“…threescore years and ten…”

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with snow along the bow,
And stands about the woodland ride,
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now of my threescore years and ten
Twenty will not come again.
And take from seventy Springs a score,
It leaves me only fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty Springs is little room,
About the woodland I will go,
To see the cherry, hung with snow.
[A.E. Houseman]

Of MY threescore years and ten, threescore five will not come again. That surely gives a person pause when winter seemed to never end then spring burst full bloom upon us. The thought struck me as I inhaled the French lilac scent, I’m not big enough. At least my capacity to truly appreciate is not big enough. When the blooms and the warmth finally came, I was overwhelmed with the idea that, no matter how long I stood there and soaked up spring, I was way too small to absorb even a fraction of the beauty.

My friend Ron gave me these flower photos that he has taken in the past couple of weeks. He took a hundred more, but there isn’t space here to show them all. Next winter, when I come in to warm up from shoveling snow, I’ll open Ron’s flowers on my computer screen and remind myself that spring is an abundant reward for making it through winter.

Four Grandsons

What are little boys, made of?
Frogs and snails,
And puppy dog tails,
That’s what little boys, are made of.

These little boys are my grandsons. Lower left is seven-and-a-half year old Joshua reading instructions on my computer screen. Clockwise is four-and-a-half month old Michael. He is Josh’s brother and has had a haircut since his last photo on my blog. Next is three year old Owain who lives in Wales. Lower right is Cole with Grandma. Cole is six weeks old. Aren’t I richly blessed?

Lace

Greek, Sir, . . . is like lace; every man gets as much of it as he can.
[Samuel Johnson]

I’ve been focusing on two projects—preparing lessons for a knitting retreat, and test knitting a lace pattern designed by Sharon Winsauer. This photo shows the lace piece completed through the first pattern chart. I’ve been knitting lace for over forty years and this is one of the most interesting patterns I’ve seen. It even uses four stitch combinations I’ve never tried before. The fiber is yummy—Alpaca with a Twist. I’ve had to make myself put it away until I get the handouts ready for the knitting retreat.

A Taste of Spring

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils…

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
[William Wordsworth]

Daffodils are the national flower of Wales. This photo was taken today at Bellevue Park in Newport,Wales. The lad licking the blossom is my grandson, Owain. Our daffodils aren’t up yet in Indiana so I’m enjoying looking at Owain’s spring.

Challenges

I have always grown from my problems and challenges,
from the things that don’t work out,
that’s when I’ve really learned.
[Carol Burnett]

I’m starting over. This version of an argyle vest is too large so I’ve re-figured, re-did the graph, and I’m starting over as soon as I post this. Whew!

I’ve intentionally filled the last three months with challenges. Sometime around January 1, I mused about what would happen if I actually did all of the things I’ve said I should do for all of these years.

Family and friends. I tend to live in solitude too much. I’ve been driving a friend to work and picking up my grandson from school every day. This has enlarged my world remarkably.

Exercise. I’ve been weight training at Curves three times to week for three months now. Not only do I feel better, but it got me out in all sorts of weather so I’m not nearly as likely to become a hermit. It will be delightful to keep this up.

Medical Care. I broke a decade-long habit of not seeking medical care, even for health maintenance (it was an insurance issue). But now, I’ve had all sorts of screening tests and have found a physician I can call “my Dr.” This has been an interesting and encouraging experience because I found health-care providers who are efficient and caring. As far as I can tell, I’m healthy. Also, I took the test on Real Age.com (my “real age” was 59 so that made me feel great since I’m 65). I’ve found all sorts of interesting information on their website and browse it often.

Smoking. I’ve smoked for 45 years. I quit. I could write a book about this experience, but suffice it to say this might have been my biggest 2008 challenge so far.

Cooking/Diet. I’m learning new stuff. I only want to lose about 15 pounds, but I also want to learn new ways to cook and new menus. The South Beach Diet website is fun and continues to be helpful.

I set my challenges based on this rule of thumb: If I find myself saying, “I should….” or “I wish I could….” more than twice, I make up my mind either to do “it” or lay it to rest. Meanwhile, I need to un-knit this argyle vest and start it anew.

P.S. I’d dearly love to see even one flower bloom. I may have to jump in my car and keep driving south until I find spring. Surely it is spring somewhere by now.

Cole Duke Smith

Becoming a grandmother is wonderful.
One moment you’re just a mother.
The next you are all-wise and prehistoric.
[Pam Brown]

Cole Duke Smith was born February 26, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. He weighed in at 10 lbs 9 oz. and measured 20.5 inches long. Last Monday and Tuesday were busy for the Smiths in Wilmington, North Carolina. Beverly and James presented our family with another member. Grandpa Smith visited from Charlotte, and Grandpa and Grandma Duke drove from Bicknel, Indiana for the big event. Grandma Misegades (that’s me) shoveled snow and dreamed of holding Cole in his hometown that has 70-degree weather in February. Meanwhile oldest grandson, Joshua, stayed over last night. We read more chapters in Uncle Wiggly. Today, we are going to get a boy haircut and tour the downtown library. Busy. Busy.

My Day Work

Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.
[David McCullough]

I’ve been focusing on my day work and haven’t knit a stitch in two weeks. Good thing I like what I do for a living. In the past two weeks, I did a print layout for a 28-page newsletter. I rarely do print work now that electronic communication is so prevalent so this was more of a challenge than it was when I did it every day. I’m also doing website development and revisions.

I’m in the process of developing Bargello Rhythms for Bernie Miller. We have a start, but are adding to it soon. I’ve also added content to the Shepherd’s Moon website. Today, I plan to add new products and a PayPal shopping cart to Andrea Wong Knits.

Each media in which I work has its assets and liabilities. Print media is my favorite form of reading material, but websites are easily updated.

As an update on an old post, last week was my one-month measurement at Curves. I lost two and a half inches, two and a half pounds, and over one percent on my body fat ratio. I’ve gone three mornings a week for exercise, but haven’t changed my eating habits so those losses were just due to the weight training. My original reason for joining was to strengthen my muscles so I could shovel snow easier. I’ve had ample opportunity to shovel and it is, in fact, easier (or else the snow was lighter).

Grandmothering

It’s such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother.
That’s why the world calls her grandmother.
[Author Unknown]

I confess. I’ve been preoccupied so I haven’t been writing posts as frequently. I’ve been making major changes and reorganizing stuff. Meanwhile, my newest grandson reminds me that he is growing up already—here he is at two and a half months. Doesn’t he look like one of those pixies in a greeting card illustration?

Argyle continued

Once you can accept the universe as being
something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something,
wearing stripes with plaid is easy.
[Albert Einstein]

When I think of plaid, I think of Argyle. Having its origins in Scotland helps generate that thought. This cap is the first of four projects I’m using in an upcoming workshop. It is not knit using the traditional method for knitting Argyle—intarsia. Instead, I knit this using a method I adapted from the book, Armenian Knitting by Meg Swansen and Joyce Williams.

The yarn is Shetland jumper weight. The stitch pattern is a simple argyle. The technique is stranded knitting (Fair Isle style). The difference—I wrapped the unused yarn every other stitch. This gives the right side of the fabric a heather look. First I worked the cap with the diamonds, then I used duplicate stitch embroidery to add the gold stripes.

Now I’m working on a small bag that uses intarsia for the Argyle pattern. Stay tuned—I’ll post it as soon as I finish it.

Argyle—Themes and Variations

If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.
[Mark Twain]

I’m preparing patterns and samples for workshop lessons that I’m planning to present at a knitting retreat in April. I chose Argyle as a theme to tie the variety of techniques together.

Classic Argyle is worked in intarsia—my least favorite technique. Since I rarely knit intarsia, I ordered the book, Intarsia, A Workshop for Hand and Machine Knitting, from Sealed With A Kiss. This book is an excellent source for polishing technique. I’ve been working a sample using acrylic and following the instructions carefully. I figure if I can get it to look nice using yarn as unforgiving as acrylic, I can certainly make woolen yarn look nice. I’ll post photos when I have the project finished.

I have other little projects that imitate Argyle in Fair Isle and textured knitting. Then I received a copy of Armenian Knitting by Meg Swansen and Joyce Williams from Schoolhouse Press. That launched me into another Argyle interpretation using the technique in that inspiring book.

This post will be continued as I get samples finished and photographed…