Traces

“Basya had asked me to tag along with her on some errands. That’s how I found myself in a yarn shop that day. I myself hadn’t picked up knitting needles since I was a child, but after spotting a pattern sitting right there on the checkout counter, I felt a craving to knit that absolutely gorgeous baby sweater for my new granddaughter.

“I impulsively purchased the pattern, some luxury yarn, a package of high-end ‘speed needles,’ and headed home, all excited to get started. It hadn’t occurred to me that I might have forgotten how to knit just because 40 years had gone by since I completed my last project!

“I immediately canceled my afternoon plans (like shopping, preparing dinner, returning the accountant’s phone call…) and spread open the pattern. Okay.

This wasn’t so bad… I still (mostly) remembered how to decipher the knitting symbols and instructions. I figured I’d better make my gauge swatch, that little square that will ensure the outfit ends up fitting a three-month-old-baby and not an elephant. All I had to do was cast on some stitches and knit straight for 42 rows. Easy enough.