New sweater ribbing

I finished the ribbing on the back of the Hagrid sweater, up to where you change needle sizes and start the "Buckbeak" chart, which has all the cables and the fancy wrapped-stitch pattern on it.




Twisted-stitch work takes longer to do (all that knitting through the back loop), but it certainly looks good.

I also finished the first sleeve of the Basketweave pullover and cast on for the second one.

I am finding again that knitting is kind of soothing. I've used it a lot for that in the past, especially one Christmas vacation when I learned (a) a cousin had committed suicide, (b) a close family member had received a very serious diagnosis (but an early one, thank God, and they managed to beat the problem) and (c), a close friend's husband died suddenly of a heart attack.

Especially big projects seem to help. Part of it may be the "put one foot in front of the other" aspect of it, that it's a long journey with a lot of work to think about, part of it may be that it helps to think that there will be a future time when the thing is completed and you can revel in its done-ness and its object-ness. (I like the idea of how knitters and crocheters and really anyone who makes stuff from a pattern or a blueprint or a recipe can take something that only exists for them as instructions and can make it "real.")

I'm....going to have to think about the prayer shawl. I haven't been able to work on it the past couple days. I don't know if I will get it done in time for the recipient to be able to use it much. I wonder what happens if the person for which someone is making a prayer shawl goes on to their reward before it's done? Is there some group that adopts these shawls and finds them new recipients?

(My friend was in church. She said, "I'm sorry to leave these responsibilities with you" (she and I shared several duties). I didn't know what to say to that (as much as it sounds like something I might say). I kind of choked out an "oh, that's okay, we are managing." What I wanted to say was that if there was any way it would take her health issues and get rid of them, I'd do all her responsibilities forever, but I was afraid it would either come out wrong or I'd start tearing up. I've kind of made my peace with the fact that she's not going to be here much longer, but it still hurts.

I will say our minister is going to trade off with me on some of the duties for now, so I won't have to worry when I go visit family who will manage the Sunday School class. I hate for him to have to take this on, but none of the students in the class were willing (it is an adult class, and we really need more students - well, maybe the novelty of the minister doing it will get some there))

So anyway, at least for today, I'm back to knitting "selfishly."