Four years ago today, Robert and I were married at my parents’ home in Montana. It was such a beautiful day, despite the smoke from all the forest fires burning nearby (my parents were evacuated from their home only a couple of days after the ceremony–We’re lucky we didn’t have to cancel the wedding!) Here is one of my favorite snapshots of us shortly after we exchanged vows:
We look so young…and well rested. Kids, as marvelous as they are, sure take a lot out of you!
Robert looks good too, even though he was in a car accident the night before. His father had volunteered to be the designated driver and was chauffering the babysitter back to her home and Robert to the motel. On their way into town, a deer leapt out in front of them. Robert’s father tried but was unable to avoid hitting the animal. The deer was hurt pretty badly and the car was smashed up. Luckily no one suffered any serious injuries!
It makes me sad to think about Robert’s father and the beautiful girl who babysat the young children that weekend. Both have passed away.
I remember the fits that veil gave me. It didn’t want to stay perched on top of my too fine hair. I loved the dress, although it probably wasn’t the best thing to wear a long sleeved silk dress when temperatures were soaring above 100 ° F.
You can see my best friend, Kira in the background. She’s the one with the beautiful (fake! lol!) hair. She’s currently flying tour groups over Hoover Dam. She’s the more adventurous one of us 
Early that morning, Kira and I went to a beauty salon my mother had recommended to get our hair and makeup done. It was a lot of fun, but we walked out of there looking a lot like Tammy Baker. As soon as we got back to my parents’ home, Kira redid her hair and I scrubbed off all the makeup which they had caked onto my eyes. Just thinking about that makes me giggle!
Ah, the memories!
I love you Robert. Here’s to many more wonderful years together!
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I know I have to knit something when images of it continue to float through my brain long after I first discovered the pattern. Recently, that has been happening with Klaralund, a pattern from the new Noro book by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton:
Besides the beauty of Noro Silk Garden, what I find attractive about this sweater is its shaping. There’s something delightfully bohemian about it. I can just picture myself wearing it in some artsy Seattle coffee house where I’ll spend hours writing bad poetry and watching the eclectic clientele pass through.
I’m sure you can imagine how pleased I was to learn that Miz Froggy and Miz Wendy will be hosting a Klaralund Knit Along this fall! I signed up immediately. Now, I just need to determine if I’m going to use some of the yarn I already have in my stash which I was going to use for the Debbie Bliss scoop neck cardigan, or if I’m going to splurge and by some new yarn. Hmmm…I still want the cardi…and I can’t have too many sweaters made out of Silk Garden, can I???
Speaking of images that persistently place themselves before my mind’s eye:
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During my recent excursion to Bainbridge with the PurlyGirls, Jessica jokingly commented that I would be better off if I took a Xanax (or drank a couple of gin and tonics) before knitting. Her funny comment got me to thinking about how I strive for perfectionism with my knitting. Is it a good or bad thing?
When I asked my husband if my perfectionism was a problem, he promptly responded “only when you strive for it” and then burst out laughing. He didn’t think it was such a funny issue at another point in time when I asked him if the holes created by my increase stitches in Audrey were an eyesore. He told me that I was driving him crazy worrying about it, since no one would ever notice the holes, especially since the garment wouldn’t be stretched out even 1/10th of what I was doing to the knitting to display the “problem.” He told me to accept that there would be little holes here and there and to MOVE ON. I had to admit that he was right and that if I kept ripping out and redoing the problem spot I would (a) wear out my yarn; and (b) NEVER finish the sweater in a million years. Thank goodness for his honesty!
In response to Laura’s post about this same issue, Jessica commented that she thinks a person would be doing themselves a disservice by striving for perfection, because it only makes you feel frustrated—perhaps frustrated enough to give up knitting altogether. There are times when I have to acknowledge that she has a good point. I *have* felt like giving up when a project doesn’t work out as well as I imagine it should have. I tell myself that I’m a terrible knitter, that I’m not worthy of wielding Addi Turbos or handling beautiful Rowan yarns.
While fully acknowledging the problems perfectionism can create and that I don’t actually want to make something that looks like it was spit out by a machine, I’m not ready to give it up altogether. I take a great deal of pride in knitting something really well, in creating even stitches and making smooth seams. In fact, I’m really not disturbed that it may take me two to three times as long to knit something carefully since it will mean that I’ll end up with something I’m really proud of—something that can stand up to close scrutiny.
After thinking about this issue for awhile, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do need to take Jessica’s advice and relax a little, to accept that there will be some irregularities in my knitting. This may help me enjoy the process a little more. At the same time, I’m not going to overlook any errors that nag at my conscience in the vain hope that they will go unnoticed. I’ll still rip out and re-knit those problem spots.
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