Yarn, I like the Fuzz

Knitting is often a light-hearted activity, and I often count yarn time as some of the dependably enjoyable moments of my day. Fascination with knitting is contagious, and like all bugs, it spreads rapidly in families. Not only do people desire hand-knitted items, I have found that friends and family members soon become fascinated with the strange possibilities that knitting offers for creativity. Over the fall break, my younger brother texted me a picture of himself in his friend’s knitted beard hat. The outgoing pair had been making a stir among the other freshmen. What an ice breaker!

When I had gone camping with my family a month ago, my littlest sister, Ella grabbed my face in her doll-sized hands, looked me in the eyes, and whispered, “You drink too much coffee. You are going to grow a beard, and Mommy will braid it and put bows in it.” And thus was born a new long-time joke between me and my sisters. After Jake sent me the next, I decided to write about the escapade in a letter to my three siblings at home. I included a sketch of three of them with their future knitted beards. Anna, had a long flowing beard, like the mains of the horses she loves. Josh had a curly black goatee to sport when he was a master spy plotting against his arch enemy. Ella, the baby of the family, had whiskers that were larger than life. The kids loved the drawing. Dad had just read The Hobbit to them, so I plan on making them bearded dwarf helmets before they end the series. When I talked to Anna on the phone, she wanted me to make a little beard for the cat, Sparkles Elizabeth Diamond Castle Pitts. What a hairy feline!

Although it is strange, I look forward to learning the knitting techniques for pulling together a few of these bearded monstrosities. Wayne and I talked about wearing them as our costume for a climbing event we plan on going to next year. I admit, this is a strange kerfuffle of events, but all of them centered on a very beautiful thing, my family’s laughter. (And with Ella’s plotting smerf giggle, that is something special indeed). I love the beard pattern, and I am looking forward to making several for my family and friends. They are not exquisite like scarves or “cool” like funky hats, but they are undeniably fun. It is a hat for kids in which to play pranks, host a nerdy Lord of the Rings Trilogy, dance to crazy music, or amuse your friends. It is a hat that is as irresistible as a ghoul mask at a cheap thrills store. People want to pass it around so that they laugh at themselves and others when they look like Gimli or a lumberjack.

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