Dear Kay,
You know how you’re in the grocery store, and you say “How’s it going?” to the checkout person? Yesterday I said that out of habit, and the woman behind the cash register just looked at me and shook her head. “Fine,” she said. I guess that’s what we’re all saying this week. Fine, not fine.
I have remarkably low steam this week to work on this Fiber Factor project called Knit Your Life. It just feels sort of irrelevant. But I’ll share this anyway.
If the mission in this Fiber Factor challenge is to Knit Your Life, well, my life is going to be knit in gray yarn.
Rowanspun DK, in a shade called Mist.
My seventh grader is off learning to sail in Georgia right now–that maritime capital! The wind in Nashville is so strong right now that I’d like to think that it’s blowing all the way down to Lake Lanier.
Love,
Ann
It’s hard to get the spirits back up here in Boston. Just sitting here quietly knitting a sock in front of the news on the TV day after day. If the perpetrators are picked up quickly, that would help.
It’s been a somber week here in Boston. I know it makes me look callous, but I try not to dwell on it. When I think about it too long and too hard, I stop realizing what good things there are that are still happening despite the horrible events in Boston and the plant explosion in West, TX. Remembering the good things allows me to weather the horrible ones all the better.
Between the sadness and anger of such a senseless act in Boston and the devastation of West, Texas, my heart is so heavy. I can only do I what I have always done and that is pray.
I’d be happy to knit that yarn for you, if you’re having trouble pulling through this.
I’m in Atlanta and your wishes for stong winds to blow here are coming true. Safe sailing to your youngun.
It has been a horrid week for you guys with Boston and now Texas. Sending hugs from the UK.
No, Seanna Lea, you don’t seem callous. The only thing to do is pay respects, then it’s chin up, shoulders back and carry on with life. Otherwise the bad guys win (in Boston’s case). Moping won’t help anyone or bring anyone back or change anything, it’ll only make you and others more miserable.
Back to the knitting, Ann, I have 20 skeins of that very same yarn marinating, bought in a Liberty sale years ago. No idea what to do with it! I await inspiration from you… X x x
Ann and Kay—- I hope this is OK to post here: The bombing in Boston has left this community devastated, and we have lost several people, one of whom was an 8 year old child. So much suffering and so little we can do. But I thought of something we knitters can do: I wonder if you all will help me with **collecting blankets** for the ICU patients of Children’s Hospital in memory of this child, Martin, who was already an advocate of peace at age eight.
I did not know this boy but I am a parent of 2, and one of my children has spent too much time in hospitals. Hospitals can be scary, stressful places for children, and of course the fear is heightened in ICU. A beautiful, soothing handknit blanket will put a smile on the face of a sick or injured child, and a frightened, stressed parent as well. **Please consider** **making a blanket**–small, medium, or large, any pattern you wish–for donation to this wonderful hospital that treated the child victims of the Boston bombing and that treats the sickest children from all over the world.
I will ensure that the blankets reach Boston Children’s Hospital ICU patients, and I will somehow arrange to get word to Martin’s family that the American people have contributed these blankets as a way to ease the suffering of other children, in Martin’s memory. Please attach a card/ note to your blanket with any information or message you wish to send, and I will make sure that the family gets them.
Guidelines: Please use the highest quality,softest superwash wool yarn you have, in the most beautiful soothing colors; avoid open lacework (because medical tubing can get tangled in it), and do not add embellishments (choking hazards).
I hope you will help me with this project. Please PM me on Ravelry (pamelajd) for my address. THANK YOU!!!
Ann,
I know it’s been a sh*tty week — Boston, Texas, the earthquake in Iran, flooding in Chicago, etc. — but you’re going to knit your life in pale gray yarn??? Yarn the color of overcast skies???
Surely your life isn’t THAT boring????
Please, go find yarn in the colors of your books’ covers. In your kids’ favorite colors. In colors inspired by your favorite CD covers, flowers, paintings, dream cars (Ferrari red or British Racing Green?), Conway Twitty suits, Academy Award gowns, Tupperware bowls, whatever. If you must, go find another 49 shades of gray.
Best wishes,
Anonymous, too
It is a bit of a grey time.
I *love* that you’re going ahead and doing the challenges from your stash. Genius idea!
I was 10 minutes from downtown Boston on the way to the airport on Monday. Flew to London, woke up yesterday to the photos from Texas and, though horrible, strangely relieved it was not an attack as best they can tell. Arrived at my office here in London Tuesday morning to an evacuation drill, which I can only imagine was somewhat related to Monday in MA.
I don’t know anyone in Boston or Texas or the earthquake zone but I feel very sad. Only allowed myself 5 minutes to pout because my basement has flooded once again (3 times in 7 years) and we don’t even live near any water. Life is so fragile and sometimes we really need to remember that and forget ourselves for a while. Knit on, friends!!
P.S. Dye that gray yarn–you’re personality is too lively to wear gray!
Yes knit in gray.What other color is there right now?
Yes knit in gray.What other color is there right now?
The news this week has been pretty painful, both personal and public. Prayers for all.
And, to insert a little bit of levity, a friend of mine used to reply to anyone saying they were fine by saying “Do you know what Fine stands for? F’ed up, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional” Just looked that up and found the acronym credited to Boston’s own Aerosmith. In this case, methinks that definition of fine is pretty darned accurate.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.I.N.E.*
Grey indeed. What colour is incomprehensible?
Mist Grey, dove grey, stone grey Peace, serenity, contemplation, strength. Good choice.
Mist Grey, dove grey, stone grey Peace, serenity, contemplation, strength. Good choice.
Mist Grey, dove grey, stone grey Peace, serenity, contemplation, strength. Good choice.
That’s it exactly, fine not fine.
Yet life goes on, and we engage in things that waver between feeing utterly pointless and deeply sustaining. I love your choice of yarn and applaud this particular endeavor. If only I got to judge your entry for realsies…
That’s it exactly, fine not fine.
Yet life goes on, and we engage in things that waver between feeing utterly pointless and deeply sustaining. I love your choice of yarn and applaud this particular endeavor. If only I got to judge your entry for realsies…
I echo Jake’s comments. The color is lovely, many levels of grey are within the skein. It reflects the depth of our feelings at this time.
Grey. Best colour in the world. But then I know you are my twin in murky shades. X x x
“my life is going to be knit in gray yarn”
This made me smile.
We took a few days to visit Newport RI (school vaca week here) where it seems they know a bit about sailing 🙂
We very sad when my 9-yr-old turned to us and said, I’m scared. Seems as though we were not paying attention to the tv over the bar in the restaurant we were in for dinner, but he was, sigh. Try to convince him that our job is to keep him safe–and we do the best we can.
Drove back home through Boston today–all the crazy drivers were back on the road, so I guess it is back to business as usual 🙂
“my life is going to be knit in gray yarn”
This made me smile.
We took a few days to visit Newport RI (school vaca week here) where it seems they know a bit about sailing 🙂
We very sad when my 9-yr-old turned to us and said, I’m scared. Seems as though we were not paying attention to the tv over the bar in the restaurant we were in for dinner, but he was, sigh. Try to convince him that our job is to keep him safe–and we do the best we can.
Drove back home through Boston today–all the crazy drivers were back on the road, so I guess it is back to business as usual 🙂