Serendipity Diary

Hi, I’m Robin. I work a few hours a week at the store; it’s my pre-retirement peek into my next life. I’ve been a public school teacher and administrator for the last 22 years. I’m a skier (skate, cross country and telemark) and I’m loving this big dump of snow! In the fairer weather, I love to hike and ride my bike. And I’ve been a knitter since my cousin Diane taught me to knit when she was 12 and I was 7.

At any time I’m probably actively knitting three things. Something challenging- whether it be a new technique or an old one that requires concentration, it’s always something that I’m excited to knit and finish. Something that is a no-brainer. And, something that’s a request.

Right now I’m knitting the cabled vest from Louisa Harding – Bette from Winter’s Muse Classics. It’s a ten-row repeat that hasn’t yet settled completely into my brain, but I’m only halfway up the back, so there’s still hope. The yarn is Louisa Harding “Grace”, a sumptuous silk/wool blend. I chose a dark chocolate brown, but the store has a great selection of colors. I love this yarn; it’s soft and cuddly. Sometimes I just rub it against my cheek and daydream about how much I’m going to love this vest. It’s exquisite. Actually, I’m quite enamored of Louisa Harding’s style…she designs very soft, very flattering, beautifully shaped sweaters.

Then there’s the polar opposite…something that requires no thought at all. Since it’s approaching the holidays, I’m into dishrags. That’s right, delightful little squares for wiping the counters or cleaning up what’s in the sink. There is an Egyptian cotton, “Provence,” at the store that knits up beautifully and gets me 5 six-inch dishrags from each skein. My pattern of choice is to cast on 4 stitches, then K2, yo, K to end and repeat until I reach 41 stitches and a 6 inch diameter, then I begin the decreasing and K1, K2tog, yo, K2tog, K to end and I repeat that until 4 stitches remain, K a row, cast off. Sometimes I add a stripe, sometimes I just keep it plain. Besides the “Provence” there is a nice selection of other cottons perfect for sink duty.

And my final in-progress item falls in between and it’s always for someone else. I just finished making a gecko scarf for my 6-year-old friend Andy. He’s been asking me for a year to knit him a lizard and anytime he saw me knitting he’d ask if I had started his lizard. So, it’s done and it’s a hoot. The kit was from Morehouse knits; they have some adorable animal scarf kits. I bought it on-line. To go with it, I got one of the wooden Animalz lizards at Serendipity. A total lizard Christmas. So, I’ve got to start the next item, and the next requested item is from my brother-in-law Jay whose felted slippers have finally succumbed to a hole or two- he’s requested a new pair. I learned to spin this summer, thanks to Janet, Tami’s sister-in-law, and my spun mohair blend yarn will be perfect for this felting project.

Ciao!