Knitting Wedding Washclothes

Here I am...knitting in the park.

I used to knit when I was in college, and made a yellow and orange striped afghan (I was very into orange and yellow) and a teal lace shawl. I used to sit there in political meetings protesting whatever and knit.... Then I stopped knitting. But knitting, like hand sewing, is very relaxing, and I decided to take it up again to knit some scarves as Christmas gifts. I find it extremely beneficial when I am so tired from work that I can hardly move, but I can knit, so that while I try to recuperate, I can at least be a bit productive. So far, I have tried only simple things, not yet up to making lacey shawls, and definitely not into making sweaters, as my grandmother and mother did. But I have made some scarves and these wedding washcloths.


Wedding Washcloths, pattern compliments of Purlbee.

There are tons of fun patterns for washcloths on the Internet, but I chose this very simple one. AI've made wedding washcloths for two lovely young women--the daughter and daughter-in-law of a close friend--who have recently married. I find myself doing rework whenever necessary, since a mistake creates an alternative pattern and is seen as a flaw immediately. Purlbee supplies nice patterns for scarves and simple stitches and ways to get practice and self-confidence to maybe go onto the next step, as I hope to someday.

Life: Imagine the Potential

Another ad from CatholicVote.Org--telling the truth and spreading hope.

A Summer Quilt Tour, Anyone?

Quilt--a mix of the old and the new--from the 2008 Sister Outdoor Quilt show in Oregon.

The Wall Street Journal has an article on country quilt tours with a slideshow of quilts and quilt paintings on barn doors. The article also features a listing of quilt shows around the country this summer. The Journal article by Meg Cox notes this happy news: "The number of quilt makers in the U.S. has doubled in the past decade, as new tools, like quilt-design software, have spread. There has been a corresponding explosion in the number of quilt shows, and they aren’t just for those who stitch or collect. Go and be dazzled." I can just picture it now: I take a summer driving tour across the United States with a quilt-show itinerary! I bet I'd meet a lot of great people too.

Babies Are Smiling Today

According to a Gallup poll, more than 50 percent of the American people are pro-life. As the Gallup report indicates, a dramatic shift has occurred in the last year. I do not know why this is the case, but I can only think it is good news, even if part of this shift is a result of Hollywood's boosting of single motherhood. It is also the result of the patient and arduous work of pro-life Americans to organize alternatives for women who are in "crisis pregnancies" and the work of organizations like Feminists for Life, who have fought on college campuses to make it possible for young women and young couples to get support to continue their education and also have a child. It is good news, because it means that a majority of Americans affirm the sanctity of life or at least want to say that they do. It means that one group of Americans, who were previously "pro-choice," have changed their minds, and that is all to the good.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Is it not to be wondered if Mother's Day is a day in which mothers are thanked or in which we give thanks? I am so thankful to be a mother, I hardly feel as if I need thanks from anyone else, least of all from the one who has brought so much to my life.

Enjoy the five-question meme on motherhood at Willow Manor, and have a lovely day!

Marley & Me: Shocking

Yes, I found this movie shocking, and here's why:

1. Two young people get married, even though the woman is not pregnant.
2. When she does get pregnant, they do not immediately divorce and her husband does not desert her, so that she has to be a SINGLE MOTHER.
3. A successful journalist, she decides that she will put her career aside to stay home and take care of her children, since she feels that when she is working she is doing neither job well, and that taking care of her children is more important than her career. Her husband does not really balk but decides to figure out how to get more money so she can stay at home.
4. We see that as a mother at home, there is indeed enough work so that she is exhausted and frazzled, but has no regrets that she left her job.
5. Neither partner ever contemplates divorce, even when things get tough and they face real disappointments and problems.
6. The womanizing friend of the husband is portrayed for exactly what he is: a jerk.
7. Each partner supports the other and seeks their own happiness in the happiness of the other. (Where did this come from?)

The DVD should come with a warning: This film is about a FUNCTIONAL family.

And a real functional family, not like the dysfunction in Little Miss Sunshine that we are supposed to embrace as the NEW Functional Family.

Strangely, watching Marley and Me was a lot of fun. Hope you get to see it.

Dad's Not Working, But Mom Is

Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom gives his kids a bath. Cleaning was not his strong suit.


According to an article in today's Financial Times of London, in the United States, a full 80 percent of the layoffs caused by the economic downturn are men, creating the biggest gap between men and women employment rates since 1948, when the rate by gender was first measured.

The Times reports: "Men have been disproportionately hurt because they dominate those industries that have been crushed: nine in every 10 construction workers are male, as are seven in every 10 manufacturing workers. These two sectors alone have lost almost 2.5m jobs. Women, in contrast, tend to hold more cyclically stable jobs and make up 75 per cent of the most insulated sectors of all: education and healthcare."

The effects of this on the household:

1. Less money than if the woman had been laid off. Says the Times: "The widening gap between male and female joblessness means many US families are solely reliant on the income the woman brings in. Since women earn on average 20 per cent less than men, that is putting extra strain on many households."

2. A dad at home that is likely none too happy about his situation, translating into more stress for kids.

3. A mother with now the duty of being the sole breadwinner, putting her under a lot more stress.

Let's hope this is all temporary, and we can return to a trend that sees more mothers able to stay home with young children.