Knitting

I've been wanting to learn how to knit, so with the girls at Grandma's last week I decided the time was right. The local yarn shop offers free beginner lessons if you buy your supplies at their store. So I went in, bought my expensive needles and two skeins of moderately expensive yarn and had my first lesson. First of all, let me say that I have spatial issues. The rare occasions that I have tried to sew I spend quite a while with each seam. I have to figure out which way it needs to be sewn and then, knowing that the fabric must go through from front to back, I then need to determine how to line up the seam for sewing. This requires many twists and turns of my head and body and much flipping of the fabric. Frustrating. Unfortunately the woman teaching me to knit did not know of my problem. I heard a lot of "no under. no, under. noooo, under." OK, so her idea of under and mine were not identical. I chose not to purchase an expensive book at the shop (especially since the one they had for me that my "instructor" was so excited about appeared totally useless to my twisted mind). Instead I went to the library and checked out three children's books on knitting. Now that's my speed!!

Cheap as I am, I later went to Michaels' and bought more yarn and different sized needles. With much concentration and twisting of my hand I remembered how to cast on. Woo-hoo!!! Then I remembered what they had taught me about knitting. And y'know, I think I'm doing it right.

But here's my other issue (ok, another one of many). Instant gratification!! My guitar languishes in the corner. Why? Because I want to play a song. Not chords. Not notes. I want to pick that baby up and be ready to sing around the campfire. It doesn't work that way. I knitted for over two hours straight last night. And what do I have to show for it? A scarf? Pot holder? Wash cloth? Uh-uh. Just a chunk of soft, olive green yarn knitted together. (side note: I keep typing "yearn" instead of "yarn". Wonder what that means?) Granted I knitted a ton of stitches on (I'll count later) but it's only about 4" long. sigh

Last night Audrey was upset. She was in her bedroom crying. I went in to see what was wrong and she told me that she doesn't want me to ever die. Yikes!! Where did this come from? She said she wanted to be with me forever. This girl is a little too much like me----she said that she wants the two of us to die at the same time. Hmmmm.....I say the same thing about Justin and myself. Then he has to go and remind me that that would leave the girls without a mom or a dad. Darn unselfish husband I have...... I suppose I should learn from him. Audrey finally went to sleep. After I responded to her crying one more time and Justin another. He had the magic touch though---she went to sleep after he talked to her.

Emma had her teeth filed yesterday. Not quite vampire-like. (and they weren't top teeth anyway) She came out looking a little woozy. They said she did fine. She didn't talk about it too much---although she studied herself in the rear view mirror until I got in the car. Late afternoon she mentioned the contraption used to keep her mouth open and the cotton swabs placed alongside her teeth and under her tongue.

You have to love your children unselfishly. That's hard. But it's the only way. Barbara Bush