Thursdays Are For Knit Group

The New Year is now official. The first knit group meet-up of 2010. Let the year begin.

Wilma wasn't long in the room before she 'stole' Sharon's holiday weaving.

Teal is Wilma's colour, so of course she had to 'steal' the scarf for a try-on.

Doreen knit fingerless mitts - flat fingerless mitts - that are ready to be sewn up.

Think what a set of double pointed needles could have done for you here, Doreen. Doreen is a breast cancer survivor and the disease has left her with an arm that swells and feels the cold. These very long mitts should keep the arm warm and still let her knit.

And to show off, Doreen brought her hat with the perfect, crocheted flower. Before Christmas, Ingrid had helped Doreen crochet a flower to decorate her hat. But Ingrid wasn't pleased with Doreen's rose-making efforts and suggested Doreen try again. Here is the re-do.

A perfect rose.

Sharon knit a pair of felted slippers for hubby.

His second pair. Lucky hubby, I say.

Joanne, our master mitten maker knit another pair of mittens.

She says she gave away five pairs of her glorious mittens over the holidays. Today, reminiscing, Joanne told us that the very first thing she ever knit was a pair of mitts when she was about ten years old. And here she is, years later, still knitting mittens. I'm not sure if she thought that a good thing or not.

Today's main conversation revolved around spousal Christmas gifts that missed the mark, and the universal - well, universal around our table at the Meaford library - dislike of housework. Funny what can make an entire room of knitters howl with laughter. Let the year begin, indeed!

The Flu

By now, you all know that both Fred and I, not to mention a few other family members, have been sick with the stomach flu over the holidays. Days after the onslaught, my stomach still sloshes from time to time.

Personally, I make a really terrible patient. I blame it on my normally excellent health. Having had such limited experience with sickness, I have no benchmark for good - or even appropriate- patient behaviour.

But it has occurred to me over the last few days that perhaps a better attitude might help.

SO in the spirit of less whining, less thinking only of self, less b----ing, here is my

'New & Improved Attitude Towards The Stomach Flu' list.

1. I haven't had to meal plan or cook for days.
2. Our grocery bill this past week was $0.00

3. My bathrooms haven't been so sanitized in a long time.
4. I have already lost all my holiday-season weight gain.
5. We haven't had to put gas in the car for days.

Lastly, Fred and I slept in separate bedrooms during the flu so as to spare each other the passing and re-passing of germs, and -

6.Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Glad To Be A Knitter

Before Christmas, I mentioned receiving my copy of Sunday Holm's pattern for EZ's Green Sweater. Mine arrived minus the yarn, as it was on back order.

One day, during the flu-induced haze that was my post-Christmas week, I dragged myself to
the drugstore for meds. And since the post office is right across from the drug store, dragged myself there as well. I am so glad I did.

A parcel was waiting for me.

Remember how in an earlier post I commented on what a wonderful knitterly experience knitting EZ's Green Sweater would be? Never did I imagine that simply the arrival of the wool would also be a great knitterly experience too. But look.

It arrived, having been sent from one of the most well-known yarn companies in North America - if not the world; a company owned by the daughter of the world's most famous knitting mentor of all time, packed in this.

I find that heartwarming.

Now, look at the yarn.

For me, the colour couldn't be more perfect. Green. Not a solid green, but rather a prettier, I think, heathered green. And what yarn is it? For a world-famous sweater, originally knit by a world-famous knitter and now, 50 years later, enjoying a world-famous renaissance, one would perhaps expect something -well, world famous.

Something luxurious. Mmmm, Malabrigo?
Something with a name-dropping label. Rowan? Alchemy? Prism?
Something fabulously hand-spun, hand-dyed? Fleece Artist? Handmaiden?

Not our Elizabeth. She knit the original Green Sweater with this.

How wonderful is that? For me, being Canadian, superbly wonderful. This historic sweater, originally designed and knit by an Englishwoman, married to a German, living in the USA, was knit with yarn from Canada's oldest, continually-operating mill. Fifty years later, this little Canadian knitter, ordered the 'kit' from EZ's daughter in Wisconsin. She, in turn, ordered the yarn from New Brunswick and shipped it, in a re-cycled, Grey Poupon box, to me, living in Ontario. I'm so glad I knit.