Good Intentions

I have a permanent subscription to “Good Intentions” department. All those “I should”, and “I have” and “I must”, and all the like that keep haunting me back, especially at this time of the year.

You know what I’m talking about: the ever growing “to do” list, the resolutions that keep pushed further down the agenda, the cleaning I never have the stamina for, relatives that I intend to visit or call, studies I mean to undertake, etc. I do fall short more than I wish to admit.

Knitting shoved this trait of mine right in my face. Wham! Lingering works in progress, yarn bought in a flimsy for a particular project that will never see the light of day, ever-growing queue of projects I can’t help falling for…

***

I don’t like to get behind, but knitting has a way that is actually it’s way or the highway.

So these days I’ve been a good girl and I’ve been busy as a bee getting things done. And I feel so great about myself for it. I’m going to end the year feeling very smug about myself.

***

I’ve actually started those Instant Mittens in Fall 2008. So I went mitten-less since then. What a pity for a knitter! Today I stated: enough! Me want warm mittens to de-ice the car. And so I will!

I was more prolific with the Triinu scarf, knitting it in a little more than 4 months. But it lingered 3 long months before being blocked. It was worth the while, because it did blocked beautifully.Someone is going to be pretty this Christmas!

Those Amaryllis Mittens are the most coveted pair I’ve ever done. I sighed over the colors, the pattern, the yarn. I swatched and swatched and swatched, because I really wanted to be up to the challenge. It took me forever to dare get them casted-on, then it took me forever to get the 2nd mitten done, and then it took me forever to get them darned and blocked

But I am so proud I took my time: aren’t they lovely?

I’m human. I won’t be able to tackle all that I’ve set my mind on this year. I would need a couple more lifetimes for this. So today, I’ve stopped fretting, and just got up and got going with it. Wow! Darning and blocking and updating the blog on the same day!?! I must be on fire!
The new year can come!! I’m ready! I’ve got myself funky mittens!

Ar Ar Ar, behold the launch of the Jubilant Tomato Society!

If I could describe my production of the last 12 months, I could resume it to two new techniques: stranded colorwork and lace. In retrospect, most of my projects last year where of either one or the other kind. This proves to say that when I embrace a new path, passion is always not far away.

***

So after a few tentative swatches and failed tryouts at colorwork, I learn many precious tricks and techniques while attending Beth Brown Reinsel workshop in October 2008 and again in October 2009, last week-end in fact. Yeah! I had so much fun with everyone. And thus last Fall was the start of a new odyssey for me, a whole year full of Latvian mittens, Christmas stockings, projects yet to be charted and many additions to my Ravelry queue.

Of course, I learned the hard way that the right type of yarn is paramount in producing valuable results. And that stranding slippery acrylic is a work of love. Blind love.

Here is my first Christmas stocking made for my godson Jacob. It's the Winter Stars Christmas Stocking by Nanette Blanchard.

And here is my second Christmas stocking made for my stepson Maxime. As you can see, I customized the design a bit and made a larger sock, to accommodate my bf’s generosity.

And yes, I have yet to weave in the ends. Santa assured me he didn’t mind. Neither Maxime!

But I still managed to whip up two stockings in three months, without taking in account the weaving. Wow! A personal record, when you consider that I took me a full year to whip up my first pair of socks.
:)

I was blissfully unemployed when I undertook those stockings, and happily knitting most of my days. That was so fun, despite all the underlying uncertainty. Sigh. Those where the times…

Since I am not that of a masochist, and the fact that I work full time now, I didn’t yet get to make a third one for dear bf. But I should. I must. And I will. I have to. As his requested pair of Argyle socks on which I spent so much time puzzling on.

Why did he had to ask for the most challenging type of socks, and make me feel cheap for not being able to impress him? One day, for sure. Eventually.

***

All this made me realize that nothing comes easy in knitting. You fall for a pattern, and then find out the proposed yarn has since been discontinued. You order a substitution yarn, and it takes forever to get it. You start swatching, and then you have to change needles to achieve correct gauge. You go through your needle stash, just to realize that you don’t have that very size and type of needle you’re looking for. So you fumble through your busy schedule to stretch a little free time, jump in your car and end-up visiting every single LYS in your vicinity to search for the coveted needle. And of course, you don’t find it. And you’re back to square one at placing an order and waiting for it to come. Then, you start swatching again, forgetting what you did first because you lost your notes! And all this to realize that the substitution yarn quite doesn’t make the pattern stand out, or worse you realize that through the whole ordeal, your interest has fizzled away.

I’m sure many of you out there have a couple of those projects, stowed away in a grocery or ziploc bag, at the bottom of the stash/knitting basket/shameful hiding space. I do.

Nothing is a given when it comes to knitting. And I don’t believe there is instant gratification. Neither do I believe that we are masochists.

We knit because we need to pause, to reflect, to take pride in our work. We knit for the Zen of it. We knit because it makes us feel good inside. We knit because we care.

***

My latest attempt at colorwork proved a little trying but the results are well worth the efforts!

All hail the We Call them Pirates Hat! Isn’t it lovely?

My bf would never allow me to knit a hat for him, despite all my nagging and poking. So I devised to knit this one as a surprise. I would never catch him wearing something with loud colors, but what is there not to love in the classic cream and black combo?

And I made it right before the cold season and right before Halloween. I am elated!

I had gauge issues, making me rip out more than a couple of times, because at first, I did not trust the pattern instructions, fearing my hat would be way too large. But I had taken my measurements on the brim portion, which is lightly stranded. I went down 2 needles size. Then I measured. And then I doubted. So I had to have him try it on, and, horror, the hat was even smaller than the dimensions specified in pattern. So I ripped everything again, and started all over with the specified needles.

When I finished it, I placed it at my boyfriend’s desk. The next morning, he was wearing the hat in the house with his pajamas. I guess he really liked it.
:)
But he would not allow me to take a picture of him. So I had to model for it myself.

From all this I did learn that it is important to trust your instincts as a knitter. But I’ve also learned that it’s ok to trust the experience of another knitter and have respect for the work invested in designing and putting a pattern out. They went through the process before me and they’ve met the same trying doubts and trials and errors phases

***

The greatest achievements where very often at some point either miserable failures and/or incredible mistakes. And this proves so true in knitting. Things aren’t always like they seem, and mostly don’t always turn out as you first expected.

So I devised to make myself a visual reminder of my newfound wisdom.

They used to say that when life throws lemons at you, just make lemonade. I prefer to make salsa out of a jubilant tomato.
;-)

So I guess you can also add amigurumi to my never ending list of new fads and new techniques.

Knit on!

A New Beginning

One moon ago, at my Chinese New Year breakfast celebration, I sensed it. I new I would soon enough be out of my rut. And lo and behold, exactly one month later my life is on the eve of deep changes.

Effectively, after an intense job search marathon that occupied me full time since last fall, I had to settle for a one-year maternity leave temping contract. There was nothing else decent or interesting, and I was at the end of my unemployment financial aid.

I’m a bit flustered, due to the lack of privileges and benefits, but I have to make do with it. For now.

The downside: a very lengthy commute.

All absorbed in my countryside bliss, I had not yet realized that major inconvenient of rural living: so-so bus service.

The upside: a very lengthy commute!

So I guess that my FO rate should improve. Well, for my portable knitting I mean. That can’t be that bad considering all my WIP’s!

Since I got the news last Thursday, I’ve been busy getting everything ready for my big first day at the office.

First, I celebrated a little!

Ok, I’m longing for Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin with Bitter Lemon mixer. But this is not bad either!

Then, I’ve spent a couple hundreds on new clothes.

And I had a good excuse this time!

I hate formal business attire, but I have no other alternative than conformity to the prescribed dress code. And I don’t think that the pajamas I’ve been wearing for the past couple months would do. So, gone are the days of the t-shirt, jeans and comfortable shoes. Sigh.

And after years spent barefoot or in comfortable shoes, I can’t go back to high heels without certain excruciating pain. So I devised that even though I have to be anonymous in the conformity of my black, navy and charcoal slacks and jacket, I could at least still embrace my wild side showing off my cheery knitted socks!

Back are the days of girly prepping up. Sigh. Precious knitting time lost there!

The perspective of a healthy lunch is far more appealing than make-up and dressing up. This at least is wholesome!

And I do know a little cat who’s going to be lonely without a welcoming lap and long knitting sessions spent in domestic bliss.

I did miss the January, February, and March KAL, and I am kinda delayed in all my personal knitting.

But nor for long!

:)

The Latvian Mittens Riddle

I’m stuck.

Stuck with too many options and too little time. It’s not like if this would be something unfamiliar, isn’t it?

So, yes, I still didn’t have any chance to cast-on yet for the Nordic Mittens KAL, and it’s driving me crazy!

Yes, things could be worse by far, but still, I feel behind but mostly not fair to my fellow KAL-ers, and of course not as proficient as I would like to be.

It’s not the ideas or the material that are missing. It’s just time and the commitment to invest myself in “one” project and not wander away and be lured to cast-on yet another side project. Like this one!

How could I resist building a knitted Dodecahedron! Everyone needs one, don’t they!?!

***

I do have a pair of Amaryllis Mittens already on the go since past October. My first pair; from me to me with love. And they are just gorgeous! The output up to know gave quite impressive results, in part due to the very detailed and precise pattern instructions of the designer, Mary Ann Stephens. And of course, the’re very endearing to knit as well: I just love them. So, if push comes to shove, this is going to be my KAL project. And that’s going to be it.

That’s already what I KIP at the latest knitter’s event I attended, this being the 2nd mitten. The project is going along fine and maybe I could “succeed” at finishing it during the allotted KAL time. That would be a first.

But I was initially planning to make the graph 19 District of Vidzeme Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis from the Schoolhouse KAL.

I worked on adapting the charts, but have not yet finished to make a mirror image for the 2nd mitten (yes, I’m picky this much), and to calculate the needed number of stitches to cast-on, because I fear they will be too small.

I had trouble with the swatching, and went from 2.5mm flimsy bamboo needles to 2mm spiky vintage metal needles to 2.25mm Knit Picks Harmony dpn’s. This is my latest choice, considering that the Rauma 2-ply I chose doesn’t have any give and that I nearly broke my bamboo as well as nearly speared myself on the spiky metal ones.

So here is my “puny” little swatch buried in the chosen skeins, as seen in my latest post. I do prefer to plan everything ahead in order to be satisfied with the results and get a pair of “wearable” mittens in the end. As you can see, the bottom third is the actual color combo as per the pattern, but I was wary of the light blue not being enough visible on the medium blue background, due to my yarn substitution. So I replaced it with gray in the middle third. And then, I toyed with the idea of using and the light blue and the gray as well, in succession, as seen in the top third of the swatch. And I kinda like this idea. I left everything lingering due to a disastrous attempt at making a loopy fringe. I needed to recover from this first mishap first. And that led me to the later.

So then I begged for some “new material” to attend a Latvian Mitten course last October, promising my bf that I would make a pair of mittens to match Maxime’s hat.

Beth Brown-Reinsel’s workshop was very instructional and proved a great investment. There I learned valuable techniques that helped me a great deal with my Amaryllis Mittens. I’ve been lucky in my yarn choice. I ordered some Telemark from Knit Picks and the colors are blending in just fine. See!

Now, I’ve got to design those mittens from scratch. I do have an idea, yet I have to chart it and swatch it first. And this is what is keeping me for starting altogether because I’m afraid I will all do this in vain. By the time I will have finished the mittens, winter will be over already. So, we’re talking next winter for their completion. And I anticipate for the worse then, the likes of “maybe his hat won’t fit him anymore by then”. Argh! I have growing children issues since day 1 of my comeback to knitting. I can’t knit fast enough for them!

And of course, I need to knit my MIL a pair of mittens for Christmas… …2008. When they where away in Florida for the holidays, I thought I could make them in time for her comeback by mid January 2009, but yet again I failed a dreaded deadline, due to a bottle neck induced by my ever growing Christmas list. This selection does match her coat though:

I had first thought of knitting her a pair of Amaryllis Mittens, since she fell in love with mine, but I’m not convinced that the red and dark gray color combo will do justice to the delicate flower motif. So I then thought of making her the Postwar Mittens instead, with their more abstract geometric motifs. But I just fell in love with the Camellia Mittens upon seeing them and I do think their Japanese influence will be just right with the color combo.

Now, in conclusion, is there such a thing as a reasonable and manageable queue?

In celebration of mathematics

It could have been a wonderful and knit full week-end: some freezing weather but tampered with a nice fire going in the stove, absolutely no need to go out and some nice crock-pot meal slowly stewing away its many layers of homey goodness and filing the air with all its irresistible aromas. Heaven. And yes, to top it all off, Superbowl XLIII!

***

I use to hate sports (well, the kind called “sport” by those who just “watch” it) with a great dose of dedication, if not even sheer passion, maybe even tinged with a tad of intellectual superiority. I should have known better. For I have offended the knitting goddess, I fear. Through offending the sports god, I mean.

Because now, blessed be, sports mean more knitting time for me. So I embrace them all, all those many sports my beau is fancying, however far fetched, weirdo or plain boring. I don’t care, as long as I can knit meanwhile. And merrily knitting I am. But not this week-end. Darn. It would have been the perfect week-end for it though!

***

They say football is all maths. Well, not unlike knitting, I ponder to myself. Same with mazes and labyrinths. And cathedrals. And music. And computers….
…daydreaming…

***

When you offend the gods, there is usually hell to pay, at least that’s what men of Antiquity use to think. There was a natural order of things not to be tampered with: Hubris. And as a consequence to disturbing it, a tribute was in order to reestablish peace.

Where am I going with all this rambling you might think? Well, for starters, I would have really liked to cast-on my Latvian Mittens for the Nordic Mitten KAL held jointly by the Effiloché/North-Shore Knitters groups. But I’ve been stuck working on an urgent assignment for the past 6 days. All work and no play make Nathalie daydream of chili…. and Latvian mittens… and statues of Greek gods… but mostly of knitting. So this post constitute my Mea Culpa for not casting on, albeit having everything on hand.

Mind you, I still didn’t make up my mind on the final choice of yarn and pattern. Incorrigible I tell ya’!

***

The assignment had the upside of making me travel back to Greece’s Ancient Mythological times and make me forget my little sore spots. So, upon doing research for the assignment on Labyrinths, I’ve been loosing myself in the modern maze that we refer to as “Wikipedia”. One maze to another. Funny how life is sometimes so humoristic in a twisted kind of way. Click-click-click! One hour gone. Click-click-click... Hey, don’t blame me; it’s as bad as a drug as knitting!

I felt sorry for my beau, all abandoned by me while I was supposedly all absorbed on my laptop, but actually secretly browsing on Ravelry and/or obsessively clicking from one Greek deity to the other. Mind you, I did sweat a lot on the assignment too. “Are you finished yet?” “Yes, darling”, I replied. “It’s coming along just fine, but you know how hard it is, all this weird and ancient Greek terminology… It takes time to verify everything”. And me, subtlety: click-click-click-clicking away!

That’s why I decided to pay tribute to him (and the Gods) with a big pot of chili in honor of this very meaningful and waited upon day. Superbowl day, I mean! Honored by my tribute of a super bowl of mighty chili. I devised that maybe the agreeable scent would appease the knitting goddess as well. Or at least make her wait patiently without unleashing all her fury on me, at least until I would find those precious minutes to cast-on my project. Well, you know, it doesn’t hurt to try.

Mind you, I would have been better without loosing myself in that lengthy preparation that made me cut by hand a pound of poultry in the finest dice ever. All sticky, all tacky, all pulp. What was I thinking? Argh!

But the pungent smell of roasting garlic laced with the sweet herbaceous accent of summer savory and oregano, in stark contrast to the hearty tones of cumin and coriander, made me forget my woes and sorrows. Just so heavenly. And add to that the citrus zing of the tomatillos, the slight punch of the jalapenos, the refreshing and subtle perfume of cilantro. And let’s not forget those irresistible plump chewy nuggets of hominy…. We where in for a major treat!

But now, what do Greek Gods with their mazes and labyrinths, Tex-Mex White Turkey Chili, Latvian mittens, the knitting goddess and football have in common? Hell, how could I know!? I’m the one who got lost in Deadalus labyrinth, without Ariadne’s thread, because my knitting gear has been stashed away for the past 6 days!

Anatomy of a cliffhanger (part 1)

The sensational story of the

Seaweed of Serenity Sacred & Silly Scarf.

A saga in two parts: a spellbinding suspense full of stunning sparks and sheer sizzle.

Sssssssssss!

***

Things where not all that fun for me in March 2008.

First, I had yet to discover Ravelry.
:)


Second, I had failed to finish in time baby Jacob’s 1st birthday diamond brocade sweater that I had been painstakingly and strenuously knitting for the past ten months. Things didn’t go according to plan and I was so disappointed at my failed attempt despite all those relentless efforts. I hate it when that happens. Hey, that’s not a surprise in a knitter’s life. But at the time, newbie me didn’t know any better.

***

I needed a breath of fresh air. Something exclusive, wacky and spunky to KIP (and maybe even brag about a little) at my beloved Stitch-N-Bitch nights as well as easy enough to knit and tote around on my many commutes.

***

That’s when I came across THE perfect model in the December’s 2007 edition of the Brit magazine Simply Knitting: the Seaweed Scarf!

It was somewhat peculiar but also curiously enticing. Mesmerizing, I might even dare say. I was found of the analogy to seaweed: supple yet adaptable to whichever currents come by, profuse with many frills and tentacles, always on the alert, sensing and feeling intensely every subtle change and going gracefully with the flow. And as such, algae as fertile crop of the Great Big Sea, that yin principle by excellence, represented in it’s essence by the gelatinous and mineral-rich offering that we call seaweed… yada-yada-yada…

I just loved it. And I had to knit it. Enthralled, I was.

There was only one problem arising: the yarn choice. Mind you, I have absolutely no objections against Rowan’s yarn. Who would!?! It’s more of a torrid lusting that we, knitters, all secretly share. But I devised that 6 skeins of Scottish Tweed was kind of an outrageous splurge for a mere “novelty” scarf.

***

So I devised to go for a substitute. Ouch, I know… what a daring and potentially set for disaster idea. But I was surfing some auspicious tidal wave. So, on a glorious and sunny Spring afternoon, I beached at my favorite LYS, and lo and behold, there was this most lovely basket, proudly on display, profuse with iridescent and lustrous skeins toppling all over. A new arrival! Like a bucket of glistening sardines at some busy fishing pier in Lisbon. This was indeed my lucky day.

So, at this very moment, I did set my mind on this beauty, and, future would tell, it proved a very good choice.



Isn’t it all yummy?

***

So, here and there, to and fro, I got busy knitting the scarf the for months to come. It proved a great companion in all the hassle that would follow in my life.

And soon Spring gave way to a Summer. And the scarf patiently grew, at a snail pace, yes, but still it was there. It was there for me in a time where I needed that devout commitment to tiny yarn, tiny needles and a zillion of tiny stitches. A purple and teal blessing in the form of a Zen piece of needle art. All patience, all consistency.

Om.

And the falling shower of golden leaves came to me at its own pace, as well as my slow and cautious acquaintance to my new environment, for I had moved in the meantime. Everything was new, and unfamiliar, but the faithful scarf was there at my side, a reliable dear friend, sharing my sunny afternoons spent on park benches and the many car rides at the discovery of my new neighbourhood. It is so infused with warmth and sun that I can't look at it without smiling. I see it glowing and shining, like a peaceful and most auspicious rainbow. And my heart feels a little lighter.

***

Each time I escaped to my heavenly headspace, that very intimate paradisiacal yarn fantasy, with ze sacred & silly scarf in tow, all but wanting space and silence and anonymity, there it was, flaunting its shiny glistening scales of purple and teal and aqua all over, capturing all the envious gazes. Unbeknownst to me, it was growing a life of its own, more so, a fan base of its own if I consider all the hits on my Ravelry page! Scarier still, maybe, who knows, even a will of its own!

***

I liked that Ranco Araucania Multi yarn so much, that I bought the company…. Not!
;-P

But I frantically searched for another skein. Ginette willingly dug the many treasures stashed away in her Ali Baba’s cave of yarny wonders and hauled back a huge pouch of ze coveted stuff, to plunder at will. We both dug elbow deep, all between the shimmering strands, but could not find any next of kin to my twin skeins. Bummer.

Not that I wanted it to be a mile long. Hell no. It was already as long as could be. But I had a plan in mind for the generous expected leftovers, and didn’t want to be stuck short right in the middle of the creation of my new heartthrob. Yes, the one I will talk to you about in part deux. There is nothing like a little tantalizing suspense, isn’t it?

Insert big devilish grin here.

"Please, would you tell me," said Alice, a little timidly, ... "why your cat grins like that?"
"It's a Cheshire cat," said the Duchess, "and that's why."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

***

Of course, true to my newbie’s string of untimely delays, detours and obstacles, I failed yet again to get it finished in time for Fall, and as such, am listlessly stuck waiting for Winter to be over to proudly display my trophy around. Drats!

Am I cursed or what?

***

I leave you with an image of the beauty at rest, all coiled up and patiently waiting for Spring to come. Must I remind you to beware of sleeping beasts with a mind of their own?

Ssssssssssss!

A New Dawn

The year of the Earth Ox is here! And as such my 3rd personal new beginning.

Yeah!

You see, I just like to reflect on the past to build the future. I dwell on signs, and omens, as well as ponder on the synchronicities occurring in my life. And I do this in stages: 1st, the Roman calendar New Year. Since I, most of the time, have to spend this holiday with family, I never get the chance to really get within grasp of the degree of interiority I’m seeking for. So there comes along my birthday! I look upon it as my very special renewal day, to which I commune to a renewed sense of self. I don’t know quite how to explain it besides saying it’s sacred for me. And then the Chinese New Year tops it all off. It’s great, because if I missed a resolution, a message, an insight, I do have that second, then that third chance to catch up. What a precious blessing!

Hence, when I get to witness the Chinese New Year dawning on me, like this glorious sunrise, all golden and glowing, lightening afire in the midst of this horrendous freezing cold the petrified snow covered river, I feel whole and at peace, and ready to tackle whatever is ahead.

A new dawn.



Yes, a page has been turned and I’m out of limbo for good.

This means less time for everything I like, mostly knitting and writing, so I must make every minute count.

***

Being a knitter in a non-knitter’s environment is quite difficult at times. I tried to “convert” and “spread the gospel” as much as I could, but it’s not catching up as quickly as I expected. Hence, I didn’t get a single knitting related gift for the holidays, despite all my nudge-nudge-wink-wink efforts of the past 2 years.

But, I got a special intimate birthday celebration that really cheered me and touched me deeply. Thanks so much to Alison and Audrey who took me out for coffee, cake and a nice chit-chat/knitting impromptu session. That was my best ever birthday. And see the superb gift Alison got me:



Isn’t it great: my first ever knitting related gift! All complete with a sock pattern and the dpn’s set. Those socks will be long cherished, I swear. Thanks.

***

Projects.

I have so many on the needles and so many lusted after in my Ravelry queue.

I’m sad I didn’t have a digital cam when I first started bloging and knitting. I feel cut off from my own beginnings. And it’s hard and somewhat pointless to recap now. But I do have some ideas in mind to cope with this. I’ll figure a way, promised. Anyonecanknit got me over my hang-ups. Why not just jump and do it again from the start? Who cares about my two failed first attempts at bloging? I’ll just commit to it as much as I can and have fun with it. That’s it!

***

Same thing with the bilingual blog. Seemed crazy at the time to maintain two versions of my own writting. So, lo and behold, I’ve let go of the French along the way. But now, I think I’m lured into coming back to it, but in a different manner, thanks to Audrey's idea. My way of shoving all in the same post was discouraging. Now, I can translate at my own pace on my 2nd French blog, or so I hope. Ok, I couldn’t keep up and be committed to one sole blog. Let’s just hope I’ll have the stamina and wackiness to keep up with two! No money bets, please!

***

Now, let’s celebrate that Chinese New Year in style!

Limbo

Kept to myself, lately. Circumstances of my life prompted me to it. An intense self-observation and acute self-examination phase, punctuated with rows and rows of escape to my personal knitting haven.

Limbo, but insulated with myriads of bright and lush strands of yarn. Sadness, yes, but not sad to its core. Curiously hollow. More of a salutary purging of the bulging abscesses, giving way to a renewed sense of self seeping through every pore. And then, the sharp shriek of consciousness cutting its way through layers of resistance and aborted persona.

I longed for boundlessness, like that eternal and ethereal moment found in perfect balance at the junction between the in-breath and the out-breath. Space without form, without intent, without weight. Self as whisper. An intimate cocoon that I lovingly spinned around my sorrows and disillusions.

Nine months have passed. And I floated, and I swam, and I slept without dreams.

Some bystanders felt sorry for me. I didn’t. For in silence, I found some paths of atonement. And knitting bestowed me with the needed solace.

So be it.