Trifecta

Ribbed Beanie (PDF)

Yarn: Adrienne Vittadini Bianca (100% extrafine merino wool; bulky)
Color: Black (0600)
Needles: US 8 circulars
Stitches: 80

Not the most dynamic photo, I know. I'll try to take one of it being worn tomorrow. The few outdoor snapshots weren't very good, the product of me being in a hurry and the overcast sky not being suitable for photographing a black hat. Hopefully the sun will peek out and give me something to work with.

It was a good day for wearing a hat. I would have donned it this evening if I would have remembered to take it with me. I hurried out of my apartment to see Lars and the Real Girl without picking it up. The movie, set in a wintry Wisconsin, has plenty of knitted items on display and had me thinking if perhaps I just need to find another type of hat to knit to solve the ear-covering issue. (Yes, I was noting how the characters were wearing their hats. See what you people have done to me!) There is a key scene in which three women are comforting the main character. One is knitting (continental style, just like me!), another is casting on to crochet, and the third is doing cross-stitch.

Lars and the Real Girl is a sweet little film, the kind of quirky regional character study that doesn't get made much in independent cinema these days. It also struck me as distinctly midwestern in the people and their environment. Yes, it's about a guy who wheels around a life-size sex doll he believes is his girlfriend, but somehow it's not as outrageous as it sounds. I found it to be a humorous and fairly moving portrayal of loneliness, introversion, and grief.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I skipped over to Nationwide Arena to nab a cheap seat for the early evening Blue Jackets game. Mission accomplished, I headed to the North Market for some knitting time.

After purchasing a small pumpkin spice coffee and vanilla drop cookie at Mozart's Bakery, I found a comfortable spot on the second floor to work on my International Scarf Exchange 5 scarf. I wasn't in a particularly busy corner, but I did get asked a question by a passing knitter. She seemed to think that what I'm making looks complicated. I assured her that it isn't. It's going to sound funny for me to say it, but I'm getting the impression that a lot of knitters just need more confidence in themselves. I don't see myself as being exceptionally skilled at knitting, just willing to try what I don't know and work at it.

I didn't plan to knit in the arena before the game, although I wouldn't have minded the option. It wasn't a choice for me to make tonight, though. The security woman said I couldn't bring in my backpack. She didn't even look inside. Backpacks are verboten! Which is funny since I've brought it in before without it even being searched and carried in my currently out of commission messenger bag on several occasions. (And it's not like security was doing a bang-up job. Someone in my row smuggled in a can of pop, which is the sort of thing they're usually trying to nab.)

It was more the principle of the matter that irritated me than being unable to bring it in. Purses are permitted, and I'm sure there had to be some bigger than the backpack I was toting that got security's approval. Don't get me started. There's a rant about "security" you'll probably get when I fly in a month.

Anyway, it was a good day. The movie was one of the better ones I've seen in awhile. The Blue Jackets won. (Best start ever!) I had some peaceful public knitting. Guess I hit the trifecta today.