Let's Keep Each Other Company

Hey everybody,

Here in New York, I’m trying to socially distance myself, and not become a friendly disease vector with blond highlights. You’d think it would be easy: I’m single and work from home, and I’m a low-key introvert (don’t be shocked), so aren’t I used to it?

Not really! As soon as you tell yourself not to go out, that’s all you want to do! As soon as you tell yourself you can sit and knit all day with nobody bothering you, you don’t want to do that anymore, even though it’s your number 1 favorite thing to do.

There’s a Ram Dass quote going around, “We’re all walking each other home.” I think it’s meant to be comforting, but I have a sense where “home” is, and I’m not going quietly into that good night.

But I do love the concept of keeping each other company, in good times and bad, That’s the whole concept of Mason-Dixon Knitting, and Ann and I are going to try to be the best MDK we possibly can for you.

We’re thrilled that the beginning of March Mayhem 2020 coincides with this time of being enforced stay-at-home knitters. This year, we can all really look at the patterns, and transport ourselves for a little while into a world where all that matters is really great sweaters, shawls, accessories, and socks. There’s a lot of trouble, and a lot of anxiety, associated with staying at home for lots of us. Let’s try to lift our spirits.

Life is a rich banquet, and I would love it if people would use this topic in the Lounge as a place to share entertaining stuff that will help us all get through. I am talking about the heavy artillery of mood elevation: corgis and cats. Italians singing to each other from their balconies. All of it!

I’ll start things rolling with a shoutout to the other bracket that is still standing: March Mammal Madness.

This March, it’s knitting patterns, and animals that bear live young. Let’s go! Show us something fun!

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Great idea! I just returned from a
St Patrick’s dinner where we all tried to keep our distance while being friendly. The corned beef and cabbage were great — but the best was fiddlers from Cape Breton. It’s hard to stay depressed while listening to an Irish jig! But after tonight it’s going to be British mysteries, knitting, and beach walks by myself.

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I need some new british mysteries. I may have watched them all. I haved watch all vera episodes twice. We need some more good ones. Hurry up BBC! We are jonsing over here.

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Thank you Kay! I really appreciate you voicing your support and acknowledging that it is difficult for some. It is a reminder that we each handle these times differently. So good to hear your voice!

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This is some unchartered territory we are all living through. Disconcerting sometimes. I want to knit but my focus is haywire

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Out here in the Pacific Northwest, all of the schools are closed. All of them. So seven of my nine grandchildren will be home for at least six weeks. I’m enjoying thinking of things they can do that would be fun but not glaringly educational… just subtly educational. Like playing with money. Or for our 5-year old artist, we give him a prompt every day (like “Draw a picture of you with a superpower that you’d like to have”) and he mails the picture to us every day. Or for the eleven-year old, playing Monopoly with a little American History lesson thrown in there about capitalism…

That’s what’s occupying my mind these days. Of course knitting (I have eight WIPs, and I’m itching to start another one) but also talking on the phone with people I haven’t talked to in a long time. I’m an extrovert, but I have no choice but to get my extrovert needs met electronically or by phone (including Face Time and Zoom) instead of in person. (Though I might meet a friend for breakfast in a few weeks…)

Kay, I love this idea. Count me in.

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Great idea! I’ve looked at Twitter and Facebook more than I might usually in a month! Went for a walk and saw that the streets are quiet. Everyone seems to be at home, really doing the social distancing thing well, as the Prime Minister asked yesterday. I wonder how people who live alone are faring, and I worry a bit about friends and relatives abroad who I haven’t heard from. Yo Yo Ma has some wonderful recordings posted and the Metropolitan Opéra will be streaming every day I believe at 7:30…

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Hi, Kay!

Times are really strange…so strange that this monogamous knitter has TWO projects on the needles! One is a Love Note sweater, and one is a sample for an entrelac pattern that I’m publishing soon. It’s actually for a class I’m teaching…someday!

Just for fun? It snowed here in PDX overnight and all day! Not enough to make travel a problem, just enough to be pretty. It’s really late for snow here; we don’t usually get much all winter.

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I will get my Main Squeeze finished!

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I’m trying to maintain my routine as much as possible. Knitting, painting, drawing. The dog must be walked and fed. Time to clean closets. Transitioning to work from home this coming week — getting necessary software installed on Monday. Oh, and knitting.

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I have about a bazillion projects. Some have a due date, like the centerpiece sail boats I am making for our daughter’s wedding on may 16th. Oy. She asked me to make driftwood sailboats since they are being married in a marina. Ok I have the drift wood. I figured out that you can use epoxy to anchor it because driftwood bits do not actually 1.float and/or 2. stay upright when a sail is rigged upon them. The first one I made I tinted teal. The bride to be nixed the idea. She said she does not like teal. It does not match the blue of the tables and further: one should be able to choose between blue and green and therefore teal is forever objectionable. I also poured into a styrofoam mold.As it turns out, epoxy does not ever release from styrofoam. Lesson learned. More research revealed that molds are made of silicone. But there are no boat shaped molds to be found in the kingdom of amazon. Finally after years, okay minutes, of searchng, I found some bread loaf shaped silcone pans and I was back in the boat loaf business.
Okay, I reply, How about a clear epoxy base? No lady B says, too plastic. It is not in keeping with the rustic sail boat vibe. This is all in texts, mind you because no one actually speaks anymore, Do I sound old and cranky? I have raised four high spirited chidren and done hardly any physical harm to any of them. On purpose.
Ok. Sigh. Once upon a time I bought a jar of shell bits at Michaels, for no other reason than they were pretty. I subversively poured an epoxy base with the shell bits in/over it and We, as in the Royal We, gave her blessing.
I only have two bread pans and they take 24 hours to harden. I am making slow progress. Then there will be sails, to bead and light.
send beans and rice! Maybe someday I will learn to type but I doubt it.

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Thanks Kay. I would love to be back in Rome right now, where people today gave a standing ovation to their medical workers at their doorsteps and windows , and where no one is crowding out the Trevi fountain. In Chambersburg, Trenton today we’re hunkered down with our 28 year old quarantined in our second floor loft. It all was remote until yesterday. We rigged a basket on a rope and have been sending meatloaf and diet coke, life savers, Dayquil and mango sorbet up regularly. I’m trying to concentrate on a mohair version of the Ursa. Love to all!

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I know exactly what you mean. Last winter we had the Polar Vortex and the mayor & governor were like, don’t go out you will die. All of a sudden the only thing I wanted to do was go out to literally anywhere.

We’ve been on mandatory work from home until Monday. I’ve had plenty of work to do but found time to putter and knit and do needlepoint.

Today is my 46th birthday and I was bummed to spend it at home. But it ended up being a nice day of home cooking, nice wine and rootling around in my stash.

I also found time to put googly eyes on my husband’s bananas.

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Hey Kay!

I’m in central New York where we just had a case of Covid-19 and our schools are shut down for a month. Luckily in the country we can get out and walk. Jesse and I decided to run the monstersockkal early this year so scrappy sock lovers will have a little something to do. Sit tight- this will be over faster than you know.

Sue

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Thank you for this. I know exactly what you mean - suddenly feeling unable to knit in the midst of all the scariness. I counted last night: I have 16 WIPs. Today however, I couldn’t concentrate on knitting (ha! Maybe that is why I have 16 WIPs?)
Anyway, I am thinking of the last audio book I finished, Still Life by Louise Penny. It seems like the start of a good mystery series. Now I am starting the Elena ferrante series and it is better than I was expecting. I definitely recommend both series if any readers out there are looking for something.

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Louise Penny’s mysteries get better in each successive book…keep going!

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Hello Kay

Thank you for this! It’s really a brave new world, or a new world requiring a lot of bravery, or something in between those poles!

Here in NZ we’re heading toward the end of stonefruit season and the start of quinces and apples so there is no end to the possibilities of jam-making, which is always diverting! (If you want a project to occupy you for days, may I offer up quince paste?) :rofl: :rofl:

Does have an impact on the knitting time, though … !

Also finding that books are great friends in times like these. (But when are they not great friends??)

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Hilary Mantel’s latest tome, installed on my iPad in its 38 hour long audiobook gloriousness, couldn’t have come at a better time! Travel plans postponed (sounds better than “cancelled “), pantry stocked, liquor cabinet crammed full, and YARN! Like a really, really long snow day when you’re suddenly given the gift of time, the best gift of all. Knit on!

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I am trying hard to find something special to do each day. Last night we pretended to be back in Bermuda with a dark and stormy followed by bowls of fish chowder after a walk on the beach. We watched Broadchurch which I recommend. Since there is no church today I plan to go through my stash and figure out what will go on my needles when I finish the my second sock. Enjoy your Sunday.

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I live alone and am pretty much a homebody so I’m not terribly upset to be here. However there are a few events I am looking forward to and am sure they will end up being canceled. Sigh. So I will manage with 2 corgis and an Aussie for company and 20ish Pygmy goats to care for. Looking forward to new babies next week to go with the 2 sets of triplets we have. And lots of knitting time. I cast on a Weekender to keep the other WIPs company.

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