1) "Damn mailman. What in the hell is he doing leaving that box propped aganist my door totally stealable in this neighborhood??"
2) "Hmmm. Did I order yarn and forget about it again? I really need to stop that. Definitely a sign of a problem."
So, I went and rescued the box. I was on my way to pick up some shoes I had ordered. (Reference above mentioned "sign of a problem" thought.) I threw the box in the passenger seat and started towards the mall. I glanced at the return address and saw "Yarn Stormers". First stop light I ripped through that packaging with only my stubby, yet deadly, fingernails for tools. (Okay, so I may have continued digging once driving commenced.)
I behaved and pulled out the letter first.
Then I dug through the yarn.
Nine total skeins. And then I proceeded to do what any sane knitter in my position would do. Called my knitterly friend to brag that a knitting fairy stopped at my house. Then said a prayer to thank God for having people in my life, that while they have never met me face to face, do amazing things like have me yarn stormed, send me patterns I've been drooling over the day my divorce is finalized, and drop random bits of handspun in the mail to me with encouraging CDs. And these are just the friends I've never had the joy of seeing for real.
Then I sat down with some research I had to get through for a meeting this week and cast on for a cowl with my newly acquired yarn.
I used the Dolores Park Cowl pattern from s i x o n e s e v e n.
But I made some adjustments. Many (most) that were totally unnecessary. But you see, all this yarn came with was a little tag that told me it was from Dancing Leaf Farms and 100% wool. No idea how much yardage I had. And I haven't really knit much with thick and thin yarn, so I wasn't quite sure how accurate a gauge swatch would be. And I'm a lazy bum who doesn't swatch.
I went down a needle size from the pattern. (From US13 to US 11).
I cast on an extra 10 stitches (bringing the total to 60. Not needed in any way, shape, or form. Obviously.)
I added two rows. One before the middle increase section, one after. So knit 14 before started the increase, knit 12 before the last purl row. Obviously not needed.
The thick and thin yarn gave this usually smooth cowl a really interesting look with puckers and bulges and whatnot. (And I haven't gotten around to weaving in that loose end.)
This cowl is so crazy and large! One of those pieces that says "Hell, yeah. I made this. No way you are buying something that rocks this much in a store, honey!".
So to the yarn fairies at Yarnstormers. Thank you. Much love from this knitter who's had a rough month. Well, okay. A rough few years.
To make this an EXTRA long entry, this reminds me of a post I put up in the Ravelry Casting Off group almost a year ago. Still true today as much as it was then.
I Knit So I Don't Kill People...
This phrase has always entertained me. I was catching up on my blog reading this morning to avoid the big mess I made on my desk before leaving yesterday and Yarn Harlot’s blog had an entry that really got me to thinking how grateful I am for being a knitter through these hard times.
"How do non-knitters handle stress? I mean, I know they must do something, since it’s not like I see them all weeping on the bus all the time, but when everything in their lives is all messed up, what is the thread of sanity and sameness that runs through it and keeps them from being a lunatic? Does knitting attract people who need something to moderate stress more than others? Do you think that you use knitting to moderate your behaviour, and in this spirit of this shirt (I knit so I don’t kill people) do you think your behaviour would be different if you didn’t?"
This was an entry she wrote about some renovations and handling stress. It made me realize I really don’t know how non-knitters handle divorce! :)
Being a knitter has truly kept me sane. It has given me something to concentrate on when I can’t quiet my thoughts down, it has allowed me a reason to zone out for hours just as long as I kept the knitting going, it has given me a sense of control over a life that I can’t stop from spinning out of control, it has made me feel like I am worth something when I’m feeling like I can’t do anything right. It has given me a reason to sit and knit with others for hours and not have to really say anything, but not have to face the night alone.
Not only has the actual act of knitting kept me sane, but the intense spirit of community between knitters. When I realized I was leaving my husband a year ago I started a knitting group. Knowing I need to be there for this group has given me structure, it’s made me not sink completely in to my introvert shell, I always know that they’ll listen. I’ve made friends that accept me for who I am through my knitting.
Yarn Harlot mentions the “thread of sanity and sameness”. My knitting makes me feel grounded. It connects my past with my present and as I finish a project I often find myself wondering what storms and joys that finished object will be with me for. Who will unwrap that scarf from my neck? When I buy yarn I wonder who I will make a project for to show them my love. It reminds me who I am and it is something I hold on to while everything else around me seems to keep changing, including myself. I am a knitter.
Today I’m feeling grateful and I wanted to share.
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