Posted on by Cosmicknitter-ReginaMary

Does this Mask Make My Butt Look Big?

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit! He has risen, Alleluia Alleluia!

Well this certainly has been a Holy Week we’ll be talking about for some time, yes? In meditating on the Passion of Christ, my husband and I couldn’t help but notice parallels to the lessons we learn from our faith and the current circumstances we find ourselves living in presently. Even though I find meditation elusive at times, when I do ‘connect’, the experience is different than anything I have experienced before. I often see a flow of faces when I pray, but for the past week or so, I have seen colors. It was a bit odd, to be honest, but I have come to embrace these experiences. Have any of you had this happen while in prayer? A blessed and peaceful Easter season to all of you! Whether you celebrate or not; it is a gesture I offer that has profound meaning to me and I send my love and prayers to you and your families-it comes from my heart of hearts.

A few months back, I knit a Flax for Bill, a client of my son. He makes a striking model.

A smiling Bill in his Flax-Isn’t he handsome?

This past week, Bill made masks for us. This is me, modeling mine. Less striking, more dorky.

Pay attention to those mushrooms on the stove behind me…

Believe it or not, I have never met Bill. When this crisis is over, there is a giant hug waiting for that man!! (consider this your only warning, Bill!)

See those mushrooms behind me? I subscribe to a wonderful product called The F2T Box. It is a weekly grocery subscription that curates items from farms local to me. I request vegetables and produce, but i don’t know what the box contains until it arrives. When I opened this week’s box, it contained some really lush produce. In this photo, I am marinating some portobello mushrooms with scallions, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil and balsamic vinegar. I grilled them over a low heat; they were juicy and meaty. In fact, the stems were so hearty, I put them in soup. I made the soup from fresh dandelion greens and carrots also included in the box. The other items were butternut squash, baby swiss chard, and arugula; all of which went into my Easter dinner. If you have the opportunity to subscribe to a service like this, please give it a try. It is a surprise when you open the box, but I have yet to be disappointed.

Can we talk about eggs again? Please? It won’t take but a moment. As you use eggs, and the carton begins to empty, do you rearrange the remaining eggs before you return them to the fridge? I do, and unbeknownst to me, my dearly beloved does as well. Would it surprise you that we disagree on how they should be organized? This may seem like a really odd discussion, but I must know your thoughts on this.

Who insists on this way?
Who insists this way is best?

Knitting has been interesting for me. While I have been doing a lot of it, I am doing it very slowly. I am also keenly aware of my limitations; my brain only wants to knit on autopilot. I am not the only one. Many of my knitting friends are talking about the comfort found in miles and miles of stockinette. In fact, I know at least 4 people, myself included, who cast on a Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure.

This was such a soothing project for me. I chose a skein of Anzula Cricket from stash, in the color Kale. This shade of green was very unique, ranging from a dark hunter green to a lighter sage. I will definitely work with this yarn again. The hat is thick and squishy with amazing stitch definition; I thoroughly enjoyed knitting all 4″ of the pattern’s 2×2 rib!! This hat is going to get a lot of wear.

I completed another square in the MKAL hosted by Ceci over at Oh La Lana! Knitting Blog. I have mentioned before, but it does bear repeating: my brain is struggling with lace. These squares are not complex patterns, mind you, but it does require thought, and chart/pattern reading and all that jazz. But I am getting them done, people…I am getting them done! I screwed this square up, but ask me if I care. Go ahead, ask! This project is an exercise in determination and “le ostinazione”!

Wanna see my socks? I’ll admit, they aren’t much to look at, but I am ready to start the heel flap. The yarn is Lolo Did It in her Keep Pounding colorway. My friend and fellow blogger over at Nothing But Knit is a sock knitting Goddess! She finds the best patterns. This one is the Slip it Simple by Christine Long Derks. Isn’t it interesting how this yarn/pattern combination is creating a plaid vibe? Hers look completely different, but that is what we love about knitting! You should check them out. The photo top right is my ‘project bag’. I found this little bit of awesome on line for about $5. My only complaint is that it did not come with a copy of Pokemon Yellow!

A little more info on these socks. I want to explain a knitting cheat I often use for socks. The pattern I am using is a two row repeat. I am often one who knits round and round, forgetting which row I am on. Using the most excellent bulb-shaped markers, I chain together equal markers as rows in the pattern repeat. (4 row repeat=4 bulb markers, 2 row repeat=2 markers, etc.) The photo on the left reflects row one, and the photo on the right reflects row two. If I lose my place, I just have to look at how many markers are *on the needle* to determine the row. As I move through the rows, I add or drop a maker. PS. You can get a bazillion of these markers on Amazon for what you pay for a double mocha-choca-lata ya-ya at Starbucks.

Next up: What is she going on about now?

My husband says I lie. Yes, the egg-manipulating, drive-up eating, pretzel-hogging, best-hug-giving husband thinks I lie. And to some extent he is right. When asked how I am, I typically lie. When asked if I need help, I typically lie. When asked what is on my mind, I typically lie. And, when writing about this kinda stuff, like I am right now, I typically lie. So here it is in a nutshell.

I am sad. I am worried. I am angry. I am grateful. I am confused. I am distracted. I am blessed. I am forgetful.

I am sad because the names of people who have died from this virus are becoming more and more familiar to me. I am worried because there are so many people known and unknown to me who are crying out for prayers and I don’t feel like I can help them. I am angry because in my community, as in many, there are people who just can’t seem to understand that THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT THEM! Stay at home means STAY AT HOME {{add expletive of choice}}. I am grateful because my immediate family, by the grace of God, is healthy. I am confused by the information spewed out by “those in the know”. I am distracted and forgetful because of all the spazzatura bumbling around in my head. I have days where I ignore social media, email or other sources of influence because my tiny head is just too full. I know I am not alone in these feelings. You know what else I know? My husband is right. I am a liar. Forgive me?

I think I am typed out. I will end this post with the usual:

Saint of the Day: St. Lydwine. Patroness of of sickness, chronically ill, ice skaters. Do you find it odd that on the days that I write, the Saint du jour happens to be a patron of the ill? I long stopped believing in coincidence. It seems to me that God is always peeking over my shoulder, gently reminding me that He is present with me through the nuances of my day. PS. I don’t think St. Lydwine was the patroness of chronically ill ice skaters, so mind that comma.

In my cup: An afternoon cuppa coffee. Check out this mug though!

Can you stand it??? This was a gift from my hunny!!

In my ears: A confounded fly because Razz left the door open. Just kidding. It was me. I left the door open.

To all my friends, I pray for you and your families every day, and I feel your prayers for us as well. Thank you for being a constant source of humor, creativity, honesty and humanity. Thank you for STAYING HOME. We’ll get through this.

“One day at a time, Sweet Jesus!” – John Killian

“This is why we say our prayers and drink good booze.” – also John Killian

All my love,

Regina (and this guy)

50 Replies to “Does this Mask Make My Butt Look Big?”

  1. You are full of news! I so want to comment on many things but I know I’ll forget. So Bill looks fantastic in his hat and you look fabulous in your mask. I look forward to hearing about the day you hug him:)
    Your produce box sounds delicious!
    I don’t rearrange my eggs. I don’t know what to think about this. We just use them;)
    I’ve got all the same feelings here too. We have non-distancing folks in our neighborhood. It frustrates me to see a few kids playing together. If one gets sick that’s 2 families who will all end up sick and heaven help me one mother is a nurse. My other neighbor has to keep her kids in the house because those other kids won’t stay away. All we can do is take care of our own and do what we know is right.
    Your socks are lovely! That’s a great pattern.
    Finally, I love that sock head hat!

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    1. I really wanted to keep the post short, but the more I wrote, the more stuff came to mind. As for the eggs…I have to have them all on one end, and my husband puts them all in the middle. These are the things you find out when spending more time together.

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      5. I’m fine. Overall holding up as well as can be expected. I keep thinking about what Dr Fauci said back at the very beginning about how at the end if people ask why we had to do this because things weren’t as bad as the predictions we would have done something right. I do wish more people had heard that and taken it and the advice to heart.

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      6. I fear that as the weather improves, people in my community will become more complacent. The family next door has cars coming and going all day long. If you ever need to vent, you can drop me a line any time. Send me an SOS here or on Ravelry. {{hugs}}

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  2. You look great in your mask. I like the sockhead hat. Your socks are great too. I do rearrange eggs. We buy eggs monthly, so we usually have several dozen. I rearrange them so they are spread throughout the carton, as I’m usually juggling four things and trying to find the right spot for them.
    This is a wacky situation. I am so mad at the people who let their kids play together.

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    1. I felt badly for venting, but my husband assured me that I am not alone in my frustrations. I like that you rearrange eggs. I put mine all to one end and put the empty end in first so I grab the heavy end. It’s science! hahaha!!

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  4. Lovely blog. I love the landing page on your blog, you give a warm and sincere welcome. I am truly amazed.
    By the way, I am new in blogging and I hope you can support me. Just recently, I made a challenge to myself to visit at least 10 blogs for the next 21 days. As I visit blogs, I will leave comment and put your link on my blog too. Hope you can visit my blog too.
    I followed your blog too. God bless you and your family.

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  5. The mask isn’t dorky at all. And those mushrooms look and sound delicious! I would love to knit properly. They say it isn’t a hobby but a core skill in a dystopian world. Thank you for being honest about your feelings too. It’s such an unsettling time. I often go through all those emotions in a day. I try to distract myself. Sometimes it works, other times, I’m still sad. Hope you have a good day today.

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    1. I must admit, I was hesitant about hitting ‘publish’ on that post. I try to remain positive. I just felt things building up.
      Listen, when it comes to the Zombie Apocalypse, I will be soooo ready!

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  6. I am so glad to hear that others can’t concentrate enough to do complex knitting. I have a sweater I have tried to start more than three times and can’t end right at the end of the row. Thank you that it is not just me. I am crocheting a simple poncho for a granddaughter. I can see great progress which is fun. I have also done some hats and several dog blankets for the Humane Society. Thank God I have so much yarn backed up. I recently sorted it all and put it in hanging shoe slots. Works great and I can see what I have.

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    1. That is a great way to organize yarn. And, no, it is not just you or me. So many people I am speaking to lately are in a weird head space right now. I have to learn to better accept my limitations.

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  7. I love the title of your blog post it gave me quite the laugh 🙂
    Bill sounds awesome and the hat you made for him was great as was the mask he sent you. I am sure it does not make your butt look big – ha!
    The sockhead slouch hat is so cool! I want to make one of those too (but I’ve only used on hat pattern to date).
    Yes I think staying at home is the least we can do to protect our fellow humans!
    Yeah, I rearrange eggs as the carton empties, does that make me weird 😉

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    1. I loved how freely Bill shared his talent with us. That is what I want to focus on-the giving of our time, patience, prayers. I am going to cast on another hat today. Very meditative! So, when you do rearrange your eggs, do you neatly move them to the side, or stick them in the middle? Inquiring minds… 🙂

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  8. The knitting is wonderful, the egg story makes me laugh because it is ours too! I like the eggs to be used from one end, DH wants them balanced in the center. Since he collects them, he wins. 😆 My eldest did a veggie subscription from the Hort Dept. where she’s in grad school, and loved it, though she has to have someone share it with her or it’s too much. My brain hasn’t had the chance to delve into stuff because keeping things running via online has kept me from spending much time thinking. Of course it also helps that we are in the least infected spot in the country. Thank you cows! We are anxious to be out in the garden, and we normally go out very little, so the days roll by pretty normally, which is a relief. Last year DH was very sick and it was months of scariness listening to see if he was breathing at night, so this really hasn’t phased me like it has others, especially those with kids at home, for which I am grateful, but I feel for those struggling, that was me last year at this time! Prayers and hugs to you…we will all just keep praying.

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    1. Ha!! So funny Kathy! I like mine to the side, and Robert likes them in the middle. Is it a guy thing? I love the subscription box and recently upped my quantity of veggies. I am hell-bent on keeping my family healthy, even if it kills me!! 🙂
      What would we do without our cows? I am very happy and content at home. I just have to stop reading or listening to things around me. Pray without ceasing, right? Love ya!

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  9. What a wonderful full post Regina.. Loved your knitting projects, and while I am a fast knitter, I have to a note pad and write where I am in the pattern or I soon forget…
    Loved your Mask.. and isn’t it wonderful we we see colours 🙂 Purple and Green for me.. 🙂
    And those Mushrooms Yum… just my kind of food…

    Sending you my love from across the ocean… take care and keep those smiles wide beneath that beautiful mask.. 🙂
    Love and Hugs
    Sue

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      1. It’s ok too to have that feeling. Honour it, and then let it Go.
        We cannot know the light of without the dark. Both are needed to show us the way.
        I’m stepping into my garden more for a time, the emotional overload can be challenging. And when we are sensitive it takes its toll. .
        At times u feel too Much and I often just retreat into my garden or crafts. It my coping mechanism.
        If we were all live and light as we wish ourselves to be. We wouldn’t be here still learning 🙂 and I still have loads of learning to experience 😉😊
        So never feel bad about expressing your thoughts.
        Much love Regina. 💕💙💕🙏

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    1. You can do it!! It is only two stitches-knnit and purl. That’s it.
      Thank you for the kind words, as well. Razz has quite the face. I can’t walk by him without getting some sugar!

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  11. Wow ,lots of news here.
    Starting with Bill and his flax ,well with that smile he made me want to hug him myself
    Eggs,I keep them in a henshaped basked and outside fridge
    We have a few farmers delivering veggies and it great
    As fir your knitting…. well you know I worship your skills
    Happy weekend Regina💗

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    1. I finally met Bill and he is a hell of a nice fellow; still no hug though. He made my family face masks (even Razzle!). He has also shared some wild ramps with us. They grow like mad in his yard. I plan on sharing this in my next blog post, which my son tells me is overdue. I don’t post on a schedule, but I am thrilled he enjoys reading it!

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  12. Let’s see if I can remember what I read… 😂 do I lie like you, YES! If he really knew my thoughts at this time, he’d probably commit me… might not be a bad idea! Dealing with my mom 1000 miles away right now is impossible! I like the color of your yarn! As to tr eggs I’m prob to lazy to move them do I try to be careful so they don’t fall out. Time for my coffee

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  13. I rearrange the eggs too! They go in the middle so the box is balanced when you pick it up, and if possible they must be symmetrical. Just because.
    Your lacy square looks lovely to me.
    I have a Gameboy bag too, but mine’s an original, all grey and green. I get sooo many compliments when I wear it outside!
    I think everyone is feeling a lot of everything right now. Thankfully we have Blogville and the interwebz so we’re not alone 🙂

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    1. You are so right about everything but the eggs! hahaha! You would be surprised at some of the answers. My husband puts them all in the middle. I leave them to one end with the heavy end facing out so I grab them knowing how heavy they are. Also, there have been many times when I thought I had more eggs than I did because of the way he arranged them. I would see 4 empty spaces and think I had 8 eggs left, only to find another 4 empty spaces on the other end of the carton. Silly fella.

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      2. I much prefer it to the elementary age. I have worked in all three buildings. I adore the high school kids, but these middle schoolers have weaseled their way into my heart.

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      4. I worked with the wee ones for years, especially when my boys were small. I am well beyond the snot phase. That being said, middle schoolers are not exactly hygienic.

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  15. I loveee the slouch hats! As for the eggs, i always empty it out in a balanced way. If I get two eggs, I get one from each corner and work from the outside in on each end as I continue to empty it. So the right side picture is closer to the way my carton would look lol

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