Gram? Do you know you have broccoli in your purse?

Goodnight has a busy spring schedule.  She is in Track & Field, Drama Club, Fast-pitch Softball, Declamation, and has a piano recital coming up.  Sometimes her practices are on the same day after school, but at least at different times.

It all can make for a very long day for her, but I have her come out to the car in between practices so she can eat some dinner and chat with me.

Today for example, I had a lovely compartmented tray wrapped in towels to keep her dinner warm.  There was roasted turkey, roasted garlic potatoes and some applesauce.  On my way out the door I stuck a fork in my pocket and then remembered she would need a spoon for the applesauce so I tossed one in my purse.

Goodnight came bouncing out to the car on time, climbed into the front seat and asked, “Is that for me?”

Gram:  Yup!  Good dinner, huh?  How was Track?

GN:  I don’t like the running.

Gram: It’s called Track and Field, honey.  You knew that, right?

GN: I’m in it for the Field.

Gram:  I don’t think it works that way.  How’s your dinner?

GN:  It’s great, Gram!  Thanks a lot.  I need a spoon for the applesauce.

Gram:  I tossed one in my purse.  You can get it.

GN:  K.

She reached into my purse.  It’s a bottomless pit, really.  Not the new purple one, by the way.  I have a newer YELLOW purse.

She couldn’t feel the spoon so she actually had to look inside and start digging.  It wasn’t to be found.

GN:  Um, Gram?  Do you know you have broccoli in your purse?

Gram:  Uh-huh.  Want some?(trying not to act surprised)

I didn’t really throw it down in my purse carelessly or anything – but I had taken some fresh broccoli for lunch and did’t eat all of it so I wrapped it in a napkin and gently laid it in there, thinking I would grab the rest of it mid-afternoon or so.  I didn’t have time for my broccoli snack, so there it stayed, gently jostling itself to the bottom of my purse and working its way out of the napkin.

I hate when that happens.  Now I’m going to have to get all those little green things out of there.  You know what I mean?  The same little green parts that get stuck in your teeth.  They’re down in the bottom of my purse.

But alas . . . no spoon for the applesauce.

Oh well, she didn’t have time.  Back to the gym for Softball practice.  I hope she’s not in it just for the throwing.

Goodnight told me that she and a friend of hers have a new slogan for their spring sporting adventures:

Short and Wide can Still Have Pride.

I wonder if I should skip the compartmented tray with such a nice dinner . . .  nah.

Gram? Are You Dying?

Poor Goodnight.  She has a lot on her mind.  I’m reminded of it from time to time when she comes up with questions that I would never have predicted.

It’s true that I’ve been sick for nearly a week.  What I thought was a cold turned out to need an antibiotic, but I went to the doctor yesterday and got the necessary prescription.  What a nice doctor!!!  Along with the antibiotic, the prescription said, “Go to bookstore and buy some good books to read while you rest and then stop at the yarn shop, too.”  At least, I’m fairly certain that’s what she scribbled.  I could be wrong. 

Goodnight spotted my one of my books on the table.  She didn’t say anything at first.  But finally she asked, “Gram?  Are you dying?”

Gram:  No honey.  I’m not.

GN:  Are you sure?

Gram:  Yes, honey.  The doctor gave me an antibiotic and when the infection goes away, I’m going to feel perky again.

GN:  Then why are you reading that book?

Gram: Which book, honey? (I had several in the general vicinity of our conversation.

GN: THIS ONE!  (She went to get the book to which she was referring and sadly held it up for me to see.)

A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J Gaines.  First published in 1993.

A young man, Jefferson, is sentenced to the electric chair for a murder he did not commit.  The local teacher is enlisted to help Jefferson die like a man.  Excellent book.  I’ve already finished it.

Maybe I should hide the other book I bought:

Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent.  Published in November, 2010.  It’s been on the New York Times best seller list for non-fiction, recently. 

Young Colton Burpo went to heaven during an emergency appendectomy.  When he survives the surgery, he begins to tell his parents about what he saw in heaven.

I like to read a wide variety of topics and authors.  Todd Burpo tells his son’s story, but uses the  four-year-old’s words in his narrative.  Ernest Gaines has a deceptively quiet writing style, yet develops strong characters and images that have lingered over time.

Goodnight will appreciate the serendipity when she gets older . . . . but for now . . . . I am not THAT sick.

Mr. and Ms. Super Fan have first names!

No Super Fan should go to a Super Bowl unnamed.

It seems that the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee had some fun with my most recent Super Scarf.  They posted a photo of Mr. and Ms. Super fan to their Facebook page and asked folks to come up with suggestions for naming the Super Fans.  What a great idea!

I was sent the link and asked if I had a favorite.  I did – without hesitation!!  I asked them if I could make the decision and then knit the names onto the backs of the sports jerseys that my Super Fans are wearing to the ‘big game.’

First of all, let me say that I thought naming the Super Fans was great fun and a wonderful idea.  Secondly, I liked all the names folks came up with.  They were creative and fun.  My thanks go out to all who took the time to even think about naming the flat, knit characters that hang off the end of one of my scarves.

Without further ado, I would like to introduce Hal and Mary Pass.

  and  

A word about the knitting above.  The gauge of the names had to be different from the gauge of the Super Fans’ jerseys.  The names would have been too wide to attach if I had used the same needles or the yarn the way it was.  So, I un-plied enough of the blue and white to knit the names with #2 needles instead of #8′s.  The yarn comes in 4-ply, so I separated it into 2-ply.  I am comfortable working small gauges so the names took me only about a half hour each.  They look like little patches and I just appliquéd them to the backs of the Super Fans’ shirts.

Now, let me explain the reasons for my selection.

First:

On December 28, 1975, the Dallas Cowboys were playing a post-season play-off game against the Minnesota Vikings’ Purple People Eaters.  The Vikings were ahead near the end of the game, but the Cowboys had possession and quarterback Roger Staubach threw a very long forward pass.  He subsequently got taken to the ground but the pass was snagged by wide receiver Drew Pearson for the win.

Staubach, who was raised a Catholic, reported that as he got hit, he drew upon a prayer from his formative years – the Hail Mary.  The name stuck and thereafter, whenever we’ve watched a last-ditch effort to throw a very long pass to score, it’s been known as a Hail Mary Pass.

I live in Minnesota and though our Vikings lost that game, we know the history of the successful game-winning throw.  It’s one of those plays that lives on.

Second:

LeRoy Neiman, an artist who is most noted for the way he uses bright colors to portray the energy of sporting events, captured Roger Staubach in a wonderful signed and numbered limited edition print.  I own one of those prints.  I know Officer Friendly liked the print and so do I.  It helps me get through the off-season.  Here’s what it looks like:

Third:

The names made me laugh out loud when I read them.  It’s the serendipity.  I own the Neiman, live in Minnesota and am a Catholic.

So Congrats to Dave Edge who suggested the names.  I have no idea who you are, but I am always grateful for laughter.   Many, many thanks to those who offered their suggestions, too.  The enthusiasm of football fans, Indy Super Bowl followers, knitters, the Host Committee, and my Indy brother have made it so much more fun for me!

I’ve included links to Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee’s Facebook page, to the Super Scarf Project information and to LeRoy Neiman’s official site in case anyone would like more information.  The Host Committee has been involved with many wonderful projects and events, so check them out.  The Super Scarves arriving in Indianapolis are wonderful.  Each time I check out the photos, I am always impressed at the way blue and white can be put together in so many different ways.  And LeRoy Neiman’s site is worth a peek, too.  He has been the Official Artist at five Olympiads.  Check out his biography under the “About LeRoy Neiman” tab.

I just checked the Super Scarf site and they are showing a tally of 3,527 scarves received.  Way to go!

“Mr. And Ms. Super Fan” Super Scarf is now officially finished and will be in the mail soon.

 

Not Knittin’ Nuthin’ Now . . .

I have a cold.  I’ll spare the complaining. 

Goodnight fractured the growth plate of her ulna at her first softball practice.

I put off my annual ‘rendering unto Caesar’ long enough . . . . and it’s time.  It’s not late, but it’s time. 

Therefore . . . . .

I need to drink fluids and rest, so my knitting lies next to me wherever I doze off.

Goodnight has Dr. appointments and radiology appointments, so I carry my knitting just to keep it close.  There’s no time, but I take it anyway.

I do my own taxes so my knitting sits patiently next to my paperwork.

If there is a time for every purpose, then I am confident there will be a time very soon when I will get to pick up my knitting again. 

For the time being . . .

I’m Not Knittin’ Nuthin’ Now.        

I Live on the Wrong Side of Town . . .

It’s been a week.  I’m happy to put an end to its misery! 

Let me put it this way . . . .

From where I live, to get to work there are only three biggish traffic arteries into the city due to topography.  Because of rising water levels in Old Man River, one of the arteries was closed.  The second artery was closed one rush hour this week because it was under eggs.  Yup!  A semi jack-knifed on the interstate and dumped 40,000 pounds of eggs on top of the five inches of snow that had fallen overnight.  All the traffic was diverted to the third artery.  Folks driving on the third artery that morning would have had time to finish the daily crossword puzzle as they sat in traffic.

The side streets are hard to get to once a driver commits to one of the three arteries because geographical features provide barriers to easy access, except at sporadic intervals.  The side streets were way too icy because of the melting/raining/freezing/snow day we had, so . . . . . . I took the bus. 

I missed the eggs.  I missed the rising river.  I didn’t sit bumper to bumper on artery three.  I took a leisurely stroll to the bus stop, got on, paid my fare, sat down, pulled out my knitting and let someone else worry about the driving.

End of stress and half a scarf to the plus side!  The wrong side of town as its quirks, but if knitting is the worst that comes of it, then I’ll get by.

Sports Equipment

I wish I had another Super Scarf to post.  I don’t.  I’m a very fast knitter, but there is a child to raise.  She’s a good kid.

She is participating in two spring sports: Track & Field and Softball.  Yesterday afternoon, we headed to the sports store to get what she needed.  There happen to be four ball gloves at home, but not a one of them was for softball (officially.)  I know I used mine for softball and handled it fine, but I guess Goodnight hasn’t gotten to the age where she would get a kick out of using her gram’s ‘antique’ three-fingered glove.

We walked into the store and I immediately stopped dead in my tracks.  I hadn’t been in that store before.  I played softball in Smalltownville and there was no such store like the one I was in yesterday.  A clerk immediately asked me if there was something specific I was looking for.

I figured he either smelled the fear coming from me, or he recognized the ‘deer in headlights’ look on my face.

I explained that we were looking for a softball glove.  He escorted us to the Glove Department.  There was a sign hanging from the rafters over that department.  We talked about the size of the basket that Good night thought she could handle and the measurement of the glove thumb that guides the sizing.  (Interesting, but he wasn’t talking yarn or knitting needles, so I let him continue without much interruption.)

He handed Goodnight a glove and had her try it on.  It was too small for her hand.  He reached for another glove.  It was a three-fingered glove.  (Hmmmm, so the three-fingered part doesn’t make mine an antique.)  It was purple too, but Goodnight wasn’t interested.  She didn’t want anything to do with the three-fingered part.

In the end, we settled for a lovely softball glove:  four fingers (thumb too, of course) and a basket that Goodnight could handle.

GN:  Gram, can we buy a softball, too?  You know, so you can throw to me?

Gram:  We don’t have a softball at home? 

GN:  No, Gram, they are all baseballs and tennis balls.

Gram:  If I wind a ball of yarn to the right size would that work?  I have plenty of yarn.  (I was kidding.)

GN:  No it won’t.  Can we please?

Gram:  Sure.

Glove?  Check.

Softball?  Check

Next came the helmet.  The same helpful clerk took us over to the Softball Helmet Department.  There was a sign for that department, too.

We explained that Goodnight was in fast-pitch, so needed a full helmet with face guard, etc.  The clerk handed her one to try on.  She eyed a bright, neon pink one and asked to try it instead.  The clerk handed it to her.  Goodnight put it on and looked tentative.  The clerk said, “Turn your head and let me see if I can see into your ear.”  Goodnight looked perplexed at that comment.

Gram:  Would you like to explain why you need to see into her ear through the hole in the ear piece?

Clerk:  You want me to?

Gram:  Yes.

Clerk:  Okay.  Well in the event of a concussion, they do not remove the helmet.

Gram:  But . . . . . ?

Clerk:  They need to look into the ear to determine bleeding.

Gram:  Thank you.

Goodnight looked a bit more tentative than before that exchange.

She went with a dark blue helmet instead of the neon pink one.

Helmet?  Check.

Next we needed cleats.  I’ll be darned if there wasn’t a Cleat Department!  By now we were well into the bowels of the sports store.  I had the feeling that the only way out was going to be through the athletic supporters aisle or the one with the water bottles.  (Water bottles please….)

Clerk:  What length cleat are you going to need?

Goodnight looked at me.

Gram:  We expecting snow tonight . . . between five and eight inches before it’s done.  Let’s see.  With the total accumulation for the season minus what’ melted from the softball field so far, that should put us at the need for a five foot cleat.  Do you have any of those?

GN: Gram?

Gram:  Maybe we’ll just buy what we have for now and come back when you get closer to needing the cleats and we can have a more definitive answer for the clerk on the cleat length.  Okay?

Whew!  We headed for the check-out.  I had my nose in my purse fishing for the small loan I took out to pay for the equipment (just kidding) when all of a sudden, I heard Goodnight snickering.  That’s never a good sign when a Gram is in public with someone two generations away.

That will be a story for another time, perhaps, after I have a discussion about culture with Goodnight.  But for now . . . . it was not ‘Jee-sus’ who checked us out.  It was ‘Hay-soos.’

Just before we walked out the door, I turned to scan the store.  The clerk asked me if I had forgotten something.

Gram:  No.  I was just checking to see if you had a Roof-Raking Helmet Department.  We’re expecting a lot of snow overnight.

 . . . . . I guess you had to know about the roof ice incident and concussion to see the humor/sarcasm at that moment in the sports store . . . .

“Mr. and Ms. Super Fan” – Super Scarf #28

I’m just poking my sore head out from my hibernation to show you my next Super Scarf.  This one is a tribute to the fans in the stadium.  They go all out, don’t they?  What better way to give the fans a shout out than to knit them into a Super Scarf?  I would like you to meet Mr. And Ms. Super Fan.

The Super Scarf is basically constructed end to end.  I knit Mr. Super Fan right-side-up from his feet, continued on to the other end, and Ms. Super Fan had to be knit from head to toes.  Think of it this way:  the legs take the place of fringe on the scarf, so I just let then dangle!

Ms. Super Fan has her arms and hands perched to hold the official Super Bowl patch when it gets sewn on after its arrival in Indianapolis.  Mr. Super Fan is holding a bucket of popcorn and a hot dog.  The popcorn doesn’t show up in the photo very well because it’s white on white, but I used bobbles to make the popcorn in the bucket.

The Super Scarf is not completely flat.  When I got to the heads, I switched from garter stitch, to double knitting, thus making the heads stuffable for a little added dimension.

      

The knitting didn’t take too long – it was the finishing that took some time.   Mr. Super Fan has French knots to give the look of curly hair under his stocking cap.

 

Ms. Super Fan has a pony tail.

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, has a seating capacity of 63,000 with the capability to expand to seat 70,000 guests.  That will be a LOT of Mr. and Ms. Super Fans come XLVI!

I just checked the Super Scarf Project website and their tally shows them nosing in on 3,300 scarves that have been received so far.  Way to go, knitters!!!

I finished this Super Scarf at 4:00 this morning and now I’m kinda craving a hot dog.  This one was fun to knit, but I’ve already cast on for the next one.

Happy knitting!

In the Matter of Roof Ice vs. Head . . .

The konk I got on my head when a slab of roof ice dislodged and found my head on the way down to my driveway caused a concussion and a cervical compression injury.

I’ve been trying not to exaggerate the size of ice that hit me because I never saw it.  When Goodnight hollered at me, I ducked and that was it.  Turns out to have been bigger than I thought . . . . . . MUCH bigger.  (That explained the urge to bawl like a baby.)

I’m resting and trying to get rid of the banging between my ears and the crunching noises my neck makes.

In the meantime, meet Pudsey, the knit version of the mascot for the  BBC Children in Need, a registered charity in England Wales, and Scotland.

“Super Whistle” – Super Scarf #27

It’s time for another Super Scarf. 

Sorry it took so long, but for what I had in mind, I had to call upon the ‘oak tree’ resources from whence this old ‘acorn’ came, and use some geometry, some mathematics, and then some everyday variety head-scratching.  It all came together in the end.

You could argue that this scarf, #27, is another tribute to the NFL officiating staff.  You’d be right.  I decided to take a closer look at one of the tools of their trade.  After all, the game doesn’t start until the whistle blows, right?  And each play doesn’t end until the whistle blows.

I’ve been looking high and low for a blue whistle- one that would comply with the color requirements for the Super Scarf Project.  No such luck – so I decided to make one myself!!!

There’s even a little knitted loop for the twisted cord lanyard and a hole on top where the air and sound come out of a real whistle.

There is actually a Super Scarf inside the whistle.  I left one side open so you could see it all rolled up, however, this side closes as well.  It closes with a removable round cover for tucking the scarf away when it’s not needed.

 

When I knit the scarf itself, I had actually knit a whistle image to use as a decoration. I had even sewn in onto the scarf. But then . . . . . . I was cleaning up my Super Bowl party supplies and guess what I found in the box?  A blue whistle.  The perfect color blue, too!  So . . . Gram got out a very fine pair of snippers and a magnifying glass and snipped the threads holding the knit whistle image to the scarf and replaced it with the blue plastic whistle.  Much more fun!  I left the opposite end of the scarf blank so the official Super Bowl patch can be sewn on when it arrives in Indianapolis.

Since the theme for this Super Scarf was a whistle and since I had decided to make my lanyards with blue and white twisted cords, I decided to do the same thing for the fringe.

It’s a happy scarf, don’t you think?  In fact . . . so happy that one could “whistle while they work?”   Hope so!  It could happen, you know.  That scarf whistle actually works.  I tucked some of the fringe yarn into the hole so the little ball doesn’t rattle around in the mail. 

I just checked the Super Scarf website and they are reporting having received 3,227 scarves of their goal of 8,000.  We’re climbing!  I love it when I check in there and see that the numbers have risen.  Lots of knitting going on.

The barista at the college promised me two scarves.  She’s has begun the first one.  I think it’s fun how the word can spread and in the end, make a huge difference!  I can’t wait to see all the volunteers in a sea of blue and white wrapped around their necks.  That would be a great photo-op!

Happy knitting.

School of Hard Knocks – Physics Department

Ohhhhhhhhh, I forgot about that law of physics.

Every object in the Universe attracts every other object with a force directed along a line of centers for the two objects that is proportional to the product of their two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the separation between the two objects.

                                                                         Sir Isaac Newton.

I should have considered it yesterday when I tried to get a last bit of snow off the dormer roof before the new snow came in over night.

It was a stubborn section, compacted from thawing, but firmly in place.  I poked at it.  Nothing happened.  I should have left well enough alone.  I was using the handle end of the roof rake with all the extensions added.  I took one more jab, a good solid one.  Problem was, that it was so high up, I had to stand close to the garage to reach it.  That meant I couldn’t see up there.

Goodnight was standing back, watching.  Her job is to shovel what I get off the roof, so she was waiting to do her part.

“Watch out, Gram”!!!!!  Her cry came suddenly.  I didn’t hear that I had dislodged the mother lode!  I only had time to lower my head a little. 

It came silently down . . . . on my head.  What Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation means in that instant, is that it hurt like crazy!!  Thanks to Goodnight’s warning, I didn’t get konked in the eye or break my nose.

GN:  Gram, are you okay?

Goodnight:  Ummmm, I’m not sure yet.

GN:  Gram, you’re bleeding.

Goodnight:  I am?

GN:  Gram, it’s starting to swell already.

Yes – I had to put ice on it.  Funny irony, isn’t it?  The cause became the cure. (That and the pain reliever of choice.)

The hardest part for me was not to cry . . . . .   I wanted to bawl like a baby, but I didn’t want Goodnight to be frightened.  I just stood there, momentarily stunned by my stupidity.  Why couldn’t I have just misplaced my sock or something else forgetful?

It made the Resting vs. Nesting decision a little easier for the remainder of the day.  Gram was flat-out on the couch, wallowing in silent self-pity and concerned that I had taken ‘purple’ a little too far.

I bought the purple sweater . . . . .  resisted the purple boots.

When I feel better, I may go back and get them.  They’ll go nicely with my bruise by then!  Right now it’s still green.