"He walked and then it was dark again and the streets narrowed, and he brought his shoulders closer. He did this because it was cold, and because the buildings did the same."
--Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner, pg. 25
I love it when a fictional narrative takes on the qualities of poetry, of strong imagery. My devouring of literature ebbs and flows, just as any other aspect of my life--sometimes I need to escape (up until recently), and sometimes it's time to roll words around on my tongue, get caught up in the beauty of the text.
Lately my hands have been keeping busy. Making: mint syrup last night with half our CSA supply, basil vodka sauce for our fettuccine and asparagus with swiss (an experiment in using up refrigerator contents which paid off), garden etchings, pulling weeds and composting. Making: tiny washcloths for a baby that could appear any moment now. (As if that verb were anywhere close to the truth: appear. As if, magically, he will walk out of her womb, no pain, no shrieks or glares.)
What I need, though, is a knitting boot camp. What I need is to stop making these little things that are square or rectangular with no daring at all. My curves are slight: a headband, an unfinished sweater front. I dream of more complicated projects: sweaters, booties, sweaters, hats, etc. I need to be sent away for a period of time, locked in a cabin somewhere, with someone incredibly patient and smart and who will let me cheat and have some beer--but not too much! we know how knitting and beer don't go so well together, unless you want to hate that wedding shawl--and will just get me through until I've taken these years-old, rusty as heck training wheels off.
Until then, until I get a volunteer, I'm going back to the washcloths. Today: a skull for the little pirate-baby.
Lately my hands have been keeping busy. Making: mint syrup last night with half our CSA supply, basil vodka sauce for our fettuccine and asparagus with swiss (an experiment in using up refrigerator contents which paid off), garden etchings, pulling weeds and composting. Making: tiny washcloths for a baby that could appear any moment now. (As if that verb were anywhere close to the truth: appear. As if, magically, he will walk out of her womb, no pain, no shrieks or glares.)
What I need, though, is a knitting boot camp. What I need is to stop making these little things that are square or rectangular with no daring at all. My curves are slight: a headband, an unfinished sweater front. I dream of more complicated projects: sweaters, booties, sweaters, hats, etc. I need to be sent away for a period of time, locked in a cabin somewhere, with someone incredibly patient and smart and who will let me cheat and have some beer--but not too much! we know how knitting and beer don't go so well together, unless you want to hate that wedding shawl--and will just get me through until I've taken these years-old, rusty as heck training wheels off.
Until then, until I get a volunteer, I'm going back to the washcloths. Today: a skull for the little pirate-baby.
3 comments:
oh i could use a knitting boot camp too. luckily, all i need to do is call my mom. or maybe start using some of that huge box of yarn i've got...
also, how about sharing this recipe for mint syrup? (and maybe some uses for it, i'm intrigued, and have a backyard full of mint). happy friday! (and happy summer!)
Julia: I'll share it on Monday. I'm thinking Mondays might be my CSA / recipe / cooking days. :) Plus, I want to see if I can use it first, in case it turned out not-so-good. xo
someone...who will let me cheat reminds me of the book, Knitting for Anarchists. You can see a description on amazon....
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