Stormy Weather: This Too Shall Pass

I’m terrified of storms and have been since the age of 10. This recent pass of severe weather through the Midwest has me on edge every time rain is predicted. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for people across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and the almost straight-line band of states that have been the victims of tornadic destruction week after week. I watched Piers Morgan last night interview a woman from Joplin, Mo. who wasn’t sure what had become of her teenage son. Imagine that. He and a friend were in a car when the tornado struck. The friend was taken to the hospital and is alright, but as of last night this woman still had no idea what happened to her son. The friend only remembers climbing into the back seat after which the rear window was blown out. I cried. I cried for that poor woman, and I cried for all the people who experienced loss of life and home. Then I prayed for them all.

When I was around 10 years old, a friend of mine asked me to join her and her family for a long holiday weekend at their RV trailer park. We swam in the lake, we played games in the clubhouse, we walked and talked about boys and music. I remember her mother bringing a big container of dumplings, still warm and swimming in butter. I couldn’t wait to eat them. Everything was great the first couple of days, but then one night the wind picked up and people were outside yelling at us to take cover. I don’t even remember hearing sirens. Her father told us to lie down on the floor of the RV. It shook from side to side and we could hear things pelting the RV. The wind was loud and we were scared. I don’t recall how long it lasted—though any situation like that seems like an eternity. When it ended, we opened the door and looked outside but it was so dark, the power was out. It wasn’t until the next morning that we could see the damage. Whole, large trees completely uprooted, branches and debris everywhere. We were lucky, but that memory has stuck with me more than 25 years later. I believe that the children who survived the tornadoes these past few weeks will no doubt carry the memories with them and will feel some panic in their hearts every time the wind picks up and the sirens go off for the rest of their lives.

After all that it hardly seems appropriate to talk about knitting or crochet, but it helps me get my mind off of what's going on outside. I’m nearly done with the Streamside cardigan. I just need to add pockets and sew in all the ends. I should have tried it on as I was knitting it. I would have made it a couple of inches longer. I also thought that the empire ribbing would have given it more shape, but it’s pretty boxy. 

I also completed a quick crochet project—a pair of slippers. The more I crochet, the more I find out that I’m a tight knitter, but a loose crocheter. I have to go up one needle size when I knit, but apparently down one hook size when I crochet. I made one slipper using the recommended hook, but it was a bit loose (yeah, that’s right, I didn’t do a gauge swatch). I made the other slipper with a size smaller hook and it turned out perfect.

I have a bunch of projects in my Ravelry queue, but just not sure which one to start on next. I kind of feel like knitting or crocheting a cute summer skirt. Maybe I’ll dig through my old magazines to get some ideas.