Lately, I've abandoned a few of my responsibilities in the name of mental health. I've put the senior honors thesis research on the back burner. After plowing through 15 books of scholarly jargon, I'm at a point where I can almost justify my thesis and put together my arsenal of psychological measures. This has left me time to (1) read the Dawnbreakers (because I really have zero knowledge about the beginnings of the Baha'i Faith outside of "lots of people were killed") and (2) knit.
2. Knitting. I'm almost finished with my version of Asana. I got rid of the velcro. Instead, I'll sew the top and bottom tabs together, and I'll use snaps on the middle tab. Additionally, I wrote out the overlap on the tabs, so I'll have only one layer of knitting across my back. Soon... soon. Once I finish it, I'm thinking of dying it.
3. Dying. The Yarn Harlot, about a month ago, suggested that her readers could knit and donate fruit and veg-themed baby hats before the end of July for the sake of an educational event to promote breastfeeding among low-income mothers at the beginning of August. In order to display the passionate zeal that I feel for the importance of breastfeeding and the significance of education in the lives of women everywhere, I accordingly started the project on the 25th, this past Tuesday night. And then I had to work all of Wednesday. And the package needed to reach Cal-li-forn-ya by Monday. Uh-huh. :) So, my patient husband humored my desire to knit the hat, dye the hat (because the only yarn around here is whatever I've purchased elsewhere) and add finishing touches for all of Wednesday night. I had to let the hat dry overnight (from the dying), and lucky me, it rained all of last night. Luckier me, I have a hair dryer, so the soaked hat wasn't a problem this morning. Anyways, here's all that really matters:
Complete brag:
We have the coolest neighbor! Jengli just moved in a few weeks back and we finally got around to saying hello and having cookies at the same time. She's going to teach me how to make sushi!! And, she has a wonderful sense of humor:
Mendon: Jengli?
Jengli: Yes, you have very good pronounciation.
Mendon: Jengli.
Jengli: See! Now you speak Chinese!
She left me with a small silk pouch as a gift, which has now become my prayer bead holder.
Prayer Beads:
I finally, finally, finally figured out what to do with the handmade beads that Jerry (my step-mommy) made from the roses from our wedding. They're very organic looking and do not work well with the ideas of elegant jewlery for which I was hoping. Rather than even suggest the effort that guessing would be (because I didn't title this section or anything so obvious as that), here's a picture of the finished product.
The funny thing is that I hemmed-and-hawwed over what to do with these rose beads for months, even doing some research along the way. I knew (the entire time) that rose beads were originally used in rosaries. How did I not makes this connection, again???
Moral of the story: none. Just silly brambles. I mean, rambles.
When did you make that hat, again? I must have missed it.
Well, in any case, it is beautiful.
i like this lovely post about lovely, normal things. and i like the words you write and the way you use them.
i'm going to read you when i'm not surrounded by family like now.
God bless,
(the dawnbreakers rocks. you will laugh and cry. enjoy. and, one day, teach me how to knit.)
love from leila
A blueberry baby hat! How adorable! I love it and the cause. I am excited that your dyeing is a success.
I originally typed 'dying' instead of 'dyeing.' "Wait, no... that's not right."
I love the hat! I thought about making some, but didn't get to it. And dying? Haven't tried that yet. Great prayer beads, but will they hold up under pressure, so to speak? How are rose beads made?
I'm with, Ma - rose beads? That's so cool! And I'd love to know how to make them, too! Hat - also very cool! Dying, also cool. Ugh, this limbo world I'm living in is getting old. I understand now why vacations don't usually last this long. I'm beginning to feel a bit cage-birdy.
The Yarn Harlot's original post on breastfeeding can be found here:
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006_06.html
It is the June 29th post.
In case you'd rather not read the post, the Harlot was putting a plug in for one of her readers who is hosting an educational week re: breastfeeding. The hats were an idea to help promote the week; they'll be give-aways. The fruit-veg-theme is an attempt at emphasizing the importance of nutrition and health for our babies. :)
Rose Beads:
http://beadbugle.com/html/rose_beads.html
http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/cathy/rosebeads/index.htm
The first is the "fancy" way; the second is the way Jerry has made them. The beads that I have hold up surprisingly well. They're not good for things like swimming, taking a bath, or doing dishes, but they're quite solid, and they didn't get too upset when I spilled water on them a few nights ago. They still smell lovely (which is the best part about them), and even if their smell fades, and they wear down and fall apart, I'm comfortable with that. They're made for wear. Similar to the Velveteen Rabbit, I think they'll get better as they get funkier. (Was that really the moral of the story?) ;)
And Leila, I would absolutely love to teach you how to knit. It's good to see you here!
It is enriching to hear from you about your activism in what you believe in. And your dedication to staying on task to finish and contribute on time is admirable. Good causes need good pauses.......thanks to Mendon for understanding this also. I am equally fascinated by rose beads being made from your wedding bouquets. This is a real talent and a wonderment to achieve with such a frail transient thing! A M A Z I N G !!!!!!!