The first time I cast on the endpaper mitts was the winter of 2006. I had decided to make them because several of the girls in my Purling Peaches Group in Macon wanted to make them.
The hours with my knitters kept me sane. I tried the Italian cast on twice, and then put the mitts down. The pull of toe up socks was calling me, and the figure eight cast on is by far easier to learn.
From 2005 until 2008, I split my time pretty evenly between Macon, GA and New York. The two towns are very different and about the only time I felt any since of normalcy was when I was getting a pedicure with my husband’s niece in the little town of Byron, or sitting with my knitters at the Joshua Cup in downtown Macon.
"The Joshua Cup was a Christian Café," this was whispered to me over a cup of coffee in one of my early visits. I don’t remember what my response was but my I am sure it was something like “Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore,” or more likely “Toto, we aren’t in the Emerald City anymore.”
My life felt fractured until 2009. I spent most of my time in both places, wishing I was somewhere else. When I was in Macon, I missed New York, and when I was in New York, I missed Macon. I left pieces of myself in both places. In New York, there was my career, my friends, my meetings, and my past. In Macon, there were my belongings, my history (packed in boxes), my husband and my dogs.
For five years, this time of year has been filled with McDonald’s drive-thrus, road trip knitting, trips down to Florida to see my mom, country buffets, all you can eat Chinese, chocolate chip cookies, red bull and not enough sleep.
A funny thing happened this year, DH and I both worked up until December 23rd and we are both scheduled to go back to work on January 3rd. I got sick the weekend before Christmas and DH worked 11 days in a row and his first day off was December 34th. As the countdown to Christmas got closer, all I could think was how very much I wanted a Christmas tree this year. I became obsessed with the thought. If we drove down to Macon, would I even be in our house on the 25th. I wanted to wake up on Christmas morning and know where I was. I didn’t want to wake up in motel, I didn’t want to be on the road for 16 hours, I didn’t want to have bad Chinese food for Christmas dinner (my husband’s favorite) and I didn’t want to visit my mom.
I wanted to go to the midnight mass at my church, wake up on Christmas day and go to my normal Saturday meeting, and watch hours and hours of bad cable tv. As it turns out, this is exactly what I got to do. I also got to order in Japanese, knit and nap on my couch, spin on my wheel, and card out 2 pounds of fiber.
It wasn’t the most exciting Christmas I have ever had, but it was drama free. (Actually, kind of thinking that in itself was pretty exciting.)
About three weeks ago, I cast on the endpaper mitts again. I taught myself the Italian cast on. It took about 6 tries, but I did it. I am not sure why, but there is something innately stubborn about me. I can’t stand to lose, and I hate to feel beaten.
The endpaper mitts have been on my “to do list” for a long time now. My “to do” list is a long one. It’s filled with the practical, like dental work and the impractical like running the NYC marathon. I am happy to report that this several of my long term goals were met: I had three crowns put in; I have health insurance; I completed my first fleece to sweater project; after 8 long tedious years of being on and off Weight Watchers I finally made goal weight; and this year for the first time since 2004 with the help of DN, I put up a Christmas tree.
It’s funny, it’s the little things like putting up my first Christmas tree in 6 years that make me think that some day I might actually be able to do some of the bigger things on my list, like doing yoga in India, reading “War and Peace, or running the NYC marathon.
Anyway, we’ll see what happens. BTW, HOORAY, we just got hit with a blizzard, yay! more guilt free knitting time.
