I Count the Bright Hours Only

What wonderful responses to my lace post.  Thanks.  I'm glad I've discovered something so many of you have known for a long time.  I assume this is all a part of the plan for world domination (which, apparently, involves a knitting  theme on Typepad).  A mindfulness-based plan for world domination?  Perhaps it's not world domination, but amazingly, Buddhist principles are making their mark in government and world affairs.  Think we can get the current administration to try out some principles of compassion on our government?  Take a page out of Bhutan's book?  Okay, maybe not.

In knitting news, I'm birching along slowly.  Risa is unstoppable, doing insane and amazing things with the birch pattern and knitting like a house afire.  And I can't even use that "well, she doesn't have twins" excuse, because, well, she does.  She's just that good.  I'm okay with that.

As for spinning, I'm in a bit of a bobbin bottleneck and I need to finish plying the Copper Moth tussah before I can really get moving on Motley the Marvelous Montadale.  This is not exactly a terrible thing, since I'm kind of loving the silk.  I did a certain amount of hemming and hawing (I know, me?, can you believe it?), and with some advice from Marcy, I decided to just randomly ply them together.  I think it works.  The yarn is not my most even or well-plied.  You should have heard Marcy barking at me (as per my request for coaching) at spinning group--STOP MOVING YOUR BACK HAND!--I did get good plying coaching though, and good long draw help as well, thanks Marcy!  But, like the rest of my spinning, its inconsistency and imperfections are part of its charm.  Oh, humor me, won't you?

As an aside, I've become very attached to taking photos in the garden outside my office door.  It's also outside the College president's window, and, oh, every other senior administrator in the place.  Do you think this is a bad professional move, to be photographing yarn and knitwear in front of every dean and VP on campus?  Is that a stupid question?  Does anyone have any illusions about the fact that I'm already considered pretty freaky, and at a liberal arts college, freakiness is quite a competitve category?  Never mind.  Given my absence of career aspirations, and the opportunity to pose my handspun on an antique sundial reading, "I COUNT THE BRIGHT HOURS ONLY," I shall choose not to worry about it.  Here's another picture so you can better understand my dilemma.

Finally, we had an interesting thing happen in the car this morning on the way to preschool.  Henry, just turned 3, was very excited to report that he tied his shoes together (he's good with string, funny, that).  He was extremely upset at the idea of my untying them so he could walk and only acquiesced when I offered to take a picture.

So, the obvious conclusion, clearly, is that my son is a total freaking genius.  I mean, the manual dexterity!  The determination!  The logic!  The skill!  I cannot fail to note, however, that he did tie his own shoes together in this display of brilliance unleashed.  So perhaps the nonrefundable deposit at MIT will have to wait another year or two. I'm still saving, though.

Comments

[sara]

whoo hoo! Welcome to the world of knot tying! Prepare for every freaking string-like item in your house to be knotted into little balls of 1K knots each. Take it from one who knows. And I happen to know there's lots o' string in your house too...

Yummy tussah. Love the colors, love the sundial backdrop. Still ROFLing over the "competitive category" thing ;)

[e]

artistry! macrame! perhaps RISD?

[Norma]

Oh, that is BRILLIANT, Henry! I love it.

[Cassie]

I'm rather taken with the sundial myself. Although Henry's genius with string can't be ignored.

I actually thought the plan for world domination involved spinning, not lace knitting. But what do I know?

[Kim]

You gotta love a kid who does something like that and is proud of it....haha!

You spinning and plying looks great!

[Annie]

Your spinning is amazing. And your son? Amazing, as well. I'm still trying to get my five year old to even * try* to tie his shoes!

[stephanie]

I have been crawling around in the bushes at the front of my house in the bustling urban metropolis of Toronto, throwing kniting paraphernalia around and photographing it like an odd person for over a year. Not one word from a neighbour. Not. One.

[Cece]

Lovin' the spinning! Slowly but surely, you are getting me interested in spinning!

And Henry. Maybe for a laugh you should have had him try and walk!? I have a neighbor whose son throws his baseball into one of the 'bounce back nets' and always is hitting himself in the head with the ball. Makes me laugh.

Maybe I shouldn't have kids.

; )

[Katy]

The silk looks great, and I love the sundial pic. And while I don't want to disappoint you, I would imagine that you might not win the award for being freakiest. But you should feel proud to be a contender.
I definitely need some spinning coaching, too--I am ALWAYS moving my back hand! I call it freestyle drafting.

[Elaine]

Not move my back hand? revolutionery...truely. Oh, you are welcome to join in on the Double Dog Dare Challenge Cate. Hop on in! The water's fine. :) Risa is rather clever, but then one just has to know her weaknesses. ;)

[Deb]

Yes, but he tied his own laces together while he was in the car--it's not like he needed to walk anywhere at the moment--and besides! One must experiment before one can apply one's genius elsewhere, and if oneself is the only guinea pig at hand . . . you might just want to warn his twin, though!

[Katherine]

String isn't so bad--I have a friend whose 3 yo discovered screw drivers (and other tools) and screws (the unscrewing thereof). Nothing was safe!

[Jenifer]

Yea for smart little kids! And how am I managing to avoid the summer of lace?? It looks so yummy.

[Jenny in NC]

That's some darn fine yarn - beeyootiful! Your son is brilliant. My 3 y/o enjoys unlacing his shoes (not just untying, of course), but is not so much with the tying. As for the weirdness at work, I figure as long as you don't have a section for FO's on your vita, you're probably still okay. Although if that could somehow count somehow in the tenure process, how cool would that be?

[margene]

Seems people take our curious picture taking in stride. Maybe we are headed for world domination.

[Kat]

I love love love your sundial pictures--don't you dare stop! And yes, Henry is certainly a genius, and the fact that he tied together his own shoes and not Eleanor's simply means that he also has an extraordinary level of compassion. Or she was wearing sandals or something. :-)

[Stacie]

The silk looks beautiful! I know I'm no expert but I didn't spot any flaws or inconsistancies. I will agree with Kat. It does show compassion that he would tie his own shoes together and not someone else's heehee! Smart and kind! What more could you ask for :)

[Kristen]

the silk looks amazing - I love how it plyed together, and can't (from that picture) see a reason why it isn't perfect. (the sundial was a wonderful touch, and fitting in many ways...)

Henry is not only super-smart, but he's ahead of the game if he understands that a picture is worth a thousand words (or smiles, as the case may be). Good thing you had the camera handy :)

[julia fc]

Astonishing: Will is years from even knowing that he HAS shoes. (okay, I exaggerate, but still . . .)

[Rosemary]

Awww go ahead. Send in that non-refundable deposit tomorrow. Why not? He's clearly brilliant, creative, and very proud of himself. All necessary traits for MIT.

The silk is lovely, too. Looks perfectly balanced to me.

[Dani]

2 things - your son is OBVIOUSLY a genius, the natural talents with string should make you quite proud indeed!

The 1st picture you posted of the yarn on the sundial? OMG it is AMAZING - if it were higher resolution I would use it as a desktop so I could drool over the yarn. the texture, the colors - YUM! Dont stop taking pictures like that, and if your career aspirations are damamged, think of it as more time to knit and spin and take amazing pictures ;-)

[Jessica]

Mama Cate! After reading your blog dedicated to knitting we MUST begin a knitting circle at SB. I think I have just begun to understand the fantastic world of knitting.
Jessica

[Marcy]

*Ahem* I do not bark. (Well, yes I do, but only with other dogs.) I make gentle suggestions in mellifluous tones. :D And there ain't nothin' wrong with your spinning, girl!

Perhaps you shouldn't waste any time--start Henry at MIT in the Fall. Clever boy.

[Barb]

Oh my! Your Henry makes me a little bit frightened of what to expect out of my Henry in another two years. :)

[CarolineF]

Hello! Thanks for dropping by Pink Tea! I always loved that garden, although I remember it as having more flowers than it seems to have nowadays - it looked a little minimalist in May. And as far as I remember, nobody there minded a little freakiness.