My First Mittens


Readers may find it beggars belief, but these same hands knit both of these mittens. Sadly, the perfect mitten was the first ‘knitten’. It took me all of twenty-four hours under the watchful eye of my expert Nanny S. in Newfoundland. Clearly, I was able to channel the skill of my Newfoundland Foremothers on this one, not to mention ask my grandmother every step of the way what I should do next. No pattern by the way – just frequent trying-ons.

The second mitten, after returning to the Big Smoke, took over a month of dithering and was completed finally on the inaugural Friday Night Knitting Club just held here. It looks like it was made more for an Alien than human hand. What may not be clear are what look like several pairs of tiny vampire teethmarks, scattered around the second, deeply flawed mitt.

Along with living in infamy on the internet, this pair may be headed straight for a glassed-in frame on the wall where they can be preserved for posterity. For now, I am still a Newfie Princess in training.

Feels Like I’ve Finished Principal Photography on Titanic

And I don’t mean in that sinking ship way, more in that the biggest part of capturing it all on film is done. Now I’m in the zoomed in stage doing some reshoots, closeups, maybe even a little C.G.I. and definitely some cutting and pasting. The stuff you do once the cast has mostly gone home, and you’re pretty much on your own. But I’m happy to be at this stage. Many times it would have been hard to imagine ever arriving here.
I’ve got this lovely new little red netbook that I can carry on one finger, so I’m instantly more portable and motivated to work on the move. Looking forward to hoisting anchor and picking up some speed on the open ocean. Think good thoughts for me. I’m going to need them as I navigate around.