Button Box

I was at a bit of a loss about what to write about today. The March for Life was today, and I saw some people who were clearly in town for the march near the White House when I went for a walk at lunchtime. But I didn't bring my camera, so I had no picture for that topic.

Then when I read Nina Bagley's blog today, she talked about boxes, and I immediately thought of my favorite box -- the button box that I made in the 1995-1996 winter. I was still in my condo then, and I had a lot of time to work on it during the federal government furlough when Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton were in a standoff over the federal budget, and the snowstorm that followed. That furlough was when President Bill Clinton and intern Monica Lewinsky really got to know each other.

But the box -- a cheesebox from Mom, painted and sponge-painted on the outside, covered with dogwood wrapping paper on the inside, and the top covered with buttons and seed beads, with white beading and ribbon around the rim. Sewing on the buttons and beads took a long time, and I was surprised at how heavy the fabric was when I finally removed it from the embroidery hoop in which I had worked it.

The whole thing was inspired by a dream that I had about a tiny, swirly, white button of Mom's button stash that I remembered from my girlhood. I asked Mom for it, and told her why, and she gave it to me along with many other buttons to use for the top. And it was her idea to fill in the smallest spaces with beads. And I keep my own button stash inside, the replacement buttons you get with new clothes.

Inauguration

What a day. From the moment I woke up around 5 a.m. and listened to the radio news of crowds at the Metro, etc., I knew it would be a huge crowd. So large, they closed the mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument by 10 a.m., as no more people could safely fit into that space. It was estimated to be close to 2 million people downtown to watch Barack Obama be sworn in as our 44th President.

People are very hopeful. I am hopeful, too, but I am also cautious. It remains to be seen what this new President can do. Accomplishing anything in government, with the bureaucracy, is difficult, and we are living in particularly difficult times.

Still, today is a new beginning, and I am hopeful.

Change.

Knitted FO #1 2009

I knit like crazy on Thursday to start and finish Calorimetry from Knitty Winter 2006 so that I would have it for a weekend trip to Staunton, VA, since it was supposed to be very cold -- and then I never wore it! It turned out not to be bitterly cold after all.

This took me about 6 hours to knit, but I ripped it out and knit it twice, so that was a lot of knitting. It is Colinette One-Zero in the pink tweed colorway and some mother-of-pearl buttons, both from my stash. I knew that stash would be useful someday . . . it was so satisfying to create something completely from my stash.

I love the way it worked up, the colors and the thick-and-thin nature of the wool yarn. The colors are closer in real life to those in the long shot, but I wanted to get a close-up of the buttons. It will come in handy sometime this winter, I am sure.

Obamamania

I work around the block from the Hay-Adams hotel, where the Obamas are staying until January 15. Security has been tight, with street closures for several blocks, lots of concrete barriers, and security fences. Washingtonians will be happy when the streets reopen.

Back Online

It is good to be back online . . . I would have not guessed that I would miss my computer so much. Somehow my McAfee got turned off and my computer was infected with malware and viruses. Now everything is all right and I am going to scan for viruses and update McAfee more often.

Back to Work

Today was my first day back to work in the new year. This is a view of my cozy office as I arrived early this morning. The walk to the metro in the dark, cold, rain seemed particularly long. I am looking forward to the days getting longer. Going to work and coming home from work in the dark is not one of my favorite activities.

Nothing New Today

Last day before I go back to work --

Sleep in, run errands, watch some TV, do some knitting on the Noro striped socks. But not much to show.

Sunday Poetry

I really liked this poem by Tryfon Tolides in the Book World section of today's Washington Post.

Calling

Come to the point where, finally, you are lost,

wayside-sitting, wind-gazing, train-whistle-listening,

if you want to converse with the invisible presence,

continual, sustained, indwelling, be lost,

be abandoned, so that the heart, the mind, as big

as God, come to the place where you are lost,

so that all your days and the shuttering of each day's

light and the blue magnetic incomprehensible,

jumping and motionless blue of twilight and the fine

blackening after, around the incomprehensible,

waiting and breathing of trees with their

delight-inducing

cloud-depths and freedom-shapes and darting birds,

happen in pure glory, in ineffable joy of consciousness,

so that your senses overfill to muteness,

so that mere being becomes the form of your praise.

Dream

I'm feeling at loose ends a little today. Don't want to do chores -- cleaning and laundry.

I have to remember that my dreams need action . . . wasting time, frittering away the day on nothing, doesn't get me anywhere.

Time to go and play with my art supplies instead of wasting the day away.

Noro Stripes

I have become obsessed with knitting Noro stripes. Two scarves of the Silk Garden two-row stripe from Brooklyn Tweed (cast on 39 stitches. K1-P1 ribbing, slipping the first stitch purlwise). Then -- how many scarves does one person need? -- socks of the Kureyon sock yarn in two-row stripes. I just love the colors, watching them change and blend as I knit away . . .

Happy 2009

There is something about January 1 that makes us want to turn over a new leaf, to make resolutions to be better than we are now. To begin again, and this time, maybe, to get it right.

I want to be more positive in 2009 -- to see the bright side of things, to count my blessings, to be happy with what is, rather than to focus on what is not. I can do that, at least. And if I am not any better at the end of 2009 than I am at the beginning, at least I can be more content.

I do have lots to be thankful for -- health, family, a secure job. No matter how dark the clouds, I will focus on being grateful for what I have.