Nesting

I've been nesting the past couple of weeks, thinking about the rental house and what needs to go into making it a home. And while for most chicks nesting means stuff for the house (and it's not like I'm not thinking about that), for me it's turned into a bout of knitting.

While at Candyce's, I started working on my snowdrop shawl in Cashwool, a soft brown merino wool. It's lovely in hand and took Episodes IV and VI of Star Wars to wind from a hank into a ball. An odd measurement of time, but it did actually take me viewings of both movies to complete the winding!

I'd have watched Empire Strikes Back, too, except that it was in the living room when Candyce packed all my movies. The only two DVDs left outside a box were the ones I watched.

As I'm knitting, I feel less tense and stressed. It's a very fiddly pattern for me, being all delicate, so it requires much concentration and that helps take my mind off things that have been making me sad. I've ripped it back several times already, but figure that unless the mistakes are horrendous (such as forgetting the yarn overs), I may just forge ahead. For example, my ssk's are kind of wonky, but no matter, I knit on unperturbed. Mostly.

It's probably the fact that I need to keep my mind focused on things that makes knitting so relaxing for me. While I don't like having to rip back, it doesn't seem to annoy me as much as it should.

In any case, I'm not sure how long this shawl will take. I'm putting in lifelines as I go along to ensure that I don't need to rip all the way back to the first stitch. We'll see how that goes.

Cherubs

I'm sitting at Candyce's computer, wrapped up in one of her bathrobes, listening to the sound of the fish tank gurgling. The cats are in the kitchen, hoping someone will feed them soon, but their mom is still asleep. I'm so grateful for good friends like Candyce, who lift my spirits and let me cry. Friends who stood by me in rough times and gave my little children nicknames when they misbehaved.

It was over ten years ago when Cecily, upon hearing stories of my boys and their active little boy ways started calling them "cherubs" because they so were not. She also nicknamed my obviously wrong boyfriend "Mr. Wrong" and mentioned how he was wrong for me just like her occasional boyfriend was wrong for her. We called him "Mr. Wrong's Cousin."

When I first started working at Regence, I was afraid of Cecily a little. At six-feet tall, she cut an imposing figure, quiet and assured with a wonderfully sardonic sense of humor. The first time I heard her laugh was the day that Lynda, Annabelle and I had to share a conference room with her because she was doing paperwork and the three of us were recording a song I wrote as a farewell for Deborah, another of our coworkers. We finished our recording and Cecily shook her head at us, laughing and telling us we were all nuts.

(And we were, too. Later on, Annabelle and I reprised the song for our VP at a Christmas party. It was pretty funny, if I may say so, being to the tune of "Mr. Sandman" and having to do with the physicians who called us on the customer service phone lines. I still remember most of it even now, but it's much better sung in close harmony...really.)

I haven't been in touch with Cecily since before Rob moved out here. We had lunch and dinner a couple of times after I left Regence, but I was busy with my multiple jobs and we just sort of drifted apart.

Melani left me a message yesterday that Cecily's passed away. I'm so sad and my heart feels like its been stomped on. I haven't seen her in years, yes, but I still call my children Cherubs and still refer to Erik as "Mr. Wrong," and it's all because of Cecily. She was supremely supportive when I went through my first divorce and was just an all-around nice person. Funny, cheeky and she had the best collection of cool eyeglass frames I've ever seen.

Thanks for being my friend, Cecily...I wish I had been a better friend myself.

Snow in July

Snowdrops, actually, as I am once again going to work on Yarn Harlot's snowdrop shawl pattern. I set the pattern aside last year to make baby blankets but would really like to finish one of these shawls.

I already have off-white mohair which I found kind of snarky to work with (just as Steph and Gryph had said...the little prophets), and then saw this here Cherry Tree Hill Orenburg lace yarn (in Monet) at the discount yarn website...and there you go. I bought two skeins of the stuff.

I must be mad.

Candyce came over today after dim sum to help me pack up some stuff. Yay! I'm very glad to have had her company. We gossiped and chatted while putting away my living room thingers, until I ran out of boxes small enough for my books.

The house we're moving into is a 2200 square foot split-level. Dan and I surveyed our furnishings and realized we have only "downstairs" furniture. At some point, we shall have to make like grown-ups and by "upstairs" stuff. At least a couch of some kind. Maybe a light fixture. I dunno. We'll have to finish packing and moving in before we know for sure!