8 October 2013
I chase the orange setting sun in the remainder of these shorter days, feeling a tragic loss of sunlight after starting my morning too late. My body, sleeping soundly, is never present at the first gleam of dawn, and my tiredness spirals deeper throughout the humdrum of the day.
“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.”
Proverbs 4:18 NLT
I refuse to live detached from any season, especially the whimsical fall. These months have the potential to be the most therapeutic of all, inspiring transformation; deeper discoveries in myself, and my surroundings. I am always attempting to change the ambiance in our place with every new season– both in decorating and de-cluttering. After I have gone through our compacted closets and have made a clean sweep around our apartment to remove the things we no longer need, I feel refreshed and capable of letting all my creative ideas pour like fresh water into my thirsty mind. The old and outgrown things are then handed down to friends, sold to Buffalo Exchange, or donated to our friend’s homeless ministry.
It is liberating and a joy to give away the things that we no longer have use for; knowing that somebody else in the world will find it sufficient for their needs. Evie outgrows her clothes and shoes almost twice a year, and it warms my heart to hear her thoughts of someone she is giving her things to. Out of love, her friends have kindly given her their own treasures. These exchanges leave a true impression of the virtue of giving, and I am grateful for these children that are living examples of such kindness to her. I think we learn most about how to give when we experience the joy of receiving– and through this, it sparks the desire in us to share that same joy with others.
Junipero Serra Museum
In the fall, nature sheds such beautiful things at no cost– giving us materials to produce wonderful things with our own hands. It is the perfect time for us to collect woodland treasures and disposable decorations which we have been wanting to bring home since late summer. Up the side steps from the Junipero Serra Museum in Presidio Park, there are heaps of pine cones in the bushes. I feel like I get to re-live my childhood as I explore with my darling Evie. On this hill, the park staff pile up dead palm tree leaves and trimmed branches. I bring Evie to this hill once in a while to get her nature fix– collecting leaves and breaking the sticks off of already sawed branches. She could destroy an entire park landscape in an hour if I told her it was acceptable. Every flower would be picked, every leaf and branch broken off, and patches of grass would be uprooted. In her innocence and reasoning, she needs to make stews and nests for the animals that are not being cared for. She thinks that all animals should be pets, and have an owner that would care for them and feed them daily. I get to share with her that our heavenly Father feeds them, and it makes her happy knowing they aren’t neglected {Matthew 6:26}. I am a bit afraid that if she ever had a pet, there would be excessive feeding and a lot of terrorizing– this is the manner in which she loves her stuffed animals, and her first real beta fish, poor Teken.
It is more rewarding to pick up a soft skein of worsted yarn and produce something satisfying, than driving to a shop and purchase fingerless gloves that do not literally fit like a glove. After a week of watching documentaries with my husband on my laptop, bottoms glued onto our forest green suede-like sofa and backs pressed against faux fur white throw pillows, I finally completed three sets of noir tricoté des mitaines (black knitted fingerless gloves)! I like to use French words to describe my projects because it always sounds better than English. Vous voyez? The hours knitting a set of gloves are soon forgotten after I try them on, and I also feel as though I’ve gained knowledge of the world while watching: Happy People: A year in Taiga, China’s Mega Dam, Pururambo, Park Avenue, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, and listening to a few audio (dramatized) books in the bible on the Bible Gateway app. I’ve become so accustomed to movies and productivity combined; that if I were to simply watch a movie by itself, it would feel like wasted time.
Evie’s fingerless gloves were quickly crocheted using this lovely ‘Fingerless Gloves with a Bow’ pattern that has been archived in my bookmarks for a few years. I am constantly bookmarking in my web browser, pinning, or searching in Ravelry for new ideas and patterns so that when I do get the chance to knit, I have endless options in front of me. Evie wasn’t too excited about black gloves, but the bows gave way to approval. She also requested her name in pink embroidery thread and the number 4, for her age, to be stitched on the palm of each glove. I will probably knit her a mini-size pair like mine (below) because I like the stretch in ribbing and how much more insulated it feels. I’m sure if I used 100% wool, it would be very warm; despite the exposed fingertips.
Noir Tricoté Des Mitaines
View the original pattern by Life In Cleveland HERE.
To knit these fingerless gloves, the pattern calls for double-pointed needles (DPN’s), which are pointed at each end and work similarly to circle-needles where you knit in the round. There is no need to reverse stitches in each row, like you would on straight needles. Knitting in the round for gloves, socks, hats, and other tube like pieces of garments (sleeves, pant legs…etc.) create a seamless product; meaning, you do not have to sew up a side seam.
If you are petite like me, you can always go down a size of DPN’s which is what I did. I used a size 6 and 7. I did make a few adjustments for a custom fit, but did not change the overall results:
Sizes:
Small(Large)
My adjustments:
CO 32(40) with size 7 DPN’s
For the ribbing at the cuff, I did 15(20) rounds
And at the end of the gusset, when you start knitting plain rounds, I knitted 7(12) rounds
Switched to 6 DPN’s before you work the last 5 more rounds of the glove.
After the gusset has 13 stitches between the markers, I would probably knit about 5 more rounds before removing the markers– so that the thumb has a little more warmth.
Sunset from the Junipero Serra Museum in Presidio Park
JENA
JENA 