As a cool-weather junkie, I have always intensely disliked the summer, especially the stretch in between early July and late August, even as a child. Midsummer is the ugliest time of year. The quality of light is harsh and ugly, the plants and grass are drying up and looking ugly, my hair and skin look and feel ugly. It's hard to breathe, think, move. I've noticed that my mood becomes more irritable and depressed.
In fact, mental health scientists are beginning to recognize a phenomenon similar to seasonal affective disorder that strikes many people in the winter months. It is being referred to as summer seasonal affective disorder. I've thought of it as my "summer sickness" for years now and thought it was just another of my little eccentricities. However, I am comforted by two thoughts: (1) if scientists are giving it a name, it's not just my imagination that I feel this way every year; and (2) there is an end in sight - at some point, the autumn will be here and I will be in euphoria once again until next July. It's interesting...my youngest brother (aka "Air Force Boy") seems to have the same kind of reaction to the summer as well, only I don't think he is aware of the SSAD phenomenon.
Thank God for Knitting, that wonderful activity that can be comfortably indulged without having to go into the heat (except to go get more yarn). I recently saw a question posted on the Knitting Novices forum, as to whether people were still Knitting despite the heat. Heck yes! In fact, do Obsessed Knitters ever not want to Knit?
As I was driving home from a yarn run yesterday, I stopped at a light that is across from a community pool. Temperature was around 100, heat index 107. So hot, the pool was almost deserted. But laying on a chaise, in the full, beating sun, frying her brains and body to a crisp, was a bikini-clad Knitter, needles flying on some wooly project. No question, this was perhaps the Queen of Obsessed Knitters. I bow to her level of commitment to Knitting and hope she had on a really good sunscreen.
The BIL kureyon scarf came off the needles yesterday and is looking amazing. I plan on blocking it tonight and will post a picture next week. And I started a new scarf, from some beautiful Noro Iro yesterday - since it's a silk/wool blend, it feels a little cooler to work with. I got about 2/3's of the way through and should have finished this afternoon, except for the fact that I forgot my Adderall today and totally forgot to pay attention to the (simple) pattern so now must frog 2 rows of lengthwise stitching. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! So I decided to put it down, do some other stuff for a while (like clean house, make groceries, do laundry) and then pick it up later this evening.
Yesterday:
Today:
Now it is later this evening, and I decided it would be less frustrating to just rip the whole thing than try to carefully pick up 350 stitches without twisting or dropping them. While I was at it, I decided to cut out an olive-brownish-yellow section of Iro that just did not go with the other bright, summery colors. I also decided this was a good time to learn how to do a Russian join. This particular was not a good candidate since there is no twist to speak of. But I did a good enough job and have learned a new Knitting skill.
So now I am off to cast on and furiously Knit away at what I am calling the Gaugin scarf, since the colors remind me of his lush tropical paintings. And just to thumb my nose at the heat, I am going to watch a DVD called "The Cooler". Take that, heat wave.
No comments:
Post a Comment