"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe."
- Winston Churchill
If you just want final pics and details about Protopopov, scroll down. If you want a little random musings alongside your daily serving of "sunflower", read on.I must admit to finding the past few days inspiring in the extreme. I have cried tears of joy and walked around with a big goofy grin in my heart. You would think I was high on yarn fumes...
I remember my mother, during my childhood years, echoing Dr. King and expressing the hope that some day the first thing we noticed about other people was not race. I am sorry she did not live to see these days. She would be so pleased and proud. As am I.
I do not need dark skin to appreciate the monumental step we have taken into a new paradigm. We rise or fall together.
Our society will be judged its compassion. By the condition of its most humble soul. By the strength of our mutual bond.
I have never considered myself to be a particularly patriotic person. I came of age during the 60s and 70s. Many nights, I listened as my brother and stepfather argued about the draft over the dregs of dinner. I wore a black armband at school for remembrance of the Kent State tragedy.
Patriotism seemed, to my youthful self a jingoistic, simplistic, delusional acceptance of the status quo.
Time magazine ran a very interesting piece last July 4th, which put forth two different interpretations of patriotism:
- My country - right or wrong
- My country - love it enough to make it better.
I am firmly in the latter category.
So , discovering this deep wellspring of hope for our country's future, faith in my fellow citizens, and pride in our ability to transcend our divisions has come as a surprise to me.
In retrospect, I realize I put the wrong picture on the blog yesterday.
It isn't about this man.
It's about we, the people.
This is the image I will take with me from these historic events. This is the reality we now must live up to. This is the hope we share.
And it is incredibly moving.
Now the word, "moving" implies the progress from one location or state to another differing one. So, the questions I ponder this afternoon, are these:
- Where are we now?
- Where are we going?
- How do we get there?
Woody Allen famously said, "A relationship, I think, is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies."
Life is only about relationships; it is up to us to keep them strong.
Challenges greet us each and every day; it is up to us to chart our course around or through them.
A divine wind is blowing; it is up to us to set our sails.
But enough philosophy. You came for the knitting...
As promised, here are final pics and details of Protopopov:
PROTOPOPOV
a graceful swirl of lace
an adagio in icy blue.
SIZE:12 in wide by 72 in long
(blocked)
MATERIALS:3 skeins (450 yd) MALABRIGO Silky Merino
or other dk weight yarn
size 6 (US) needles
GAUGE: each pattern repeat blocks to 2 inches wide
Color pictured: Mint Frappe
Experience level: beginning intermediate
Both written and charted directions.
Speaking of movement...
This stole has it in spades. I liked it even before I blocked it.
I LOVE it now. The swirling tracery really pops, once the piece is blocked.
No sharks here. No siree.
Gotta keep moving.
Moving forward; moving on; moving out; moving up...
Above all...
Up.
