Land of misfit knitting

I’m not sure why I continue to knit.  I don’t have a lot of success at it, especially if I have to do math to get the item to fit right.

The hat pictured above is a Christmas present for my chemo loving, hair falling out dad.

I started it a while ago.  As I was knitting it the first time, Jen looked at it over coffee with my running group and asked who it was for and what it was, because it was SOOOO big that it certainly could not be a hat.

So my second swing at it was going alright. But, as I was finishing it up last night, I began to wonder why it was not bigger and how on earth it was going to fit on his head.

Then I realized, I missed a whole section, THE BODY.

He’s getting it anyway…my dying father will LOVE it, because I made it.

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A surprising universal language

I brought the kids to the park yesterday afternoon.  And since I had had enough of their shenanigans for one day, I brought my knitting project.  That way if they wanted something, I could lift up my knitting and they would know I was busy and they had to figure it out themselves. 

Many of the usual suspects were there, including the Chinese grandmother of one of the younger boys.  I see her all the time, I try my best to say hello in Chinese and she nods a nice hello and smiles.  But yesterday when I had my knitting out, she came over to the bench, sat down, looked it over, along with the pattern and then took it out of my hands and started working on it.   

She got to a point where she stopped and showed me what she had done, how it was different than mine and then how to do it.  As she was showing me she was explaining everything in Chinese while I was answering in English, oh how I wish I had had my camera mounted on the monkey bars to catch the view. 

Her gesture was so sweet and touching and grandmotherly, how lucky I am to have experienced that moment with her.  I should bring my knitting down more often.

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Lenten penance

I’ve just started a new knitting project. A friend of mine let me page through her favorite knitting book and I fell in love with this little crown. A project that I think is adorable and would love to see Miss PJ wear on her birthday…even though she has made it clear she doesn’t want it.

Not listening to her may be mistake number one.

So I bought the supplies, which include 3 rolls of pink crepe paper. Yes, I know…crepe paper. I am KNITTING a crepe paper crown.

God certainly did not dole out any patience to me as I got shot down from heaven on my birthday, knitting with this type of material may be mistake number two.

PJ’s big day is not until May so I thought this would give me ample time to try and make it. At the rate it is taking me to gently, gingerly and oh so cautiously not rip this stuff to bits while knitting it I may not be done until Christmas.

Hmmm, maybe I should have bought it in red. Mistake number three?

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