As Seen on BART

[lwood]

I was knitting away on countgeiger's Diamond Waffle Sock, a Present of WinterÞing delayed by the tag-stonewalling-team of countgeiger and dpaxson--he didn't want his socks 'til I was done knitting a sweater out of the yarn dpaxson bought me for WinterÞing, thankyouverymuch.

Of course, there are times when one cannot knit a sweater as it grows toward its end, and for this, one takes a more portable project--which is why I had a sock in hand, and a sweater in the bag...

---

Here's countgeiger's sock, already in progress:



This is my first attempt at a sock on two circs, and it's my new sock knitting BFF--less fiddly than DPN's. You can't process in parallel like one can with Magic Loop, but ML is nearly as fiddly as DPN's, so two circs is still winning in my world.

Instead of his cast-on, I still like Judy's Magic Cast-On better (and am not a fan of provisional cast-on/wrap-and-turn/build back up). However, I have grown to like this heel better than, say, the You're Putting Me On heel, or what one also frequently finds for toe-up heels, which is a toe all over again--no provisional cast-on, but wrap-and-turn short rows, then build back up. This designer's innovation is to wrap-and-turn short rows, then to use the wraps of the short rows as foundations for increases, which I rather like more than trying to figure out how many bleepin' stitches am I supposed to pick up along the heel flap (the problem with Wendy), or "toes are not heels and do not fit the same", which is the trouble with the "just do another wrap-and-turn toe!" heel.

---

Here's where I am on the knit/hack sweater:

I'm worried I'll not have q-u-i-t-e enough yarn to get to the top of the shoulder--a problem, as I'd bought all they had in this color, but thought that by making cuffs, lapel, and collar black I could dodge that bullet. If I do--I do. If I don't, I'll have to get another skein from someplace online, and perform alternate-row reindeer games to smooth the difference in dye lot (blast).

The colored threads are my armpit-level lifelines: green on each sleeve, red on the body, gold at the underarms for later grafting. If you look, you can see Elizabeth Zimmerman's set-in-sleeve in the round, and Elsebeth Lavold's V-neck, simultaneously in progress.

That's not what I'm actually posting about, though--this is:

---

In a nearby seat, a lady pulled out a rosary and began, silently, to pray it. Not something you would notice unless you knew what a rosary looked like in use (said the former Catholic). I caught her eye, smiled, and nodded.

While I'm not a fan of rote prayers, I admit I have a soft spot in my heart for the Rosary. Perhaps it's the stories we were told, back when I was a good little Catholic girl in good little Catholic school, or perhaps it's that now I can look back on it and see it as a lengthy meditation, not unlike a mantra, syllables sliding over one another until meaning is lost, and only mystery remains.

A good while later, I thought the lady next to me was looking at my sock--no, she was just zoned out.

But.

The lady with the rosary emerged from her meditations as I made my apologies. "Oh! You work very fast, very pretty--I see you with your sweater, and now with a sock!"

I handed her the sock. "It's for my husband."

"He's very lucky!"

I grinned. "Would you like to see the sweater, too?"

"Oh, yes, please!" The disinterested lady has made her stop and leaves, swapping it for someone with more interest, who doesn't mind wool passing before her eyes.

Rosary Lady coos even more. "Such pretty patterns! How do you follow them?"

"Oh--one stitch at a time, like anything else."

"Ah--I cannot do anything like that. I just pray."

I'd always had trouble getting through a whole rosary. "Ah, well, now, we could use more of that, too, I think."

"Pfft!"

"No, really!" I gathered up my work and began knitting on the sweater, then winked. "I'll tell you another thing: sometimes, knitting is a prayer, too."

We shared a grin, then went back to our labors as the BART rolled on.

She must have seen me before, to remark as she did, and I'd not noticed.

Do you know what others you touch as you spin your thread behind you, crossing the spaces?

All of them?

Does anyone?

-- Lorrie

Comments

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine using the rosary as anything BUT a meditation tool, or a calming mantra. I carry one with me most times (shviti ha-Shem l'negdi tamid, etc.).

[lwood.livejournal.com]

For example, for all it looks like jewelry, when I was a good little Catholic girl, I told in no uncertain terms that it was not a necklace...

-- Lorrie

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

My grandmother used it to keep religious door-to-door types at bay. Whuh-PSSSSSSSH!

[ivy]

That's awesome; I love the random delightful encounters where everyone walks away happier than they arrived. (And yarn + random delight is all pleasantly Norny.)

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Yes. 8-)

-- L

[madtom-o-bedlam.livejournal.com]

Nifty you gave me something nice to think about instead of fretting over useless things.

Much better topic of thought.

Thanks

[lwood.livejournal.com]

You're quite welcome.

-- Lorrie

[murstein.livejournal.com]

Do you know what others you touch as you spin your thread behind you, crossing the spaces?

All of them?

Does anyone?

Allfather might. The rest of us? No way.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

*laugh* Maybe. If he were sitting on Hlithskjalf at the time--and even so, through the lens of his agendas.

After that? The Nice Ladies. Every time.

-- Lorrie