Like a Bird on the Wing?

Like a bird on the ... wait ... 

No wings for this guy yet. Lolz...seems appropriate for a day that we're going to visit prison. Unlike my brother-in-law, though, this bird will get his wings this afternoon. In fact, a few of his feathers are already finished.

For anyone who might wonder, visiting someone in prison is hard. Pre-Covid, we visited about once a month, and it was difficult, but we had it down to a routine. These days, our visits are far less regular...and the motivation to schedule each visit is scarce. Still, since we are generally his only visitors and contact with the wider world, we are trying.

Unlike the depictions I've seen on TV and in the movies, we can't take in photos, books, gifts or anything to share with him, not even a stick of gum or a slip of paper. We enter the facility, obtain our badges and lock up our belongings before we walk to the building where visits take place. Just the clothes on our backs and a government issued ID are all we may have with us. 

And a credit card for the vending machines. Who wouldn't love to share a meal with loved ones from a vending machine? Well, our inmate appreciated his microwaved, frozen chicken sandwich, Nacho Cheese Doritos chips, Payday candy bar and Dr Pepper today, and we are glad for that.

We are allowed one hug of greeting, and one at departure, visiting seated on molded plastic lawn chairs on opposite sides of a small table between hugs. This morning, we had much to catch up about, since it has been 8 months since our last visit. Family news, job news (his and ours), newsy news...our time together drags between topics and races through the words that make us laugh or want to cry. It's awkward every time.

When the visit is over, we walk back to the entrance/screening building and collect our things for the drive home. We are both spent, and I may or may not have taken a three hour nap this afternoon. But I've gotta get back to those wings! 

Like a bird on the wing is the soul that follows Jesus...or so I've often thought it should be. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28). But life is still hard in many circumstances. 

When I keep following Him, I get through the difficult things just fine. So I'll get by on a wing and a prayer (and maybe a bit of meditative knitting) when life gets complicated. I hope that you will do the same, no matter what life throws your way. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Following Directions?

When you have a thing that needs to be put together, are you more likely to look at the directions or just try to wing it? It probably won't surprise you to learn that I like to read - and follow - the directions...most of the time anyway! With knitting, well...sometimes I get a little cocky with knitting. 

Recently, I picked up a pattern for a toy that was knit flat and seamed, but my plan was to knit "in the round," avoiding the need to sew all of the pieces together in the end. Having done this many times before, I felt fairly confident, until I stuffed this blob (that looks NOTHING at all like a parrot), and set it down to figure out what I had done wrong. 

This pattern, as many before it, starts with "make two" in the instructions for the head and body. In error, I assumed this meant that the two pieces would be stitched together in the end, so I cast on double the stitches, joined to work in the round, and worked every row of directions twice. This is standard operating procedure in the world of toy knitting, but it was not giving me anything remotely resembling the pic in the pattern!

I was making a parrot, not a chubby chick! Did I possibly only need to make one? Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, as it turns out, this pattern pictured two parrots (same bird, different main colors), and it was telling you to make double the pieces at every step. If I had knitted the pieces flat, at the end, I would have had enough parts to piece together a pair of parrots. So I ripped out the round one, and started over. By the time I knit only one beak and sewed it on, my knitting was was starting to look like the photo!

I was a little sad that I had lost so much time in my misinterpretation of the instructions, but I was also well on my way to one lovely bird! As I added crest feathers, claws and the whites of the eyes (don't shoot!), I was eager to move onto the wing feathers...and today, I have that bird finished! I would have finished it yesterday, but I have a stupid job...

For the record, I love my job. I have been created for the type of job I have, and I don't know what I would do if I did not work in an office someday...but some days, I'd still rather knit. Luckily, yesterday was Friday, and since then, I have finished a flock of feathers...

He seemed very curious about the feathers and appeared to be looking in their direction, but without pupils...well, I'm not sure what he thought about that development...lol!

Triumphantly, before blogging today, I did manage to whip together wings and lace some lashes onto that bird, and now he is complete! A Parrot Pal (singular) to be loved by a boy whose favorite animal is a...mongoose! 

No! His favorite animal is a parrot, Sillies! It's a parrot for a parrot-loving boy! I'll post pictures when they are together at last (his birthday is next month). Just for kicks, I've also made him a parrot hoodie...isn't that fun?

For what it's worth, I didn't exactly follow the directions on that either, but I was probably closer than the parrot! And how cute is this little guy on the shoulder?

Oh, I am looking forward to this birthday, and to the next couple also! So many directions to follow, but I think I can...I think I can...I think I can... 

How are you at following directions? Would you rather improvise? Whatever your answer, I hope you have what you need by the end of the project!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!