I Get To Be A Teacher Today

I'm excited.  Tonight at Knitting Guild I get to show seven other knitters how to do Mosaic knitting.  I've got all the stitch dictionaries bookmarked, my examples bagged, the pattern copied, my handout printed, extra needles & yarn in case there's a late joiner, and just heard from PH that she'll be there to help.  Since she taught Mosaic before (at Monterey Yarn) and even bequeathed me her samples I'm thrilled to have her help.  The only negative aspect about the whole evening is that there are four other things being taught by other members and I want to learn all that stuff too, but I hear that all handouts will be made available to everyone so maybe I can pick up tips on my own.  Then I can beg for a demo at a later date.  Works for me.  I'm not too proud to ask for help.



Yesterday at work I knitted the Knoxville Seathwaite hat brim to 4" so last night after supper I pulled out the pink provisional cast-on, slipped those stitches onto a separate needle, and then knitted the two ends together.  Let me just say that knitting one from each needle together wasn't too hard, purling one from each needle together was a bit of a contortionist trick.  I didn't take pictures in process, mostly because I was afraid if I laid it down some knitting imp would come and goof it up, so I just soldiered on around the brim until all the stitches were joined and I had one, double-thick brim.  *pant, pant*  I think, if I ever make this hat pattern again, I'll just keep the brim one long piece that can be folded if the wearer chooses or adjusted to come down further over the ears.  Or maybe when the winter winds blow I'll think, man, this doubled brim was a great idea.  Only time will tell.

As far as the peanut wreath report goes, when I looked out at it just before I left at 9:30 yesterday there were about a dozen peanuts left so probably by the time I got half a mile away the wreath was empty.  Today I didn't put more out so the bluejays had to settle for the corn on the cobs I put out for the squirrels to try to tempt them away from the peanuts.  Yeah, that doesn't work at all but now that I see the bluejays eat the corn too I don't resent the squirrels quite as much.  They're still tree rats though.  Mr. Downy Woodpecker stopped by for some suet just as I finished my yoga.  I love them, they're three of my favorite colors.

November 12--Julie Gang.  In the attic Margaret sat on the dusty chair with the broken arm.  It was hot up there but she had propped open the tiny windows just below the roof peak so it was cooling off a bit.  She had come up looking for her high school yearbook to show her grandchildren but had gotten caught by a handful of black and white pictures of Drew.  He had been her prettiest baby, the one with the sunniest disposition but he had contracted some virus just after his third birthday and never made it to his fourth.  These days they'd probably have a vaccine for it or a week's worth of pills but sixty-six years ago all they could do was use alcohol rubs to try to bring his temperature down.  She had held him in her arms and rocked him for weeks.  Her mama said that she'd cried that baby right straight to heaven.  "Mags, did you get lost up there?" Doug called.  "No, just found some memories.  I'll be right down."  She wiped her eyes and put the pictures away.

Now it's time for me to shower and pick out something knitty to wear today so I look like I might be the right person to teach someone how to do something.  Wish me luck.  Toodles.
--Barbara