Oh, The Places We'll Go...

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Dr. Suess

Well it has certainly been busy out here on the sunflower farm, since I announced the new Lord of the Rings project!

We are already up to 268 people strong, and they are still coming in from all over the world: Germany, Finland, Norway, Australia, France, Great Britain, Korea, & I'm probably missing a couple.

Wow!

I don't know what else to say...

Just wow!

One of the themes that I really love in LOTR is the message that we must all work together to accomplish great things. Whether dwarfs, men, elves, eagles, ents, or hobbitses.

It would appear that our own fellowship may turn out to be every bit as diverse.

That is so exciting to me! (kindly forgive the liberal sprinkling of exclamation points throughout - sometimes periods just don't suffice)

I have been contacted by someone who has volunteered to translate the clues for Evenstar into German and would be pleased if anyone else wishes to do so for knitters in their country. the more, the merrier. Don't want anyone to feel left out.

DH is worried this is going to change our quiet little lives. I told him not to worry. A friend told me, "As long as they don;t show up on your doorstep, eyeing your stash, and whispering, 'My Preciousssssssss,' you're probably okay."

But DH is right; it has already changed our lives.

My email has tripled; my Plurk account is blossoming with new friends; the KAL on Ravelry is going on with great enthusiasm, & I have lots of new bookmarks on my browser: LOTR lyrics, LOTR dictionary, LOTR characters, LOTR chat rooms, LOTR jewelry...

You get the picture.

I am worried that the pupils will surpass the teacher, Hell, I think know they already have!

It is time for this designer to take out her trilogy and start boning up.

A few words about the Evenstar KAL:

This will truly be a Knit-a-long in the truest sense of the word. I will be knitting along with y'all. I have swatched and done all the design work in another yarn, but am awaiting delivery from Blue Moon on the final yarn I selected for the project: silk thread II, which is both lighter and has a great deal of sheen to it. The Geisha is a beautiful fiber, but it just didn't seem ethereal enough for Arwen. So I have bitten the bullet and will begin again.

I will, of course, be working ahead of you by about 2 weeks. No progress pictures allowed (that is part of the fun) but know that I will be thinking of you and taking copious notes as I knit, so that I can adequately address any questions that arise throughout the project.

I have based my yarn estimate on a shawl of similar size, shape, and design then added a hefty cushion onto that figure to allow for missteps and gauge variations along the way.

We have a beginner's thread going over on the Rav KAL board called "Bag's End." I named it that because that is where the adventure begins. It seemed appropriate. Bag's End is a welcoming place with lots of newbies and just enough more experienced folk dropping in to keep things moving along.

There is also a thread for your ideas as to future projects in the series. I refer to this as the "ooh ahh I wanna" thread. So many good ideas & only one designer. You guys are an amazing font of inspiration.

And I have entered my first chat room ---ever. (Yes...I know I am a troglodyte. What can I say?) I will try to visit the Evenstar Chat room on Rav at least once every evening and once during the day. Already had a good chat with some folks there this morning. I will post a message on the boards when I am entering. Hope to see some of you there.

I am wondering if I should push back the start date by a week or two to allow the yarn dyers time to fill all these orders - don't want anyone to get left behind. Most people are having to order yarn rather than pick it up at the LYS, due to the size of the project. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

I have been thinking much this past week on divisions within the fiber community. We all know they are there.

Some knit, some crochet, some spin. Some use charts and others swear by written directions (Evenstar will have both, thanks to nifty new software I am testing.) Some throw their yarn; others pick. Some use metal needles; others like bamboo.

We are divided into nations, states, cities, towns, neighborhoods, cliques, knitting circles. And with these divisions come the temptation to define ourselves by them. Not only by where we belong, but by where we don't.

I like this, but I don't like that. I believe this, but I doubt that. I AM this, but not that.

It is a short and tragic step from there to: I am right and you are wrong.

And then we start keeping score, like Gimli & Legolas, of all those whom we have shot and killed with our arrows.

I believe what binds us together is stronger than what tears us apart. I believe we can move forward faster, if we don't waste our time moving away from each other. We have places to go.

I believe in fellowships, like the one we are beginning to form here.

I believe together we can change the world...

one Orc at a time.

*****

Speaking of which, I hope you all will donate to Knitters without Borders today. Yarn Harlot is running a drive here for the residents of Haiti who have been devastated by the earthquake yesterday.

All proceeds go to Doctors without Borders, a wonderful organization that has done much good around the world. I am trying to set up something so we can donate $1 for every Evenstar sign up, but don't really know how to do that. Have left a message for Stephanie, so we will see...