’m home for an extended period (with the exception of weekends away) and – even with my head cold and an afternoon nap – the amount I was able to get done yesterday made me feel a little less tense about the MWK book.
Without fail everything that arrives is beautifully knit – and if there’s a problem it’s 99% my own in not explaining a procedure thoroughly. If you’ve knit for me and I haven’t been back to you personally, please know that I will soon – it’s a matter of wading through the items one at a time so I can keep things clear in my mind. I will write to you soon with a personal thank you (and your payment!)
Up until now I pretty much knit all my own samples – and would therefore double check my own patterns. You can see how incestuous this becomes. Bringing another person in as a knitter not only frees me from the knitting, but allows me to understand how another mind might work my patterns through. It helps me understand that what may be obvious to me is not obvious to others.
I dream of a word-less pattern. A pattern that is Ikea-like in it’s simplicity, with illustrations instead of words and charts and graphs. A pattern that would transcend language and culture differences, and allow knitters to come together as one and knit a sweater that fits (music swells) …
Perhaps I’ve been sleeping TOO much.