Continuing the theme.

Hats, and I am getting rather tired of them.   I made or finished nine this week, partly because I finished two class ones, and partly because I crocheted a few, which goes faster with worsted weight (#4) yarn and a large (USI-5.50mm or USJ-6.00mm) hook.

The two class projects are a snowflake-patterned hat from the two-handed colourwork class I took at DFW Fiber Fest in September:

And the top-down knitted beanie hat from the Triangle Fiber Guild meeting earlier this month, when we had a virtual lesson from The Knitting Fairy:

In progress, showing how we start using a technique that
leaves no hole to be closed later!  Using up bits of yarn.

The handy thing is that since I wasn't sure how much yarn I had from these two colours, because they were part of a donation bag of leftovers, I could just work until I ran out.  Which I did, having just a couple-few yards of each yarn left, not enough for another row.

In addition to some plain crocheted beanies of ombre yarn, I made one of a new yarn called "Flower Power".  The idea is that you follow the instructions, and the yarn is coloured in a way that it makes the design without you having to change colours.  Instead of turning the item into a square once the flower is done, I worked straight to make it a hat:

There are enough colour repeats to make twelve squares, so since I used three for that hat, I can make four other hats of this style.  I may try doing a top-down hat instead of one both for practice and so that I won't have to worry about ending at the top in the middle of a colour.

Thankfuls 11-20

 

Day 11 - Thankful to all the veterans.

Day 12 - Thankful for the U.S. Postal Service, and a tolerant delivery person who still gets my mail to me despite all the times a neighbor blocks my box.

Day 13 - Thankful for the opportunity to study Torah with Rabbi Salem of Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life - ISJL.

Day 14 - Thankful to be able to finally shut off the work computer and unwind with a movie and crocheting.

Day 15 - Thankful for kind and understanding paramedics, doctors and nurses and ER staff, and supportive home health aides. Also that the damage is mostly bruises and a lumpy head. (As it turned out once all the X-rays and scans were done, Mom has two cracked ribs. Thankful it was not more serious.)

Day 16 - Thankful for a calm Sunday, with nice weather and talking to family, and knitting, and THREE online fiber gatherings. (Plus the Bears beat the Vikings!)

Day 17 - Thankful for the doctor (routine checkup) telling me to "come back in two years".

Day 18 - Thankful for neighbors who can take great photographs of our beautiful sunset:

Day 19 - Thankful I could get out for a midday walk. It was warm and sunny today.

Day 20 - Thankful for food trucks when my day (which started with a 7:00am meeting) goes long and is jampacked and I don't have time to cook. Thankful for the small businesses and other people cooking.

Bits of Autumn

Just a handful of photos from various of my walks.

I love sunlight filtering through some of the leaves, and also clouds!

Thankfuls 1-10

 

I almost forgot this year, but saw a friend posting and was reminded:

Day 1 - I am thankful for LIBRARIES. Today I spent some time at the main library of my county, learning about local and state history, meeting other history nerds, and surrounded by BOOKS!

Day 2 - I am thankful for modern washing appliances, as I have a lot of laundry to catch up on after two weeks of almost nonstop travel.

Day 3 - I am thankful to have a friend to take the ticket to a play I cannot attend; scheduling is always a risk when I buy season tickets, but it's worth it to support local arts organizations.

Day 4 - The ability to vote. I know what some of my ancestors went through to escape oppressive regimes and come to the USA so they could vote. I know what it took for most Americans to be granted the right to vote, when they were previously denied because of gender, race, or socioeconomic status. I cannot understand people who cannot be bothered to vote.

Day 5 - Glad for music. Specifically tonight, an "Opera About Town" performance featuring four people with wonderful voices. Also for my library book club, but I've already cited libraries.

Day 6 - Thankful for Braver Angels and similar groups that are trying to reach across the political divides. I spent part of my evening in a group of people discussing political violence and ways to disperse or avoid it. We agreed that it affects both sides, but is avoidable.

Day 7 - Thankful to have professional organizations that boost individuals as well as the profession, and where I can contribute.

Day 8 - Thankful for a beautiful day and time to spend at the Triangle Weavers Guild Show & Sale, and the Triangle Twisters Sit-and-Spin. Lovely stuff to buy, good food to eat, nice to visit with people.

Day 9 - Thankful for excellent weather on a weekend day when I can get out and enjoy it.

Day 10 - Thankful for a working heating system. (Annual checkup was today, and it passed comfortably.) Also thankful for my community that has at least two "White Flag Warming Centers" for cold snaps like this one, and I see in news reports that many others have opened.

Eighty-Seven Years Ago

On November 9-10, 1938, Kristallnacht or "The Night of Broken Glass".  As one commemoration today said:

Kristallnacht marked a turning point in Nazi Germany -- the moment when years of escalating antisemitic legislation burst into open, coordinated violence carried out by Nazi stormtroopers (Sturmabteilung), SS forces, Hitler Youth, and civilians. On those two days in November 1938, close to 100 Jews were murdered, and approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

It is one of many things we must never forget.  In that memory, tonight many homes are leaving a light burning all night, as a reminder and a signal of sanctuary across the decades.