Happy Birthday to Me!

Since it’s my birthday, here I am in my birthday suit, ca. 1951. This is one of the few family photos I managed to have in my possession before my crazy sister absconded with everything. Cute aren’t I? Yup, it’s that day again. The day I have to add yet another number onto my age. This year I’m the same coming and going: 55. I used to think that I would feel old by my mid-fifties but I don’t. I feel younger than I did 10 years ago. I’ve lost 30 pounds and, although the joints occasionally creak, I can still touch the ground without bending my knees. My hair is only somewhat grey, kind of a sprinkling, but there are a few more wrinkles showing. I like to think I earned the grey hair and wrinkles and pouchy tummy and flabby boobs just by being a mom. Truthfully, it would all have happened anyway — eventually. All I have to do is live long enough! Now I’m aiming for the honourable title of “Crone” but I don’t think I’m quite there yet.

Today I also want to include my first drawing done by my 15-month-old granddaughter. It goes on the fridge in a place of honour! I miss having pictures done by little kids on there. My fridge is quite new, so it hasn’t been “papered” sufficiently like the old one was. Besides my own two irrepressible artists, there were the babysitting kids, the after-school care kids, and the nieces and nephews. I just realized I don’t have as much contact with little ones anymore. I need more grandchildren! Tell my kids to get on with it, eh? I’m not getting any younger — and neither are they!

Some craft content: I’m almost halfway through the current sock feet now and heading for the toes. Darling daughter will be getting these the next time I see her. I already have a new pair for myself in mind: handpainted yarn in greens/golds/rusts/browns that I’ve decided to do in Grumperina’s Jaywalker pattern from the September MagKnits. I was going to do Falling Leaves from the Fall issue of Knitty.com but I don’t like knitting socks toe up and I don’t like short row heels. It was too much trouble to try to adapt the pattern and I’m not sure it’s possible to knit the leaves upside down. Jaywalker is cool — looks like mitred knitting — and it suits variegated yarn. I was getting tired of knitting straight stocking stitch all the time. Though come to think of it, I probably won’t be able to do it on the usual autopilot. More on these socks to come, I’m sure.

Tonight I have to teach a beginner spinner class. I hope they aren’t too difficult this time. Some people just don’t have enough patience with themselves. I like to tell them that in the “olden days” almost every woman (and some men) could spin. Indeed they had to spin. Otherwise there would be no cloth, rope, string, thread, sails, fishing nets etc. It’s amazing how people don’t realize how they are always surrounded by textiles and how, before machines were invented, they all had to be done by somebody’s hands. Aren’t we as smart as people were in the past? We like to think we are anyway. And we often have better equipment too so it should be a cinch. Heh! Of course I don’t show them the 200 thread-ends-to-the-inch handspun handwoven fabric that is possible with just hands and simple tools. And a lot of skill. They can build up to that!