A good knitting day
Monday April 25th 2011, 11:14 pm
Filed under: Knit,Wildlife

I finished it I finished it! I had a new idea I was working away at and really wasn’t quite as sure of as I wanted to be the whole time. You know how lace does this crumpled tin foil act while you’re creating it.

Today it was dry. Done. I picked it up, put it around my shoulders, stood in front of the mirror, and marveled, oooooh. *This* is exactly what I’d hoped it would be when it grew up! But you never really entirely know till that point. It not only worked, it taught me a whole new thing in the process and I find that deeply gratifying.

It was Abstract Fibers’ Picasso yarn in the Valentine colorway. (Baby alpaca. Anyone surprised? And Picasso–being an art dealer’s daughter, how could I not knit that?) I’d told my husband it was my big splurge at Stitches West. Bright bright bright and the perfect celebratory thing to be knitting away on to celebrate Spring and, on Easter, the rising again to Life.

And another reason I’ve been so happy today: I wove in ends that had long needed it and mailed off a project that the recipient knows nothing about but that sure made me feel good anticipating the look on her and her parents’ faces that they’ll see, even though I won’t. I knew the color was right and the yarn too. This is what all those stitches we do are for in the first place: showing others that they are well loved.

The squirrel update: I’m a creative meanie. I had a now-empty 20-lb bag of birdseed, all safely poured into the metal can but the bag still smelling highly of sunflower.

I threw a few very stale cashews way down in it. (I’m certainly not going to eat them.)

As the day progressed and this unknown object sat there on the patio, I watched the progression: scared squirrels, then nosy squirrels, then squirrels anxious not to have me be around seeing them while one of them tried to chew his way in from the side, apparently not liking the inner liner, though, and then finally, at last, when just one was there, a tail disappeared, fluff by cautious fluff.  The little thing had to have crept clear to the very bottom of the bag–whereupon I stood up and opened the back door.

Furry black lightning. In full zigzag/eaglesighting mode. Wish I could breakdance like that.

And then since I’m nice I walked out of its sight so it could come back and have a snack. Chocolate, me, cashew, you. Thank you for the entertainment; fair enough of a tip.


8 Comments so far
Leave a comment

LOL…you and those squirrels! Can’t wait to see what the red grew up to be…

Comment by Ruth 04.26.11 @ 12:57 am

Some people pay big bucks for dinner shows. I think a cashew for a one-act play is a steal!

Comment by Channon 04.26.11 @ 6:17 am

So much fun for so little money- one wonders if it is legal! The squirrels may think it is mean, but I think it makes for wonderful writing.

And that Picasso yarn looks glorious. Can’t wait to see the finished item, or the knitted loveliness that has been sent on its way to the mystery recipient. Pictures, please?

Comment by tinebeest 04.26.11 @ 6:23 am

Yes, pictures, please.

Your ‘games’ with the squirrels sounds hilarious. Only wish you had videos of all that! Marvelous show!`

Comment by Don Meyer 04.26.11 @ 8:38 am

Our squirrels are getting quite brave also, Son had a bit of a wonder happen he was outside and a papa Cardinal sat on his shoulder for about 30 secs, with his mate twittering nearby.Son looks like a wooly bear sometimes, can grow a beard in a matter of a week

Comment by kristy phipps 04.26.11 @ 8:43 am

such great entertainment for a small price — wonderful!

my squirrels are all hiding — 3 days of thunder snow are more than they can handle

Comment by Bev 04.26.11 @ 10:21 am

Congratulations on the new design, and on your designs for the squirrels. Heh!

Comment by twinsetellen 04.26.11 @ 5:44 pm

I can picture the squirrels – thanks Alyson

Comment by krys 04.26.11 @ 10:40 pm



Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

(required)

(required)