BeverlyArmyWilliams – Page 92 – Beverly Army Williams

Chim-Chiminee

Maybe it’s the holidays, maybe it’s the contentment of knowing Neal and I will be married next year, but I’m feeling happy and enjoying the things of my childhood. I asked my mom about the red-white-and-blue pin. She doesn’t remember it, but I think she may when I show her the green pin I purchased last week.

Anyhow. What’ got me so happy now is the new Kate Gilbert pattern for her Lise socks. Tell me they are not the most adorable things you’ve ever seen; I cannot wait to cast on for a pair, pom-pom and all! Don’t you just want to prance about with those inside your serious boots? Now that’s the way to dress for work.

I’m also basking in what may be my most very favorite movie: Mary Poppins. Every song, one after the other, is familiar to me. One song, in particular, evokes so many memories. My grandfather was a chimney sweep, and he loved to hear us sing "Chim-Chiminee". Whenever I hear it or sing it myself, I think of him, of his blue workshirts, of being quiet in the house so he could sleep after a long night’s work (he was also a steam cleaner, which meant he was working in restaurants after they closed), of the smell of him when he came home from a job. On his gravestone my gramps had a chimney sweep carved, along with this little poem: "Say a prayer and touch the sweep, and you will have good luck all week." He had a great sense of humor and used to say that this way he’d always have people praying over his grave.

So if you have a fireplace, when you get it cleaned next, be sure to shake hands with your sweep, say a little prayer, and luck is sure to follow.

Christmas Arrives

We negotiate the start of the holiday season in our house. I try to get as early a date as possible, and Neal tries for as late a date as he can get. This weekend was the agreed upon date, and I knew the season had officially started at Tilly’s Mew (our name for the house…we live in the kind of town where people name their homes, so we did, too–as a joke, people, as a joke) when the Nutcracker Suite filled the house. While Neal worked on the bathroom renovation, I turned a pair of socks and a few buttons into this cutie from Martha Stewart’s Holiday issue. I used the cuffs of a (sort of) felted cashmere sweater for his ears. House decorating will have to wait until the end of the week. On Thursday I’ll be in Westchester, and while I’m there I’ll pick up my ornaments, which I haven’t seen since Christmas 2003. Most of them belonged to my Gram, so I’ll be glad to have them back in my care.

Last Thanksgiving, on the bus ride from Rome to Pompeii and back again, I knit this Cherry Garcia neckwarmer. I love the pattern and will knit it again, but you may recall that I only learned to knit in such a way that got me a decent gauge in January of this year (nothing like waiting eight years to figure that one out, huh?). So the neckwarmer was way big, and the wool ended up being pretty itchy. Not what you want against your neck, now, is it? What, oh what is a girl to do?

How about sew up one end, felt it, and line it.

Make sure there are handles and a smashing button, and call it a purse. Check off another finished Christmas gift.

I recently got a gift of my own. Kimberly sent me these adorable stitch counters after I admired her hippo. They make me smile every time I look at them. Thank you so much!

Antique Store Finds

This was an impulse purchase when I stopped in to the new antique store down the street. I had a couple of other things in my hand, was nearly checked out, when my childhood came rushing at me. I remember a red-white-and-blue pin of similar material from the celebrations of ’76. I’ll have to ask my mom whether that was her pin or Gram’s. Keep your fingers crossed that it remains in a bureau drawer at my mom’s house. I think I’ve found an item I would dearly love to collect. There were two more at the shop, and I may have to go back for them this week. This one will look smashing on my camel-hair winter coat.

These two hankies also came home with me. My auntie (after whom I’m named) was quite the traveler, and she would often bring me a hanky from exotic locations. I still have them, along with the strawberry-dotted one I bought at RSC when I saw Othello there. I know I’ll come up with a fabu sewing project for them–perhaps a quilt?

I couldn’t resist this little paint box. I dabble in watercolors, and this just called out to me. Would you like to see it opened?

Tomorrow: A package from Germany and Christmas Arrives at Tilly’s Mew.

Love Me Some Handpainted Yarn

I do, I do. Yesterday I bought my first skein of Lisa Souza, in the Violet’s Pink Ribbon, of course. Part of the proceeds goes to help one of my favorite podcasters with her medical expenses, so send good wishes Violet’s way, and go buy pretty yarn from Lisa.

When Scout asked this summer if I would be interested in writing an article she’d pitched, I agreed. I had so much fun interviewing different hand painted yarn artists, and I hope you enjoy reading the article. I wish I could have been even more comprehensive–every day I run across hand painters who are new to me whose work I love.

I’ve published a few poems (the first was about the American hostages held in Iran, published by my local weekly…I started young!), some prose work, tons of pr crap (paid practice), but having an article in Knitty is exciting to me. It’s a publication I love (who doesn’t?), and it is so much fun to write about my other obsession: fiber. If you’re visiting me for the first time from Knitty: hi and welcome!

There was an enthusiastic response to the idea of The Organized Elf, so I’m working on a blog for us. I don’t want to wear out my welcome with my usual source for fantastic banners as she is already stretched pretty far, so if anyone is interested in making buttons, I’d love to have them. Maybe one of them will become a banner for our year-long project. Scout tried to school me on the art of buttons and banners last year, but I spent some time getting frustrated last night, unable to recall my lessons. I’m a bad student!

Looking for a Cool Gift?

I saw one of her pendents on Turkey Feathers and thought "A-ha! What a great Christmas gift idea." I e-mailed Tabetha, and she’s in the process of making ornaments from my photos for two people on my gift list (shhh, it’s a secret). After the holidays, I plan to ask her to make my banner into a pendent so I can wear PoMo Golightly sorta like Carrie Bradshaw used to wear her name in script on a necklace. Ok, maybe not so much, but in my world, I’ll be just like Carrie. Because in my world, Carrie and I are bff. And the show’s not over. And the girls are real people, too. And I have the cutest NYC apartment you ever saw.

So, yeah, Tabetha is running a special and will create a pendent for you for $20 + shipping. Act fast and she can probably get it to you for holiday giving.

Speaking of holiday gifts, tell me what you think of this idea. Blogless Sara and I have been getting together on the occasional Saturday for Christmas Crafting, and we often bemoan the fact that we’d like to give all handmade gifts, but don’t start early enough in the year. While there are other holiday knit-alongs ready to happen come January (and I’m joining them!), here’s my twist on it: I want to create a blog where I’ll feature a craft that I plan to make during each month, along with links and/or directions. I’m thinking about hand made calendars and sewing kits and hand mitts and purses, and I know there is more that I’ll think up in the next few weeks. Really, what I envision is a place to be an organized elf, to produce multiples of fabulous hand crafted gifts, perhaps even striking up some gift swaps so that we all have more variety in our gift baskets. Actually on today’s walk with the mutts, I was thrilled to come up with the phrase "The Organized Elf," which is what I’ll call the blog.

Any takers?

Pragmatic

I’m the Creative Child in my family of five kids. Since I can remember, that’s how my mom and sibs have referred to me, how they’ve excused my differences from them. I think they’re all creative, they just fear that calling themselves that means they’re weirdos like me. ‘Tevs. I live in my little world of snow fairies and magic and books and don’t much mind who joins me here. All (ok, most) are welcome.

I do have a pragmatic side, though. A Yankee side. A sh*t or get off the pot side. And when my older sister said that Neal and I should see if there is a tax benefit to getting married this year rather than next, I agreed. Neal agreed. We’ve both been married before. We could be pragmatic and have a small family wedding if it meant some serious cash in our pockets. I’ve been poor; I like money in my pocket. Since the weekend we’ve been trying to figure logistics for our possible quicky wedding.

Neal called the accountant yesterday and found out the benefit isn’t that great. So the quicky wedding isn’t going to happen. I admitted to Neal that I’m relieved. I’m glad to be pragmatic, but I’m happier to know that I’ll be able to enjoy myself and take my time in planning our wedding. Of course, it’s the marriage that is important, but last time around we both had small weddings. Mine was in my parents’ living room followed by dinner at a lovely restaurant. Neal’s was in his parents’ yard. This time around, I want everyone we know there. I want a hootinany, and that’s what I’ll have. Just have to set a date, and I’ll go into full-on planning mode.

Creatively, of course.

Meathead, Meathead

I finished my Meathead hat a while ago, but just took the photo today. I pose everything on the same chair, have you noticed? I like that chair. It’s the one I use at the table.

This pattern was a super quick knit. I love the swirling effect from the decreases, and the ability to embellish the hat with whatever is fun. I tried out a number of different options before deciding on this button from my gram’s button jar. This hat is going to a sweet tween, and I thought the button would be suitable—fun, but not too much. If you want to see some of the far more creative embellishments, visit the Flickr pool for the Meathead-along.

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes on my engagement. Neal and I are as happy as can be, already planning our party. While we haven’t yet set a date, I think we’ll have one by the end of the week.

I want to thank you all for your book suggestions, too. I’m still not certain what to teach my 102 students, but contenders right now are Jane Eyre, A Star Called Henry (Roddy Doyle), and Frankenstein. I have a lot of kids of Irish descent, so I may go with the Roddy Doyle book. Many people suggested that I teach something by Jane Austen, and while I adore her, she is not typically popular among male students. Oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly), Jane Eyre is quite popular with the males. Next decisions: what poems to teach? What play to teach? (well, that I KNOW will be Shakespeare. My MA thesis was written about Antony and Cleopatra. I lurv Shakespeare. If he were alive now, I’d want his love child. I’d even stalk him until he accommodated me. I’m not even kidding.)

The Face of Love

As many of you know, today is World AIDS day.

Once upon a time there was a woman whose husband contracted HIV. She didn’t know that she was a carrier. Already a mother to several older children, she had a beautiful healthy son and a few years later a baby girl. Not long after baby Z’s birth, the husband learned that he had HIV; the woman learned she was a carrier; the family learned that the beautiful baby girl was infected.

She was a slip of a girl when I met her. She controlled her brothers with a glance of her big brown eyes or a frown on her lovely lips. She was raised in the hospital as much as in her troubled home. Her doctor, who adored little Z, promised her that if she made it to her 16th birthday he would buy her a car. Everyone who met Z hoped she’d make it that long; she knew she would. She wanted that car. She wanted to live.

And she did. She grew into a beautiful young woman. She got the car, but she never managed to pass her driver’s test. Z studied hard at school, went to the prom, graduated and started college. She was living on her own for the first time, another milestone everyone hoped she’d reach; a milestone she knew she would.

But Z got embarrassed to take her prescription cocktail in front of her roommates. She didn’t want anyone at school to know about her disease. She wanted to be normal for once. Just another girl who liked clothes and getting her hair done and boys and hanging out with friends.

She got sick. She had to leave college. She faded before the eyes of those who loved her.

On her 19th birthday, a crowd gathered with pizza and cake and even a family dog in her hospital room. Z glowed with joy. Her brothers doted on her, teased her, and loved her. She grew tired, and as people left the celebration, she held each hand, accepted each kiss and told each person that she loved them.

Not long after, Z passed away, AIDS taking this beautiful young woman who had the grace to smile even as she lay dying.

The face of love, as the singer reminds us, is a smile, thrown up in the face of despair.

Z will always be the face of love.

He Asked…

and I said "yes."

For the Sake of Research

Go here. This explains it all. As a former member and probably future member of MLA, I encourage you to help this researcher out. Because, as we all know, knitbloggers rock, and world domination is soon to be ours. I heard about this via Norma’s blog where I lurk on a regular basis.

Honestly, this graduate student has such a sad paragraph in his post. He’s afraid he’s going to have this party and no one will come. So go visit, ping, and help a guy out. Show him what we’re made of, friends!

Big news coming soon, for reals!

Author: BeverlyArmyWilliams