Where Has Summer Gone?
Summer seems to have flown by in a blur of sun, sand, baby gnomes, and fun with summer knitting clinic students. Mixed in with summer memories & late summer blooms and beauty, fall comes creeping in trickling its own beauty here & there.
Along with delightfully cool evenings comes the promise of sweater weather and lots of new knitting projects! Fall always seems like the “real” New Year to me. When I was a little girl, it was the anticipation of school starting, getting to wear new cooler weather outfits bought for the beginning of the school year, and the wonderful scent of burning leaves as my friends and I raked leaves into piles, jumped into them with great abandon, then later under the supervision of my Dad, burned the leaves with smoke curling up and small little sparks dancing in the air---it always felt like a celebration!
Now, no more leaf burning allowed but with the chill in the air, there’s the promise of fires in our fireplace, and getting to bundle up in cherished scarves, caps, shawls, and sweaters that have been made by me or by beloved knitters in my life for me. And, how much like the first days of school, is the excitement I have with my new fall semester starting soon. Although I love having a bit more free time in the summer with fewer classes scheduled, I do miss all my students, the “seasoned” ones who will be returning always bring smiles to my face as I think of each one, and the new students who seem like an “adventure” about to happen as I anticipate meeting them!
“Infusion Room Knitting”
Recently I had 2 all day iron infusions. My doctor is hoping that these will allow my body to last longer without the iron deficient anemia sneaking back up on me. Both days were very special events for me. I have told friends that it was kind of like “going to kindergarten”---brought my pillow and took a nap, had juice and lunch, and“played” with friends (2 of the patients had IPads with them so I had fun chatting with them about IPad stuff, one of my friends who works at St. Joseph’s came to visit me, and one of the infusion nurses takes private knitting lessons with me so we had lots to talk about and she fixed the IV so I could knit!). But, the most outstanding memory of those 2 days is the presence of such Love in that room, not only from the wonderful and talented infusion nurses, and the knowledgeable and caring doctors, but just as important, the inspiration, support, laughter, and chatting among the patients. At the end of each day, I felt infused with not only iron, but the power of Love.
And, what did I knit on during my infusions? Well, I am designing a “Group Caring Shawl” made in blocks in such a way that each square will be the same size (think “the beloved classic diagonal washcloth pattern”) and can easily be sewn together even though each one can be made by different knitter, whether they knit loosely or tightly. My dear friend and knitting student, Lynn, has knit some of the squares and, even though she is a tighter knitter than I am, so far the squares are fitting together beautifully! Here’s a “sneak preview:
There’s lots of fun coming up this fall with new ideas, workshops, and designs I’ve spent my summer dreaming up. If you look down at the bottom of this page, you will see a calendar of classes. Email me if you’d like dates of the classes that have openings in them.
And, dear knitters, friends, and family, be sure and savor the last rays of warmth of this quickly passing summer, relax, enjoy, and observe all the beauty and abundance of Love around you.
Mary, who is now in “extreme Christmas gift knitting mode”!
