Friday, November 6, 2009

Time and Yarn

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

I'm not sure where that originated, but Townes Van Zandt said it often during performances. Another week has flown by! It feels as if a month lasts about two weeks now.

I finished my hat I was knitting. I branched out from scarves to a hat and took a class even! Before, all I did was knit back and forth until it was a scarf. This time I learned to purl, decrease, and sew it together. Despite a frustrating call to Tina to complain that I suck at knitting, I did finish it with some help. Now I'm going to make another one to practice following directions and to get these "skills" more firmly in mind. Here are two views of it. Yep, it's a hat.



Eventually, I'm going to attempt a jacket and just hope it will be presentable enough to wear. I don't have patience with myself and want to be good at it right away because that seems easier. Oh well. I do enjoy the social aspects of it and will keep trying.

11 comments:

the dogs' mother said...

Very purty!
My mom took up knitting when the Ponder children were being born and made Christmas stockings. HUGE Christmas stockings. Later she lamented how much Santa had to spend to fill them. But Nana made them so the kids won't have any other.

Sam said...

Too funny. Joy, My Mom did the knitting thing for a while too. Needless to say you've accomplished something more than a scarf. I swear she worked on this one thing for months only to throw it away.
My ADD would never allow me to sit still long enough to knit. But that cap looks good. Congrats on your progress.

Wonder Man said...

my partner is so good at that, I wouldn't have the patience

Gwyn Shepard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gwyn Shepard said...

Wow!! That's an awesome cap. I can knit and purl,but only back and forth. So, basically all I can make are scarves and they usually turn out crooked! But I do like to knit.
I actually taught lots of junior high students to knit at St. Henry when I taught a Lifeskills class. We all knitted scarves. It was cool to see them knitting everywhere they went...in the halls,waiting to be picked up in the afternoon, in the dining hall..etc.. :)
But WOW ..that cap is way cool !! Keep Kniting !

Joy said...

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm getting ready to tackle a jacket! Hope it will be wearable. Before that, I'm going to make another one of these hats so I can get that in my mind better now that I know how it's supposed to turn out.

Sheena said...

Wow! You actually made a very colorful cap/hat that is just too cool! I love it! I bet one of your granddaughters would just love it this winter.

Unknown said...

that's amazing Joy.
Our Reading Specialist has a club after school that knits hats for kids. The most troubled kids you can imagine just love it. Guests are not welcome because they feel free to talk about everything and she really pulls these kids out. They wouldn't miss a session. It's one of the most consistently successful clubs in the school. You wouldn't catch the elite there, but peeking in the window, you would see kids you'd never dream all hatting and knitting away under the table, on top of it, in chairs, in corners- it's actually draws a tear to the eye.
Love ya, Charlie

lelocolon said...

Beautiful, nice work there. I do not have the patience. I tried it once and the affair with the medium lasted for about a day. It is really hard. It was so hard that It made me think about women' s work in a total different context. Not that knitting is gender prescribed, but because historically it has been considered women's work. As a process artist while I was knitting all kinds of stories, and memories, and recounts were happening in my brain. I could not do it, I became so angry that I quit. Which made me reconsider this patriarchal notion that women's work or house work are meaningless. Men do not know what goes into peoples head when they enter a process experience like knitting.

Unknown said...

AFter lelocolon, I had to revisit this. I think of Gandhi who spent all his spare time spinning yarn as busy as his life was. I wonder if men wouldn't be better off if they carried a little bag and had something to do with their hands anywhere anytime.I've known a lot of tough straight guys who knit very well and especially excel in needlepoint and embroidery.

Joy said...

You continue to amaze me, lelocolon. What thoughtful, sweet things you wrote!