mums

 

so you know how i wrote about my grandma? and was doing all kinds of things that reminded me of her last night? well, last night, i was knitting in bed. and watching upstairs, downstairs. and i had just slipped a bunch of stitches to stitch holders. because that's how it goes when you're knitting a sweater. 40 stitches on one; 20 on another; 100 on the last. stitch holders are these giant metal wire things that look like safety pins. the 100 stitch one was a little small so the stiches snaked up around the curve at the bottom, all jammed on. 

then, in true Caitlin fashion, i fell asleep. with my knitting on the pillow next to me. 

this morning, i woke up and noticed something magenta down by my feet. it was the stitch holder. with no stitches on it. so i checked my knitting, which was still sitting up by my head. all 100 stitches were there, sans stitch holder. also: did i mention I look my bedroom door everynight? and this morning it was still locked? 

there are several explanations here: 

1. i'm a crazy sleepwalker with enough patience and skill to slip off 100 stitches from a stitch holder. 

2. mice? 

3. my house used to be a church - ghosts of church ladies? 

4. it was a sign from my grandma, the woman who taught me to knit. just a little prank to say hey. this is the explanation i like the best. i'm going with this one. 

also, back when my grandparents used to live at their old house, they had a big greenhouse. it was connected to the garage and it was beautiful. i was into the smell. and every year, they grew a butt-load of mums. all colors. just tons of the suckers. and then, when fall rolled around, they gave them all away. people from church, coworkers, family, neighbors, my mom's sisters- whoever. they all came over and took the mums. and i love that tradition. i want a green house for that exact thing. to grow flowers to give away. 

i was thinking about this tradition last week and bought myself a mum. then i sprayed painted a plastic cauldron gold and planted it. gotta start somewhere.