Ceridwen’s Cauldron

I was working on the Ugly Doily on the train this morning when my ball o’ string leapt out of its secure spot in my backpack, rolled down the side of my feet, and across the floor.

Everyone who has ever spent the morning on a crowded Montreal train in the winter knows 2 things: How very little room there is to manoeuvre yourself around to get at the ground and catch an errant ball of string, and how very dirty and wet the floor is (particularly on snowy days like today).

Before I could move, the woman across from me swooped her arm down, grabbed the ball of string, and handed it back to me with a smile. It was mostly undamaged by its time on the floor, (and being string, it’s not a big worry anyway, as I plan to drop this project in the wash once it’s finished.)

“Thanks,” I said. “Nice catch.” We grinned at one another.

The woman beside me looked up from her book.

“Okay,” she said, “We’re all wondering. What are you making?”

So I explained. “Aaah,” she said. “I thought it might be a lampshade, since I saw it had a base.”

And she went back to reading and I went back to crocheting.

I can’t imagine why one would crochet a lampshade, but I thinkit’s a much better explanation than thinking someone would make a doily that hideous.

I am very near to finished the second ball of string, and while Scott picked up a third ball for me at the hardware store (bless him) I left it at home this morning, so I will have very little to do at lunch and on the train ride home. Woe!

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I often overhear people talking about me as I crochet on the train. They are quiet. They think I can’t hear them. But sometimes I do. Sometimes I will also glance up to see people watching me crochet with interest. They usually seem embarrassed when I notice them (the whole not-polite-to-stare thing, I guess, though I don’t necessarily mind them being curious). Very rarely, someone will ask me what I’m making.

Of course, people who are curious don’t always ask, so sometimes I wonder about what they’re thinking. Right now I’m making something out of string, worked in rounds, so basically it’s a big mesh string circle. Frankly if I didn’t know what it was myself, I’d really be wondering, because what it looks like I’m making is the World’s Ugliest Doily.

So as I take the train to work in the morning and home in the evening, I put myself in the shoes of the people who are surreptitiously watching that Girl Who Knits on the Train (I’m not actually knitting, but they mostly don’t know that) and I think I know what they are thinking.

They are thinking “Thank GOD I’m not getting that as a Christmas present.”

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It’s 2:50 on Friday afternoon, and I am *done*. What I want right now is a hot chocolate with marshmallows and curling up near the fireplace with my crochet.

(Yep. Still crocheting. Still enjoying it too, which is a nice plus.)

Leaving at 3:00, even on a Friday when there is Nothing Else To Do would probably look bad, sadly, or I’d be tempted to sneak out the door right now.

Although…

This morning at about 10am I sent my not-quite-yet boss an e-mail telling him the dates I’m taking vacation over Christmas. This was an FYI, I didn’t actually ask permission, since I’m not technically on the project yet – it’s already been approved by my HR rep. So I sent the e-mail…and the next thing I hear is a highly offended…

“Oh REALLY.”

I turned around. My boss sits right behind me. He was looking particularly imperious.

Me: Yes, really.
Boss: Oh REALLY?
Me: Yep. Really.
Boss: OH REALLY?
Me: Really.
Boss: {shrug) All right then.
Me: You know, you’re technically not the boss of me yet. I’m still between projects.
Boss: I thought I had an e-mail around here saying that I actually am the boss of you now.
Me: Nope. Not until January 12th.
Boss: Wow. I’m not even close to being the boss of you yet. Can I … buy you a coffee or something?
Me: Nah. I’ve just filed my timecard for the week. My work here is done. I’m going home.
Boss: Awesome.

One wonders how they expect me to work under these conditions.

(Actually, I’m doing prep reading and writing for my Shiny!New!Project! So it’s not like the day is wasted. Just that I’d rather be somewhere else right now.)

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Between my house and the train station, there is a giant pine tree. Last night, it was a thing of beauty. Its branches were weighted down with snow, and the freezing rain had coated every individual needle with ice. It sparkled in the moonlight.

As I was passing under it, I reached up my hand to brush against one of the boughs. The ice-crusted needles brushed together, making a sound like the tinkling of bells.

Beautiful.

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When I woke up this morning and stumbled downstairs for coffee, the little LED light in the kitchen was on. The LED light lets us know when the weather officially hits REALLY EFFING COLD (that’s the technical term for anything below -12 Celsius), and our electricity becomes more expensive.

I don’t want to know how far below -12 it’s gone, really. I’m done with counting. Anything below that is just truly cold and any number you put on it is just bragging rights. (I’d feel differently, of course, if I lived in Winnipeg, where the radio weather reports tell you how long it takes exposed skin to freeze. Useful information there.) We’ve reached squeaky snow and clear skies, cold enough to bring tears to your eyes and freeze them on your lashes, but not so cold the inside of your nose freezes while you’re walking.

(There are doubtless readers who think that last bit about the tears and the nose freezing are exaggerations. Please accept my assurances that they are entirely true, and be glad they are foreign experiences in your world.)

As I was getting ready to leave (five minutes early, to compensate for the sheer amount of gear I have to get on before leaving to catch the train) I looked in on Scott to say goodbye. He’s now on vacation, and was still in bed with the blankets pulled up to his ears and a cat curled up beside him. And he looked so warm and snug that I hated him just a little bit.

And then I headed out into the Winter Wonderland. There’s no denying that it’s cold, and there’s also no denying that it’s quite pretty outside. We’ve had some freezing rain and the trees are coated in sparkling ice, and everything else is covered in a beautiful white blanket. Nature certainly is putting on quite a show.

I just wish I could watch it without going outside.

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Crocheting with string is not as nice as using yarn.

Also, it smells kind of weird.

No, I’m not trying to make less expensive gifts by using string, nor am I unaware that nicer yarn is much easier to work with. Common string from the hardware store is what this pattern calls for.

You’ll see.

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I woke up this morning and I was done with crochet. No, really. So done. Bring out the books, the handheld video games, the quilting, the laptop for amusing myself during the train rides to and from work, but for the love of all things good and holy, do not hand me a crochet hook and yarn.

Except, of course, I have four Christmas gifts as yet unfinished, and three more that need final touches (a little bit of embroidery, a felt piece here and there). Two of the not-finished projects should be the work of a day to finish, the other two are longer — which even with all other things going swimmingly, might even make them finished and delivered after Christmas. (Perhaps I shall contrive not to see the recipients from now until well after Christmas so my secret is safe. “Oh, I had this for you but I never got to deliver it.” Yes. That should do nicely.)

And as to the being tired of the craft itself…

It’s amazing what a little snow will do to my attitude. Sitting in the train this morning, with it being (MUCH) warmer than yesterday, warm enough to snow, and the flakes falling, it felt very right to have yarn in my hands and be happily turning it into loops and knots. Don’t know how much longer this will last, but for the nonce my interest is revived, and that’s a good thing for my gift list.

Somebody asked for pictures, but it would ruin the surprise in every case but one, and even that I’m not sure about — the recipient might, or might not, be reading. So it will have to wait.

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Scott sent me this yesterday. The American Akira:

What can I say? Youtube videos are my anti-drug.

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….and then exploding space monkeys swarmed Ottawa…

Thank you, John Scalzi.

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It has occurred to me that tonight is the night of the Rick Mercer Report.

Rick Mercer, for the non-Canadians, is likely the most well-regarded political commentator in the country. He is also a comedian, which is one of the reasons we like to listen to him.

Anyway, with the current government being in an uproar, I think I’m not the only one who would like to hear what Mercer has to say. 

(If you’re just tuning in on the government uproar thing: long story short: the current ruling party made the opposition so mad that the left-leaning parties have united to try and form a new government. Yes, that’s legal in our parlimentary system.) Unfortunately, I can’t watch the report, since I don’t have cable TV. I’d ask one of you to tape it for me, but really, I’m just going to look it up on YouTube tomorrow anyway.

Also, the current situation is so interesting that the US blog Making Light even has a thread about it. As always, the post itself is just a jumping-off point for the comment thread.

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