Last night was the free Knit night at DC stitch. I went a little early and the owner helped me get started on the sweater. She was understanding about me missing the first lesson, but since I am not a total newbie to knitting, just to reading knitting by chart and this complex pattern-it was fine. I am enjoying stretching my brain. I realized that if I read to far ahead in the pattern, it can scare me a bit, so I am working it just as it is written, step by step. You make the shoulders first, then join the front and back with different cast ons and slightly different patterns. It will be interesting to see it done. I have done 18 rows on one shoulder and the pattern makes sense to me, but it is not one that I will be able to memorize quickly. Thank favors for post it flags and row counters!

But while I was knitting, I was thinking about how we don't see patterns in our lives until we stop and look back. We have a tunnel vision that narrows our view to the next few 'stitches' and the few that we have just taken. It isn't until we unfold the whole work and hold it up that we see what we have made. The meanderings that we take-we don't see the interconnections that happen. The friends and relatives that we come into close contact with and who share their experiences with us, have an affect on us-and us on them. For when we share part of ourselves, our viewpoint and memories-we are teaching each other about being human. Mankind hasn't really changed in emotions-or reactions. But our experiences and the telling of them help us to learn-we just have to listen.