Clarion Alley (our walk to the playground)

Most Mondays, when I take my son and his friend to the playground, I bring knitting. When we first get there we usually try the music class and depending on how that goes, there is then a visit to the merry go-round, seesaw, and spiderweb: all of which involve me, pushing, balancing, spotting. But after that, we visit the awesome tricycle-riding alley behind the rec center. And while there rare one or two other moms I sometimes chat with back there, often, I am alone or with two nannies, chatting in Portuguese with each other, and I knit.

I am not very good at knitting, but I love it. I am aware of some soothing quality in the motion: and it speaks to my type-A need to always be multi-tasking. And the fibers feel lovey, soothing and soft, across my hands. A little bit of sensory therapy during the day. It is easy to watch the boys and do at the same time, and really they don’t want my total engagement in this section of the playground, interfering with their cops-and-robbers fantasies.

But yesterday, I brought my Kindle instead. No music class, and no tricycle racing, in honor of Dr.King’s Birthday. And I knew there would be lots of kids to occupy them, a free moment for me. And I just can’t put down this book. And later, all day, I could feel it: miss the moment of forced awareness, the pleasure of the fibers against my skin. And in the afternoon, I didn’t get most of my to-do list done; instead, crumpling exhausted on the couch. I dragged through the afternoon, dinner was late, and I was strangely not present.

There is some research that shows that babies and small children need gross motor stimualtion in order to be able to access small motor skills successfully. And of course, the Waldorf philosophy stresses the importance of handwork for children. But what about adults? Do I need small motor stimulation to be able to successfully complete gross motor activity? Does it get reversed with age?
I wasn’t able to find anything, googling. But I picked up my knitting, last night, before bed: and I’ll be knitting today, too.

I feel like I've settled in pretty well into a weekday uniform (or two):








 1. jeans, long sleeve t-shirt always v-neck...I have a super short neck, and follow these ladies' advice), cardigan (j.crew cashmere, howI heart you), funny comfy sneaks, for days I am dragging (or being dragged) 1-2 small boys around.









2. leggings, flat black boots, a tunic... and a big cardigan, again!, for the days I don't have J or his friends and subsequently spend all my time running around.


Done and done, right? Especially since this is January. A winter uniform should last me for at least another 2 months... But then it was the j.crew after christmas sale, so I got another cardigan(for less than $50! yay!).And then everyone started posting their spring picks...so here I am already, daydreaming about spring clothes to buy + make, outfits to cut-n-paste,what new shoes I might need...

(Love the socks & sandals with the dress)

Usually, at the beginning of a season, I gather a bunch of images I like, try to make the outfits up out of what I already have, replace basics that are wearing out and buy 1-2 pieces to build out the mix. Plus I try to save some money for something special -- a newAPC dress or a cashmere cardigan. It's all looking a bit schizophrenic right now, but I think one thing I can say is I better get to work on knitting some tabi.



none of these images are mine!

I love the baby's cotton hat from Last Minute Knitted  Gifts. For me it turns out right everytime, and I love the feel of the coarse/soft nubbly/chunky yarn on my hands as the hat comes together.


And now on to the scarves. Or the play food. Or the mittens...

This yarn started out as baby booties-- twice (I love Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but that pattern is just beyond me).  Then one shawl-- but the yarn was just too droopy and worn. And I  don't think yarn this fine or size 2 needles are for me.

So I finally gave up. I cut it off. Stopped judging myself for not being able to make it work.

It feels so good.

J's cotton hat is finished(!), which means I need to move on to his mittens or scarves (to match his wool hat), or make fruit for his stocking (we've decided to make him a play kitchen; I love cooking with the kid but I am secretly hoping this will reduce my night terrors over toddler-induced grease fires)... or another Christmas present.

But really,  I am dying to make these socks:

don't they look kinda like these?:



And I would love  to make an olive green melton wool wrap skirt, ala Phoebe Philo:




 This of course would  require couture sewing skills...

Anyway, how am I  supposed to pick colors for J's scarf (blue and grey? blue, grey and navy?  blue, navy, red? blue, brown, red? I know, not really rocket science) when I can't find the type of coat I  want for him? He really needs a new coat, and I am dying to get him a toggle coat, like this:



Two problems, I'm not spending $225.00 on a toddler's coat, and it's sold out. This one is cute, too:




but a totally different style. Thus far I'm not wowed by Gap's offerings, but I'm hoping that's because they haven't stocked "real" coats yet. Anyone with a lead on an inexpensive toggle coat for a large (tall) toddler (size 5-ish), please drop me a line...


Product images from  Purl Soho, Elle, and J.Crew

I learned to finger knit in fifth grade, and cast on for the first time the summer between seventh and eighth grade. I never saw either of my grandmothers knit, although one did crochet. It was too hot, during the summer, when I would have been visiting them, for my aunts to have a knitting project or two going. But one summer my aunt with air-conditioning, exhausted from my early-teen-age antics set me up with some yarn and two needles,and happily, I knit. I didn’t make anything, and I don’t know what happened to that yarn, or those needles, but I knit.

The year after college, living at home, working at my first job, trying to figure out the world, I bought Knitting For Dummies
two sticks, and some horrible yellow polyester yarn. Two women at a local yarn store scared me with their kindness and I never mastered casting on, that time around.

Married two years, my mother-in-law, an inveterate knitter, went through my book with me, and I mastered casting on, knitting and purling. A row! two! three! Dreams of christmas presents, yarn purchased, changed jobs, moved, forgot.

And last year, my son born. Hours of nursing, hours of waiting on naps. Knitting. Back at work, yearning for a greater connection, a gift, something of me to keep close to him, knitting. Meditation, exercise for my hands, enforced calm, a deep breathe. The end of my day, a moment at lunch, distraction on the bus.

A scarf, but it needs “finishing” (tucked in ends, some dropped stitches picked up). A beautiful cowl on my hated circular needles (bamboo, big mistake).

So, 25 years since that first cast-on, and still no finished objects. But oh, the accomplishment.


I like these for inspiration:
Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Ravelry
The Purl Bee