An encore
Friday September 29th 2006, 9:24 pm
Filed under: Knit,Knitting a Gift,To dye for

I had knitted everything I was going to knit from that mothy box of yellow angora. I thought. I only had a few rolled-up balls left that had anything more than just a yard or two, and why bother with the stuff anymore, when knitting it had been so demanding: it was like a two-year-old. I couldn’t take my eyes off it for a second, or a broken ply would sail through my fingers. I should just toss the leftovers, quick, before anything hatches from it and infests my stash, I was thinking.

But today was a day where I came home from the doctor, eyed that yarn, and needed to create something positive out of–everything. The yarn, the day, everything. The doctor had been warm and kind, for which I am very grateful. Time to go make something warm for the sake of kindness myself.

It wasn’t much, it wasn’t big, it wasn’t the right color–but it’s the right color now. Boiled. Bugfree. Exquisitely soft. And tomorrow it will be ready to go make somebody happy. I look forward to finding out who.


5 Comments so far
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This is more a response to your comment in your last post. I have some Andean Treasure baby alpaca yarn in lilac from Knit Picks. I bought the skeins a while ago without a project in mind. It IS soft stuff! I love making mittens but unfortunately live in country that doesn’t need them. As for angora, the first person who tried to teach me to spin (it took a second attempt 15 years later to succeed) kept a few bunnies for her yarn. So, which will it be Alison? Keep a few bunnies or adopt a cria? (Is that what baby alpacas are called? I forgot.) Enjoy being kind!

Comment by Lynn 09.29.06 @ 11:54 pm

Well, a cria won’t burrow under the fence and escape into the neighborhood, but a bunny won’t be banned from city limits for being livestock. Depends on where you live. I’d love to take either one! I told my husband we could just tell the neighbors my cria was a poodle with a really odd haircut, the city would never know, but that didn’t go over too well with him, somehow.

Comment by AlisonH 09.30.06 @ 10:31 am

I loved reading about your angora scarves and the history of the yarn. Knitting for others is so rewarding, as you well know.

Hope the doctor’s visit wasn’t serious 🙂

Comment by kmkat 09.30.06 @ 5:33 pm

Hi Alison: My name is also Allison and I was standing in line right behind you for the Harlot signing. I looked you up on the internet afterwards since I loved your shawl and the one you made for the friend who was with you. Anyway – I was intrigued to watch for you upcoming book as I think it’s so cool that each shawl comes with a story. Can’t wait to read them. Your scarves are just goregous and I love the different colors.

Comment by Allison 10.01.06 @ 12:12 pm

Thank you, you all. As for the booksigning, I was there with my friend Nina; her story is in the book, and she was wearing the original shawl I made for her, which fits me fine but really looks rather small on her. So after seeing that, way back when, I went back to the drawing board, made her a much more generous circle that swoops over her shoulder, the way she wanted it, and offered her that instead. She wanted to own the actual one in the book rather than a copy, so hers is at Martingale at the moment for photography, and on impulse on my way out the door that day I grabbed the small one in case she wanted to show off her pattern. Which she did. It was very kind of her, since she certainly could have been showing off some of her own knitting instead.

Comment by AlisonH 10.01.06 @ 4:40 pm



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