Back to school
Thursday August 19th 2010, 11:03 pm
Filed under: Friends,Knit,Life,LYS

The last two flowers out of four. So out of season, so cool to have them in bloom just because they happen to feel like it right now.

Meantime. Tonight.

(Nah, couldn’t be.) I kept knitting.  Several people in the shop had already commented on my colorway, and the woman who’d just come out of a class in the back seemed to like my shawl project. Except she kept looking at me, not just–but nah, couldn’t be.

From across the room she was going: (Nah, couldn’t be.) She was talking to Kay about learning to knit shawls. They picked one up off the back of a chair and Kay was explaining how to do its simple dropped-stitch pattern.

Then Kay mentioned my name. I didn’t hear her, but I sure saw the effect.  Suddenly, this woman is bounding over towards me and I’m exclaiming, Are you KATHY?!

Now I don’t have to tell you the hugs that followed: our kids went through school together clear back to kindergarten. Back in the day, the elementary let the older grades out I think 40 minutes after the younger grades, and when you had kids on both sides of that, you learned fast that there needed to be extra adult presence on that playground in between. And so we parents who picked up our kids would sit and chat.

Kathy reminisced over the times I would bring my spinning wheel, and how I’d spun up Cole’s samoyed’s fur. I’d made it into a hair scrunchy for his mom.

(Take a standard covered-elastic hairband. Take yarn and crochet around it until there’s no visible sign of elastic left.  Work it as big and ornate or as tiny and simple as you want.)

And now she’s learning to knit and wants to make a shawl. I think I could help her along the way with any questions, why, yes.  So for Kathy’s sake, here are a few old pictures of projects from my book.

One last thing, just because it tickled me: Richard mentioned tonight what one of his co-workers had told him today–the lady was stopped at a light and heard ducks. A little late in the season for ducklings but you never know and you have to watch out for them, you can’t run over them! Where would the water be that they’d be toddling towards…and so she was looking and looking all over. Where are the ducks! Quackquackquack.

She finally looked up. And there, perched on the wires above the intersection, were several parrots.  Speaking in Duck. (Mari and Kathryn, that’s for you.)

Hey, lady, no Peking!


6 Comments so far
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Love this post, for so many reasons: the hugs, the reunion, the dialects…

Thank you for sharing this new slice of life with us!

Comment by Suzanne in Montreal 08.20.10 @ 6:43 am

why yes, parrots speak duck — and in the case of my daughter’s parrot, he speaks meadow lark — his cage is right inside the patio door and he has been hearing the meadow larks in the field behind the house for almost 2 years, so he now joins in the conversation!

Comment by Bev 08.20.10 @ 7:31 am

What a heart-warming post! Love that photo of you too.

Comment by Channon 08.20.10 @ 7:33 am

Parrots talking duck! That’s funny! Now I can’t resist, especially your last line in the post. I may have told this joke before, but…

About the couple who go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. They order the Chicken Surprise, and the waiter brings them this huge platter with a cover over it. The woman starts to reach for it, but all of a sudden the cover lifts up on its own, two beady eyes peak out, and the lid bangs back down. “AAAHHHHCH” yells the woman, and she shoves the platter over to the man. “Here, you try it.” So he starts to reach for the cover, and the same thing happens. “GOOD GRIEF!” he exclaims, calls for the waiter, and explains what happened. “What you order?” asks the waiter. “The Chicken Surprise,” he says. “Oh, so solly,” says the waiter. “I bring you Peking Duck.”

Comment by Don Meyer 08.20.10 @ 9:11 am

You definately have the gift of story telling. I love that blue shawl! g

Comment by gMarie 08.20.10 @ 9:51 am

I just have to say…the picture…you look beautiful. Absolutely beautiful! 🙂

Comment by Paula 09.04.10 @ 4:17 pm



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