Knitting Clinic With Tea and Cakes
I've got some actual knitting content today. Actual pictures of humans knitting. No, really, no kidding.
Keep in mind also that the humans knitting in the following photos are not just knitting. NO. And not just eating treats, either. No, they are in the process of actively not grading papers, or writing papers (or in my case writing various proposals upon which the faculty is supposed to be voting in a couple of days). Willfully and actively not doing these things concerning paper, even though in some cases writing on the papers had been going on at 4:00 AM earlier that day, accompanied by weeping.
Oh, yes, and there was indeed one point at which one of the guests brought out papers and actually started grading. We broke the party up at that point. It's finals week. We can't be Completely Frivolous.
But we got in a good three hours of non-paper activity. The Knitting Clinic with Tea and Cakes was such a success that I believe I'll do it next year.
Here's the cake, a Lavender Pound Cake (various other things are in the picture too, but it's the Lavender Pound Cake I was concerned about. This is because, impressive as cooking with lavender is, if you put too much in, things taste like soap -- and this cake has a good two tablespoons of lavender in the mix.) (Well, it's not so much that things taste like soap -- it's more that they seem like they taste like soap. Which, given the way humans are wired, ends up being pretty much the same thing.)
And a photo of Anna, Kristianne, and Amanda, with Treats:
And Jenny and Rita, also with Treats:
And! Actual Knitting! Told ya:
Collectively, we knit on scarves, socks, dishcloths, and an Ab Fab throw. We learned, or taught, depending on who we were, The Purl Stitch and How To Make Your Way Around a Sock on Tiny Double-Pointed Needles. We looked at books that would pull in way too much money on eBay if I moved on to some other hobby and put them up for sale.
My favorite quote of the afternoon: "Now. What do I do with these sticks to make this 'purl' thing?" Academics. So precise.
When we can, we get together on Friday afternoons for a group we call, surprisingly, "Creating Text(iles)." We haven't been able to meet for the entire spring semester, because of interviewing new professors, and having meetings, and some other stuff I can't remember now.
I'm convinced that academics MUST have hobbies that reside in three dimensions. A friend of mine swears by home improvement projects. Those are good. Also cooking. Or any athletic activities, preferably with a lot of either running or lifting weights. But knitting. You can carry it around. And you end up with Useful Artifacts.
Here's what we decided we need to work on next: Retro Pineapple Doilies.
Very Useful Artifacts. We need LOTS.
Keep in mind also that the humans knitting in the following photos are not just knitting. NO. And not just eating treats, either. No, they are in the process of actively not grading papers, or writing papers (or in my case writing various proposals upon which the faculty is supposed to be voting in a couple of days). Willfully and actively not doing these things concerning paper, even though in some cases writing on the papers had been going on at 4:00 AM earlier that day, accompanied by weeping.
Oh, yes, and there was indeed one point at which one of the guests brought out papers and actually started grading. We broke the party up at that point. It's finals week. We can't be Completely Frivolous.
But we got in a good three hours of non-paper activity. The Knitting Clinic with Tea and Cakes was such a success that I believe I'll do it next year.
Here's the cake, a Lavender Pound Cake (various other things are in the picture too, but it's the Lavender Pound Cake I was concerned about. This is because, impressive as cooking with lavender is, if you put too much in, things taste like soap -- and this cake has a good two tablespoons of lavender in the mix.) (Well, it's not so much that things taste like soap -- it's more that they seem like they taste like soap. Which, given the way humans are wired, ends up being pretty much the same thing.)
And a photo of Anna, Kristianne, and Amanda, with Treats:
And Jenny and Rita, also with Treats:
And! Actual Knitting! Told ya:
Collectively, we knit on scarves, socks, dishcloths, and an Ab Fab throw. We learned, or taught, depending on who we were, The Purl Stitch and How To Make Your Way Around a Sock on Tiny Double-Pointed Needles. We looked at books that would pull in way too much money on eBay if I moved on to some other hobby and put them up for sale.
My favorite quote of the afternoon: "Now. What do I do with these sticks to make this 'purl' thing?" Academics. So precise.
When we can, we get together on Friday afternoons for a group we call, surprisingly, "Creating Text(iles)." We haven't been able to meet for the entire spring semester, because of interviewing new professors, and having meetings, and some other stuff I can't remember now.
I'm convinced that academics MUST have hobbies that reside in three dimensions. A friend of mine swears by home improvement projects. Those are good. Also cooking. Or any athletic activities, preferably with a lot of either running or lifting weights. But knitting. You can carry it around. And you end up with Useful Artifacts.
Here's what we decided we need to work on next: Retro Pineapple Doilies.
Very Useful Artifacts. We need LOTS.
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