And Now For Something Completely Different: Knitting

Taking a writing break to make *squeal* baby clothing

Ordered my first Wool and the Gang kit because my long-time physical therapist, Lindsey is pregnant and because WatG had a holiday sale like everyone else and their grandfather (just ask my poor email inbox, great googily moogily). That’s the only way I can shop there. And I have biding my time, kiddies, for such a sale and such a reason witchy rolling of hands together.

I got the “Mia” kit, which is a coming home kit of hat, socks, and baby mittens obnoxious baby cuteness squeal. This is what I do with my infertility feelings, as expressed in Cursive is Magic; I sublimate it into my friends. Next I am going to make something for my friend and poet Madisen Kuhn Lamore’s precious little girl. (She’s here but hasn’t posted in a while; everyone say hi and come back

sentimental 〰

!) I’m thinking either a blanket or Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Surprise Jacket, which is called so because it is knit flat then folded like a physics miracle into a cardigan. Origami knitting!

Knitting maths I understand; all other higher maths have stymied me because my exhausted public school teachers wouldn’t explain the why to me. I have to know why I am doing something. I will never forget the look on my disgusted Trig teacher’s face when I asked her, “But what is a sine and cosine? Why are we using them exactly? Who discovered them?” And she muttered, “Please just sit down and plug in the numbers.” (Maybe she didn’t know? Or that was above her pay grade in her tired mind? Mr. Curtis would have been appalled had I told him. And had I asked him such a question about history or literature or anything, really, he would have asked me to come back after school for a good twenty-minute discussion and a waiting stack of books for me to read. But that’s why he’s my Mrcurtis. I really miss him.

But I digress. Back to knitting and its maths. I think, for Lindsey’s baby, I’m going to shoot for the middle and choose the 3 month size. The baby will be born in November, so it will be cold enough to wear them home from the hospital, and then to keep wearing them through a Virginian winter. Nice forgiving merino wool will stretch with size if needed, so will go through February and the beginning of March of need be, but still be comfy and fit when the baby is newborn. But! Tricky, tricky. I am going to make the mittens squeal in newborn size, because baby mittens 1) need to fit snuggly and 2) are also mainly used to protect the baby from its own sharp fingernails in the beginning as well as the cold. For once they discover their hands, babies are popping those puppies off.

So socks and hat in size 3 months, mittens squeal in newborn size.

And yes, I was smart in choosing the yarn for my intended audience. This yarn, The One Merino, is 100% Superwash Merino wool, which means it won’t shrink when washed, and it can be machine washed! Yay for momma (and daddy!) They do need to be air dried, but not in a fussy, block it back into shape fashion, just drape them over a sweater rack or flop them on a towel with the baby’s nicest Sunday things on top of the washing machine (or the adults’ nicest stuff) and go on with life. I am smrt, S-M-R-T.

The color is a soft “Eucalyptus Green”, very baby appropriate, and so squishy. 87 yards/80 m/50 grams a ball—two balls total.

See how much thought and flat-out pondering I put into my knitting before I even start? There’s Carla energy in them-thar stitches.

I know you want pictures! Here you go, at the bottom. I love how it was shipped! It was packaged up in a lunch bag of sorts of high quality paper; I felt like I was ready for a field trip with my knitting. I expected to find a pbj sandwich and a Coke can wrapped in foil by my mom to keep it cold in there as well. Visceral flashback. Inside were a sticker, my yarn, and the pattern inside its own protective envelope. The pattern is its own little knitting notebook, printed on very nice, thick paper.

This is going to be so much fun, and quick as well. When I am done with this and with Madisen’s daughter’s present, I may whip up some extra sets for the hospital NICU, or just the hats and socks in various sizes for local women’s shelters.

For now, while I am baby knitting squeal and hydrating and resting after four marathon days of writing and editing, resetting my body and mind, I present to you Madisen’s books, written under her maiden name. She’s a marvelous poet and a marvelous person:

Please Don’t Go Before I Get Better

Eighteen Years

Almost Home

Bad at Existing

"Madisen's poetry is thoughtful and makes one feel seen and heard. I can't wait for readers to dive in." -Rupi Kaur, #1 New York Times bestselling author