Knitting a Pair of Cashmere Gloves With Recycled Yarn

my swatch

Last Christmas I bought  a few skeins of  "reclaimed  cashmere" yarn from our local yarn shop before they became an online only store. My brother had given me a gift certificate for Christmas, and I was excited to find this yarn at an excellent price. Christian, the owner, told me that the woman he bought it from overdyes the recycled skeins. I loved the quality, feel, and price. (especially since it was on sale.)

I always write out my patterns by hand

I decided to use one of my favorite patterns from Ravelry.  It's called "Dancing At Lugnasa Gloves," and it's  free.  I dug out my size 2 dpn's from my set of Knitter's Pride sock needles. I swatched for the pattern on a size 2 set of needles, and was spot on with gauge. Whew! I love it when it's that easy. The fit of these gloves is perfect. You can lengthen or shorten the fingers so that they fit you exactly. They are so much more comfortable than gloves from the store.  I used Alpaca Sox sock yarn for my last pair. They have held up beautifully. I think the nylon helps to make them more durable.

I made the green ones several years ago. They are listed in my Etsy shop.I wear them every day to ride my bike  in the winter. I have been meaning to make another pair for years. They are more work than socks, so I have been procrastinating. Still, they are so useful; I have always wanted a pair of hand knit, simple, plain, grey gloves. Working with cashmere is divine. It's so elegant.

my knitting sidekick, Lula

I met with a friend this afternoon.  She was crocheting a baby blanket for charity, and I wasworking on the cuff of my glove. We sat and chatted  for a couple of hours. I came home and had a fourth cup of cafe au lait, (Terrible, I know!) It's a good thing I don't drink. I'd probably be an alcoholic. It runs in my family, on both sides. It's very hard for me to reduce my coffee intake. Something about this rainy weather makes me want to knit for several hours a day, listen to podcasts, and drink mugs and mugs of vanilla nut coffee with goat's milk. It sure tastes delicious.  

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Thinking For Yourself

I had an interesting conversation with my neighbor this afternoon. We discussed the importance of developing qualities in children: things like being self motivated, desiring to improve, and wanting to be the best that you can be. As a child, I was enthusiastic about learning and  doing well in school. I usually won the spelling bee each Friday in 5th grade. I didn't really understand why, but almost 100% of the time I was the last person standing at the front of the room, spelling out the final word. I used to wonder if it was an inherited ability.  I thrived on  the challenge and recognition. If that happened today, the parents would probably complain. I'm afraid we are losing the drive for excellence. 

In those days, the teachers put up partitions at our desks. We were not allowed to copy the answers from our neighbors. We had to know them ourselves. If we hadn't studied, our test score would reflect it. You couldn't depend on someone else to do the work for you. It was your responsibility. When people don't learn this way, they expect others to "help" them. They want to ride on your coattails, and to take the easy route. It's a very passive existence, and people who think this way don't develop to their potential. 

My parents and aunt were avid readers, so I followed suit. I think that reading is a habit that is greatly underrated and underused. When I was in elementary school, we were sometimes allowed to read library during class, as a treat. I so looked forward to it. Reading  teaches you rhythm, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Just by becoming absorbed in a book, your brain and memory is exposed to what it needs to write and speak well. Children need to soak in material with proper grammar. If you aren't hearing the language being spoken correctly at home, reading well written books will uplift and educate you. It has a simple but profound effect on the ear. 

I am so saddened to hear how the California schools are no longer supporting the work of Helen Keller, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Rose Wilder Lane. These are authors who really wrote from the heart, and with honesty and purity. Their childhood perspective doesn't fit in with today's "politically correct" society. These books opened up a whole new world for me. They were vivid, expressive, and eloquent.  I hope that parents will continue to give these inspiring classics  to their children.

I mentioned to my dad the other day that I had read that some of the younger people today have no desire buy a car, or to own a house. "They don't want a job, either," he added. I laughed at his honesty. To be fair, I see many bright and talented people in their twenties working diligently at Barnes and Noble, Sprouts, and even in the Broadway shows that I see on tour.  They seem excited to be working, and it warms my heart.  I think much of it has to do with what we have observed in our parents. Perhaps those that don't want these responsibilities are people whose parents were struggling with debt.  My guess is that they don't want that stress.     

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Writing Down What You Are Studying

When I was in fifth grade, I had an excellent teacher named Mr. Beebe. He was a strict and old fashioned taskmaster. He taught us from a stack of worn,  hard covered books. They were used to educate children in the 1930's. I loved his method. Each day, one of us would stand at the chalkboard and write out the lesson  as he dictated it from his book. Every child was required to take a turn. I loved it. It made me feel so important. We  learned how to listen to the teacher and how to write in front of the group. The rest of us would copy the math problems or grammar lesson on to a piece of lined recycled paper. We wrote in pencil, that way we could erase and correct our mistakes.  Mr. Beebe always had me write two papers, one for myself, and one for the person who was up at the chalkboard. We would start the lesson in class, and then finish it later that night for homework.

The math lessons were multiplication, division, and fractions. He demonstrated and explained everything. It was so clear and concise. I loved how he taught. Every one of us understood what he was doing. By writing out the problems, we had a group unity. If a student was sick, Mr. Beebe had me copy an extra sheet, and one of us would deliver the homework to that student after school. They were expected to do the homework and return it. Whoever lived closest to him or her would volunteer.

My favorite lessons were the ones where Mr. Beebe taught us how to diagram sentences. We would make notes and dissect each word in the sentence. We underlined it and labeled it as either a noun, a verb, an adverb, an adjective, a preposition, etc. It really taught us clearly. It made us better writers, too. We knew exactly what we were doing.  There were several things going on at once. We were listening, following direction, analyzing, and sketching. I loved how the finished sentenced looked. Each word had a specific place and a precise definition. 

Every Friday we would have a spelling bee. I looked forward to those days. For some reason, I nearly always won. It was a thrill. I'm not sure why; but spelling  just came easily to me. My parents and aunt were always big readers, and so was I.  I read books voraciously. I think maybe that trained me subconsciously how to spell.

By the end of fifth grade, Mr. Beebe proudly told us that we were doing 8th grade work. He was very pleased, and so were we. It was exciting at that age to feel so smart. Mr. Beebe gave us confidence in our abilities because he was such an excellent teacher. He possessed an extreme  focus and discipline.

Since then,  I've always loved working from a syllabus, whether it was in school, music, ballet, or yoga. The detail and progression is so grounding. You build upon the previous lesson. It's logical and doable. The consistency is calming.

I still use this method when I learn anything. I write out my knitting patterns on binder paper. I know that I will remember the pattern better if I have written it out with my own two hands. I make notes of where I am and add in the details. It's much easier to find your spot if you've recorded where you left off carefully.

I still write out recipes on recipe cards, and instructions on paper. I feel more comfortable when I have detailed, clear notes. I especially have to write things down when learning something for computers or technology. I keep my passwords in a little book. My mother did the same thing, and she was very capable with the latest electronics. It takes me some practice to catch up, but I am learning. What exciting times these are. Do you write things down and take notes?