Giddy

SPOILER ALERT! If you've not yet received your May Happy Hooves batts, there will be spillage of spoilers throughout this post so, if you'd still like to be surprised - claps hands over her own eyes to show you but gets too easily confused because she can't see you.....what did you expect?


I've become smitten with these batts in a way that is almost embarrassing to admit. Most of the time, when I'm working with color, I'm loving every minute of it. But, sometimes, there are those colors that just live to irritate, shake you up, and turn everything you thought you knew about yourself on its head. Since that head is your own, it is pretty shocking when it happens. That's just how these batts came to be. I was walking around, thinking up some new colors, and then a memory struck, a kid's voice was dancing around outside in the yard, and the goldfish were sitting there staring at me with hostile intent because they know I can't say 'no' to them when they're acting like they're starving to death and that I'll be spineless and go feed them 'just another pinch'. This happens pretty regularly, which is probably why we have gigantic goldfish. Anyway, that's how it started. Some thoughts, some memories, some familial and familiar sounds and actions, and a repetitive beat that caused me to reflect on the many times I've sat on the floor with a kid in my lap and one or two sitting beside me, and read Dr. Seuss' "One Fish, Two Fish" to a captivated audience. It's not just that one, though - I could tear up at the thought of the times when the Things were tots and they'd have a bad day and I'd be sure to read them "Oh the Places You'll Go" before bed - watching them feel a little lighter, a little happier, and a little more hopeful about the next day. Or the first time I read Thing 2 the Lorax and he and his sister and I sat on the living room floor with tears streaming down our faces and we all had to go have a hot chocolate WITH marshmallows. Or, years later when watching a PBS documentary on him, discovering that he, like many humans, had a dark side we'd not ever imagined and had - in addition to enlightening and filling us with hope, also done some things we found profoundly hurtful. People are so confounding and beautiful and freaky sometimes.

The next part took maybe 5 seconds. I mean, it HAD to be turquoise, red, gold and bold. It had to. I'll be the first to admit that I cringed, shook my head and said, 'no way, not doing that' at first but, then, the whole thing started to grow on me...and a few more shades crept in as well. Before I knew it, it was a done deal. Still, I pushed it away and treated it like an uninvited guest. I mean, I made it but I wasn't going to LOVE it or anything because, you know, it's 'no my colors'. Right.......

So, then I started to doubt that I'd like spinning it. Too loud, too scary, too much. I figured the yarn would be AWFUL, too. I was really looking at the glass half full, it's just that I pictured it being half full of 'yyyyuuuuck'. Again, I looked for it to rear its head but it.just.did.not.happen. I started spinning and instantly liked what I saw. I know, head upside down here! I was shocked. Ya'll - I like really, really loud but this stuff just made me want to walk like a funky duck all day and not care a bit about what anyone thought about that. I was feeling kind of....youthful.

By the time I had it plied, I was downright giddy. I mean it. A few times, the kids would walk by me and demand that I fess up right away about whatever it was that had me smiling. They were sure I was up to something, though I vehemently denied anything of the sort but they continued to think I'd lost my marbles or was planning something totally devious. It wasn't the fact that I was smiling - it was the smile that was creeping them out. The sort of smile that says, "I really don't care about anything other than smiling and being happy in this very moment." That one always trips them up until they realize that I'm still going to cook dinner and such but they just have to get used to the goofy smile.

I am totally digging the 2 ply. I love that the colors stay somewhat true but just gallop and dance over each other enough to make the yarn so happy that you just, well, you must really - you know, turn your mouth up in a U shape (gestures like a total goober at herself smiling).

I Navajo Plied the other bobbin - wanting to have some stripes of the colors to incorporate into the sock with the 2 ply. I know, I know, I've been on quite a '3 ply for socks or nothing' bend for a while but I'm starting to pull back to using some 2-ply yarns for sock knitting again. I still adore the squishiness of 3 ply for socks but I don't know if it is essential for all my socks as I'm finding that my 2 ply socks are wearing just fine. I figured the Navajo Ply would be good for a band around the leg of stripes and for the heels and toes while I'll use the 2 ply for the body and foot of the socks. I mean, can't you tell I haven't really thought about this yarn much? LOL.

I have been working on some other projects other than the "One Fish, Two Fish" batts. I'm around the heel on my Serpentine Socks and feeling like I'm on the home stretch with them. I love this pattern and do think I'll be making more than one pair of these. The stitch pattern is simple enough that I can still knit it in the car, store, place of eternal waiting whilst raising teenagers who all have special things they do or take lessons for, etc., which is totally awesome because I love the wavy way of it. Hoping to finish them today or tomorrow....

Oh, and the garden....it's just sort of sitting there looking menacingly at us. I felt just a little vindicated in not having planted yet as we just had a frost last night but, still, it looms inevitable as the mosquitoes and black flies are in full force and that only means one thing - Planting Time!