Knitter's Lament

I spent six hours this morning flying from Boston to San Francisco to visit my son and his family. One of the things I brought with me to pass the time was the shrug that I am knitting. It's an interesting pattern which is knitted in two parts: each starting with the sleeve and working toward the center back which will be seamed together and the front which is held together with a brooch. The left side is finished. The right side is in progress and almost done. Wait! Something's not right. Why does the shaping seem vaguely familiar? You guessed it..... I made two left sides! Just not following directions. I'm not as pissed as I thought I would be. I'm reading "The Yarn Harlot" and I'm learning that I'm not unique. Even the most experienced knitters make mistakes. So I'm back to frogging half of the second piece.

Finally, a day comes with no snow in the forecast and the sun is shining. 50 degrees on March 3rd. If only it would last. Went walking with David and the "children" yesterday. As I was trying to keep Katie away from an elderly dog, I lost my balance and went down on my left side. Ouch! I'm sporting a lovely black and blue mark on my left forearm but I can sleep on my left side with some discomfort. Better than the fall on my face last year!

The Reason Behind the Name

One of my most treasured accomplishments has been to teach expectant couples to relax, breathe and appreciate the miracle of birth. I started offering Lamaze classes when I lived in Chicago. My second child was still in an infant seat beside me as I sat on the floor talking about one of my favorite subjects. I am proud to say that I taught over 2000 couples (and some singles) in my years as an instructor. I no longer teach classes now because, I believe, that childbearing women prefer to get an epidural which erases almost all of the sensation of contractions. A good thing from one point of view; a step backwards when one is in tune with her body and also wishes to share birth with her partner (spouse). I was a labor and delivery nurse for over 20 years. Since epidurals became very popular, my experience was to watch the non-laboring half of the couple be more absorbed in reading, watching TV or sleeping in a fairly comfortable chair rather than being an active participant in the birthing process.

My three children were born in 3 different ways. My daughter was brought into this world with forceps, pulled from a mom who was really drugged up. My first son's birth is a proud memory for me. Not wanting to be "delivered" of my baby, I wanted to know what was going on and push him out myself. I found classes that were an hour away from home since Lamaze wasn't the "in" thing to do back then. Because of what I learned, his birth was a controlled, involved and precious time in my life. My second son was born via Caesarian under an epidural because of a complication. Not wanting to be just the body which was being operated on, I chose to watch the birth in a mirror with my husband beside me. (Remember, I was an obstetric nurse and a Lamaze teacher, so watching wasn't "gross".)

Anyhow, that's the story behind my moniker which is the way I am known on ebay, etsy and loads of other not as interesting sites! If anyone reading this is one of my former students in Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg or Framingham, please get in touch with me. I remember you!

A Brand New Avenue of Communication

Ever since I finished reading "One Fifth Avenue" by Candace Bushnell and learned the power of blogging, I have been tempted to create one for myself. I'm still a little leery of where this will lead, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I don't think that I will share my inner most thoughts with the world....I'll keep that part of my life to myself (or my roommate!).