The Not a Knitter's Project

When we last wrote, we reported on a project by Terry Foley. Remember? Here's the photo we posted ~



To fully appreciate this post, you have to know a little about Terry. Terry doesn't knit. At least, that's what she claims. She also doesn't cook, even though many of us have been the beneficiary of her famous butter cookies at Christmas, her wonderful roasted vegetables, and other culinary delights. She doesn't cook.

She also doesn't exercise, even though she has hauled my not insubstantial ass out of bed and to the Bakersfield College football stadium to climb stairs and walk the track.

Terry is a contrare. If she were an Iroquois she would walk backwards, like the character in "Little Big Man." Whatever she says she doesn't do, she might do, but she doesn't want anyone relying on her cooking, her knitting, or her exercise, so she claims she doesn't do those things. There are other things she doesn't do, except when she does them and does them so well that people are often left in awe (like speeches and writing and legal crap).



Terry is a natural giver. She likes to "make stuff" for other people. Her cookies, for instance. She doesn't eat them, but she loves to make them for others. I blame much of my own tonnage on her cookies.



Anyway, Terry's project was borne of her desire to do something nice for someone else, even though she doesn't knit. She came to my house many evenings to not knit with me. She worked and worked on her project, enlisting me occasionally to fix a problem or give advice.



She had a vision in mind. I didn't think it would work out. I thought the colors were all wrong, the concept loopy, but as she kept not knitting and acquiring the material to complete the project, I started to nod my head and think, "this just might be cool."



The project took a long time because not knitting is a laborious process with a lot of pissing and moaning along the way. And, it requires that you do other things you don't do, like not crocheting and not hand-sewing a lining onto a knitted item.



By this time, I'm really enthusiastic about the project and think to myself, "Self, Terry's friend will be getting a heirloom. I hope she appreciates that she is the beneficiary of a rare item made by a not knitter."

Here is the finished product: Terry's lovely baby blanket, knitted in a basket weave pattern, lined with a very soft valour pink material with monkey design, all in the colors the mother to be wanted.

Cropped Cardie

I knitted this little cropped cardie for Erica. The pattern is in the spring 2010 issue of Knitter's Magazine. I had to adapt quite a bit for the gauge. If I do this pattern again -- and I probably will -- I will definitely do it in contrasting yarns so fun changes in stitches can be seen.





My daughter, Sherry, the non-knitting knitting observer, likes to take photos of her foot in various locations. Her foot even has its own fan page on facebook, called Footnotes. After I sent the link to this post to Sherry, she sent this photo back to me ~



And, more to be revealed with this project by Terry Foley. I love seeing a project evolve.

Magic at Mid-Morning

These are the kinds of things that kids get to play on at parks today. Even at 62 and way too big for small entrances, they seem to call to me to be climbed on -- almost a magical draw. I don't know who I was lamenting to about the playground equipment of yesteryear, but In My Day (imagine air quotes around those words), we had rickety old merry-go-rounds, even ricketier teeter-totters (you don't see those anymore), swings and rings, and monkey bars. I think playgrounds in the '50s were a rite of passage. They were real character builders if you survived the equipment and the bullies. If you went to the park, you were going to come home injured, even if it was only blisters on your hands from the monkey bars.

Yolanda brought her grandson, Nick, to Knitting in the Park. I think he spent a fair amount of time in the magical tower before becoming bored with it. Nick was pretty low key today. Usually, he's a font of entertainment. As my mother would have said, "he's a caution!" I've always taken that to mean a combination of mischief and fun. Being a caution is a badge of honor. Boring people are never cautions.




Maybe he was just overwhelmed by the abundance of women with sharp instruments, because he was definitely off his game.


Here's Karen working on yet another cardigan from some lovely multi-colored, nubby, yarn. She said the yarn reminded her of the Bible story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.


Terry working on a soft and yummy baby blanket for a friend's little girl due in August. It's in a basket weave pattern and she's going to line it with a soft velour type material. A photo of the finished product will definitely be posted when she's done. I'm posting this here as proof that T does, despite her protestations, knit.


This photo tells it all as to Sherry's thoughts on knitting: It's all Greek to her! She just joins us for the joy of sitting outdoors on a perfectly beautiful day.

Savanah dropped by also, but I didn't get a photo of her. Next time!

Serenity of the River

A few of us managed to drag our knitting, chairs and other accoutrements necessary to women and visiting, to the river side. Sue took a few more photos of hands at work, as well as a few that depicts the mood of the day. She has a great eye for the beauty of simplicity.


Mean's bag and hands.


Meaner's bag and hands.


The serenity of the river.