It was a bitterly cold weekend, and we made much use of our fireplace. Now that I've started a knitting project, fireside stitching is a key element in the warm cozy tableau.
My husband spins the tunes (yes, we have a turntable, which makes us dinosaurs or accidently hip, depending upon your perspective), pours the wine and tends the fire. His musical tastes are fairly eclectic, a little heavy on jazz. He also loves music from the early '60's and Broadway musicals, but usually refrains from playing these genres in my presence. I would rather see a periodontist than sit through The Impossible Dream.
On Friday night, I sat knitting in front of the fire, barely noticing the music that was playing in the background. I'm knitting a basketweave-pattern vest, and it requires a fair amount of concentration not to go off-kilter.
Suddenly, I realized I had no idea where I was in my knitting. Was it the music making me jumpy and a little feverish? I listened as a saxophone knit together a hodgepodge of elements some might call melodies. To my untrained ear it sounded like a cat fight. A glance at my knitting needles revealed that what had begun as a sweater vest was morphing into a sock.
What is this music? I asked. The Lighter Side of John Coltrane, he answered, chuckling because even Coltrane's "light" veers off into jangly improvisations that can set your teeth on edge, provoking rather than soothing the savage breast. Coltrane is not conducive to knitting.
As Sunrise, Sunset wafted out of the speakers and filled the room with a warm glow, I got got my knitting back on key. I thought about Yeats poem "When You are Old."
That's when I put the knitting away and asked for a martini. Bring back the Coltrane.
Recovery to Equilibrium
1 year ago
2 comments:
I don't know why I find knitting to Coltrane so funny, but I am howling at the thought. You are a tough woman to power through it--I probably would have stabbed myself with a needle. Bring on the martini indeed. :)
I went through a big knitting phase, especially when my oldest was a cranky baby. I made some great afghans by changing yarn and stitches, but I when I tried a few Fisherman's sweaters, they looked pretty goofy. Never could get that gauge thing right. Sounds like a nice domestic scene over at your house! Hope the martini was good.
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