"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands..."
Laura Ricketts Designs is a personal and business website for Laura Ricketts, hand-knitwear designer, author, teacher, crafter, mother and wife.
I totally want one. Now. But, Christmas would do, as well.
The coolest thing I saw this past trip to Canada. Where was one with the maple leaf on it?!
But, if I have to wait that long, I might need a side chair, too.
It's been too long since I posted on the blog, but, let's face it, the last post is hard to follow up. Nothing doing, but bring the bar down a bit and just keep writing.
Last weekend, I had a trip to Canada. I attended university in Montreal, at McGill, many years ago. Twenty-two years ago, in fact, I graduated. That year I boarded with Canon and Mrs. C in their home, attached to the Montreal Diocesan Theological College, and right across the street from McGill's engineering a geological studies buildings. You may well ask, what was it like living with a Canon? It was a blast.
Fast forward twenty-two years. I'm still in contact with both the Cs, but now I call them Liz and Tony. My other housemate at the time, Val, is also an Anglican minister, and lives in the same town as the Cs. This past January, the C's eldest son died of brain cancer. Nine days before his death, Liz found out she has several spots of cancer on her liver which had metastacized from her colon. This trip was to see them all, and see how she's doing, and, if necesary, say goodbye.
What a lovely, poignant visit it was. Kingston, Ontario is a beautiful town, well positioned at the NE corner of Lake Ontario near the Thousand Islands. Queens University is in town, and several of the homes of John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. Kingston is well situated economically, too, with two prisons, a mall, and two yarn shops. A nice balance of reality.
On the trip, I found out luggage racks make excellent swift holders.
Winding yarn for my Comfort of A Friend Shawl Knit-along. Please join us!
I partook of Tim Horton's. Often. It turned out I had to rely on their free wifi for internet access, and I still had problems connecting.
Tim Horton's. It's a great thing, eh.
I wandered through shops...
And saw some appropriate items...
The Cs and I went to see the play The Vigil. It was a two-person play starring Brett Christopher and Carolyn Hetherington about an older lady declining and dying and an annoying nephew who has moved in to "help." An uncomfortable subject in the present circumstances, perhaps? Liz laughed through it, and Tony almost slept. The play certainly didn't pull punches. I enjoyed the acting talents of the two stars. Carolyn knitted constantly throughout the play. Lever style. I'm sure you wanted to know that.
before the show
Today, my brother-in-law ran the Boston Marathon.
He decided just last week that he was going to do it. He qualified by having an incredible time in his first marathon in NY, a year and a half ago. I found out about his intent when my aunt Cynda texted me for their contact info. I was in on the loop right away. I got to tell her how good he is, as he is rather quiet about his accomplishments.
So, today I texted right away after I got on BAA.org and checked his progress at the 15k mark when he had been at it just over an hour. The phone app on my sister and aunt's phones wasn't working, and they quickly became dependent on my texts to know where he was at.
They were in the Metro on their way to Heartbreak Hill along with my 10 and 8 year old nieces; the hill is around the 35K marker of the race.
What kind of weird world do we live in? I live in Indiana and I was the ground team. I tracked him kilometer after kilometer. I texted his whereabouts. He's "right near I-95." He's at the "30k mark!" Now, "At 33.33K. You guys still with me?!" "He's very near Boston College. Maybe past Crosby road?"... "34.5k"... "Lake Street."
They finally saw him. He stopped and drank my uncle's water... My response: "Are you able to follow him on your devices so I should shut up?"
"No keep sending!"
I was in it to the bitter end. By this time, the five fans had hopped on the Boston Metro to try to make it to the finish line. To Copley. He had 7k to run, but he ran it faster than they could ride a Metro, and...
They never made it.
No, they were not injured. Thank God, everyone is alright, although my niece said it was the scariest day of her life. They got stuck in underground traffic, and were late to the finish line, met up with him, and congratulated him on his fantastic run of under 3 hours, then went to a nearby restaurant. As they finished up there, they heard the first explosive detonate. A bomb? One said. Second one went off. Thunder?
Confusion.
Ambulances went by. The restaurant was evacuated. Confirmation of a bomb. People on cell phones. Metro line halted. Police tried to keep them from crossing to another area. Aunt shepherded them toward the other Metro line which they were able to board and exit the city to the suburb in which our relatives live.
You know the rest. The pictures of the injured. The numbers of the dead. The rising numbers of those wounded. But, what remains with me tonight is the horror, the grace, and the fantasic technology that shaped our awareness of it. I got first hand information off the AP before CNN had it posted via a news editor friend I've never seen; she's a fiber friend from Twitter. Another friend tried to comfort me with texts about the bomb squads that were sent into the area. Instead, I quickly saw the ever widening scope of tragedy. Other friends from long ago contacted me on facebook to tell me they were praying for my family and my sister's family. Amazing.
I felt more touched by this than I have some of our nation's other tragedies. Yes, my sister and family, and uncle and aunt were there. But, in a strange way, so was I. I guided them through the streets. I saw my brother-in-law through each curve and hill. I was at the finish line when my sister couldn't make it.
This tragedy will again have far reaching results. How do we provide security in large sporting events? Will fear and/or costs keep them from taking place? Will my niece feel secure in going to school tomorrow? In having her father run another race?
As they wound through the streets and avenues in Boston, my brother-in-law told his daughter: "We won't let the terrorists win."
We won't, indeed.
Please come join us at the WWMDFK group on Ravelry (please click for immediate link) as we begin a Knit-Along based on my Comfort of a Friend Shawl. A Knit-Along is a virtual knit group. Knitters from all around the US, or the world, can meet on this site, talk about their projects, ask questions, upload and share pictures. If you are not on Ravelry, a knit and crochet community, you can join it. All you need is an identification name. Warning: there are three million members. All the good names are taken.
The What Would Madame Defarge Knit? and What (Else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? are the brainchild of Heather Ordover, Craftlit podcaster, and woman extraordinaire. Seriously, I don't know when she sleeps. Every week, Heather posts both Craftlit and Just the Books podcast, and has just started Just the Benefits feed. Each presents a book of literary merit, read aloud by a reader, after which she talks about the book, teaching the chapter to come or the points we need to pay attention to. In addition, she writes multiple patterns, does tutoring, substitute teaches, and raises her two boys. It makes me tired just to think of it all.
As for myself, tomorrow is a full day with a big presentation a church tomorrow. Next week, I prepare some patterns for publication, and prepare myself for short trip to visit a ill friend. So glad the KAL is virtual and will travel anywhere!
I look forward to seeing you there!