Good Start, Bad Start

I guess that I have had a fairly good start this year. Looking back to where I was this time last year, at least, I have come such a long way. Every day I remember a little more of who I was before the big crunch and I do believe I am becoming a stronger, better person. And a better mother, I hope.

Today my eldest daughter celebrated her fifth birthday at school. Such a big girl and such a long time since she was born! We spent yesterday baking and decorating cookies, cutting organza fabric to wrap them in and having such fun together. I had all my children at the table, even the fourteen year old between-child-and-man, and I felt that this is what life is supposed to be like.

It cannot always be like that, of course. Just a couple of days ago we heard that my father’s health has taken a turn for the worse. Everything is uncertain and scary, quite frankly. I realised that my son has more knowledge than I of what it is like to lose a parent. His father died eight years ago last November. We can only hope we will be spared that for a good while yet.

Malia Mather’s Tuke Hat. Photo © Stephen West

So, needing to do something that would occupy my mind that is not work, I decided to cast on Malia Mather’s lovely little Tuke hat (get the pattern here on Ravelry) and trying my hand at knitting in the round. Malia has a cute little shop called Penelope Craft near Leidseplein square in Amsterdam and last Saturday, she very kindly showed me the basics for this hat. I had taken along the beautiful skein of Malabrigo Rios I bought for this hat a couple of months ago but I think she wants me to suffer the beginner’s in-the-round anxiety on my own she showed me how to do the most important part of the magic on her own needles with her own yarn. Presumably I’ll learn more this way but I’m hoping the hat won’t make me look like a gnome when it’s done!

Now if only the WordPress app would let me insert a picture, I’d show you how far I’ve come. So far, it looks fine so I’m thrilled. (Update: I uploaded the photo to my computer and then edited the post to insert it and to insert the hyperlinks. NOT a practical way to go about things… Either the WordPress Android app is impractical or I’m going to have to do something about my general moronicity.)

Tuke hat on the needles

I am now, of course, thinking about what cosy something I could make for my Daddy. If you are reading this, Mom and Dad, I’m thinking of you, a lot…

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