Watching like a hawk
Saturday January 19th 2008, 12:04 pm
Filed under: Friends,Knit,Life

My friend Pam gifted me with a surprise: a pair of fingerless gloves with my Rabbit Tracks pattern knitted into the backs of the hands. In a yarn with a colorway named “Red-tailed hawk.”

I was sitting in this very seat, working at the computer one day a few months ago, when a red-tailed hawk flew into the tree outside my window here. I stood and watched it for several minutes; when it spread its wings and tail feathers wide and flew off, it was absolutely breathtaking.

My friend Robert, who lives in the mountains nearby and is the weaver of my medicine blanket, rescued a red-tailed hawk about a year and a half ago, injured by the side of the road. He took it home and nursed it slowly back to health over several months. He sent me an occasional email along the way, telling of the progress she was making, of how he’d won over her trust and she would come to him. He described the thick leather gauntlets he wore to protect him from her claws as she would climb up his arm towards his shoulder to get closer.

Then came the day he decided she seemed ready to return to the wild; he thought her wing was probably strong enough now. He took her outside, on his heavy leather glove, and waited for her to fly off.

This was a new thing. She had to decide to stay with him or go. She did not immediately take off, but when she did, she flew to a tall tree close by (proving to him she could fly that far again)–where she perched and regarded him for half an hour, as he waited to see, as he couldn’t take his eyes off this beautiful bird he’d put heart and soul into caring for.

He described it all to me. Then, at last, she lifted her wings and took off into the sky.

I still have this cough bugging me. I still have a fair amount of nausea, and my weight’s down six pounds from the beginning of last week. It’s a little too easy to feel crummy.

And then I got a package in the mail yesterday, red-tailed hawk fingerless gloves to keep my hands and heart warm. The beautiful and unexpected gift of Pam’s time, thoughts, and yarn lifts my spirits high.Pam’s Rabbit Tracks fingerless gloves


12 Comments so far
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Wow, somehow I just don’t thing the photo can do that yarn justice. They look beautiful.

Comment by Amanda 01.19.08 @ 12:45 pm

just beautiful! The mitts, the gloves and the love your friend has for you. Please take care.

Comment by Vicki 01.19.08 @ 2:42 pm

Aren’t those surprise packages wonderful? My sister sent me fingerless mitts last winter in a beautiful peachy-pinky-orangey color, to brighten up the long, dark days. We are so blessed to have caring people in our lives, aren’t we?

Comment by amy 01.19.08 @ 3:33 pm

Hope you feel better soon.
And what a lovely gift for both you and Robert!

Comment by Mari 01.19.08 @ 4:06 pm

You truly have some beautiful loving friends. Enjoy the gloves as they keep your hands and your heart warm these long winter days.

Comment by Danielle from SW Missouri 01.19.08 @ 4:51 pm

Much continued well wishing for a thorough recovery. Beautiful gloves!

Comment by Amy 01.19.08 @ 4:54 pm

My good thoughts are, as always with you Dear One!
Love reading your blog…you are such an awesome inspiration!
I have a Special Award for you on my blog 😉

Comment by Sheila E 01.19.08 @ 5:04 pm

I’m so sorry you are feeling so yucky. Hope you get better real soon. Thanks for the lovely story about the hawk.

Comment by Judy 01.19.08 @ 5:12 pm

I made The Blog! Yippee!
Hey, thanks for the shout out, Alison! Glad your hands, at least, can be comfy! And what a GREAT tale about that hawk. . .you know some pretty amazing people! And, you spin a pretty good yarn all the time around here. . .

Comment by Pam 01.20.08 @ 6:04 am

Rabbit tracks in Red tailed hawk yarn. Seems wrong somehow…and yet they are lovely!

Comment by Carol 01.20.08 @ 9:52 am

In rural SE Ohio, there are still a fair number of red tail hawks, but no matter how many I have seen, I still am compelled to stop and watch them. They always seem to examine me back, so I wonder if they think the same of us! The only bird I have ever been more impressed with was when I once saw a large owl (barred?). It was early morning in late fall when the leaves had all dropped and I saw this HUGE thing in a tree on the side of the road. I stopped my car (one can do that on country roads still) and sat and watched him for about a minute. He swivelled his head to look at me before flying off. His wingspan was daunting! He must have been hurt because they are exclusively nocturnal and I count myself lucky to have had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to return the gaze of such a magnificent creature. Those kind of experiences are truly inspirational. Your friend Robert is very lucky and so was the hawk to have been found by him. Pretty cool how stuff works once in a while isn’t it? Be well. T

Comment by Tammy Morrow 01.20.08 @ 7:55 pm

a beautiful story and mitts. I’m sure you’ll use them well. Please quit feeling crummy and loosing weight..Eat more ice cream and get better soon.

Comment by Tracy J 01.20.08 @ 9:44 pm



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