Friday 18 December 2020

Orion, Jupiter, a Shooting Star and Christmas Socks

Hello, thank you for dropping in.  It's always lovely to see you here.  Christmas preparations are coming along steadily but before I get to that, I need to tell you about something which happened the night before last.  It affected me quite deeply and I'm not really sure why.  I need to talk about it.  I woke up from a difficult dream at about 2am.  We haven't closed the bedroom curtains since Maundy Thursday (9th April), I don't really know why, we just stopped closing them.  There is no privacy issue and I like seeing the sky as soon as I wake up, which is what happened in the early hours of Wednesday.  It looked absolutely spectacular, thousands of tiny pinpricks of light against a dark blue sky and the larger stars of Orion directly in front of me.  I didn't know whether my newly woken, fuzzy  brain imagined those pinpricks or not until this morning when the same thing happened - it was indeed imaginary, but glorious Orion was not, standing out against a beautiful clear, starry, deep blue background.  I feel a special connexion with The Mathematician whenever I see Orion because when she was young we would often go away for a weekend to celebrate her birthday which is in January, and as we travelled through the dark on a Friday evening, Orion would keep us company.  He is such an easily identifiable constellation that he became a bit of a totem for us.  So, in the early hours of Wednesday I lay in bed watching the sky.  As the earth turned, Orion moved out of view and Jupiter appeared through the black, skeleton branches of my hawthorn tree, the brightest thing in the sky.  I was mesmerised, my mind calmed and just as I was about to drift off to sleep, a shooting star appeared and trailed diagonally across the large central pane from top right to bottom left.  I realised that I felt very emotional and I don't really understand why.  I have seen Orion, Jupiter and shooting stars many, many times but somehow, seeing them like this, as I lay in bed, meant something more than the sum of its parts.  I felt quite peculiar and emotional all day yesterday and I haven't been able to get the images out of my head - and actually, why would I want to?  The images are beautiful.

There, I don't understand what it all means but I know that it was a special experience.  Thank you for bearing with me while I wrote it all down.  Now I would like to get back to Christmassy matters, which seem rather mundane in the circumstances! 

Three years ago I knitted three pairs of Christmas socks using West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply yarn in Holly Berry, which was a soft and smooth dream to knit with.  Well, I say three pairs of socks but actually there were two pairs of socks and a pair of booties for Tom Kitten who was two months old.  The socks were for my daughters, who like to spend Christmas Eve together.


A year later Tom Kitten had, of course, grown out of his booties so I dug into my yarn stash, found the leftovers from the previous year and knitted him a pair of socks which I gave to him on Christmas Eve.

Last year his feet had grown again but there was no more yarn left so I bought a new ball and knitted him another, bigger pair for Christmas Eve.  His booties were just right for Cottontail (she does have two legs, honestly).

This year I decided that he should have his new pair at the beginning of December so that he could wear them through Advent.  Cottontail's feet have grown quickly and at seventeen months she is wearing the socks I knitted for Tom Kitten last year, when he was twenty-six months old.  The Teacher sent me this photo the other day and it made my heart sing - just look at those gorgeous little feet!

Next year I think I shall have to knit two new pairs of Holly Berry socks.

See you soon.

Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x







18 comments:

  1. I very much enjoyed reading about your experience with the stars. Although I see them frequently, there are moments like yours when the immensity of creation and my own experience collide and it's all too much for my puny brain to handle and emotions take over.
    Your socks are too, too cute on those little feet.

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    1. Anything looks cute on those little feet, Lorrie. I think you're right, my emotional response to the sky was about the immensity of creation, although I couldn't have described it like that before. Thank you. x

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  2. This is interesting! Like yourself I don't understand either. Its the summer nights or early mornings that I marvel at most. Summer here is so hot and sleep evades me some nights because of the heat. I do this just occasionally. I have found if I get up and go to the balcony and watch the sky (yes watch not look at) it relaxes me.It makes me contemplate on what I am, a very small part of what I see and hence any of my worries are just minute in the vastness I see above me. In a way it calms my thoughts and helps me go back to sleep. It is difficult to explain!

    Little feet and big feet and matching socks....sweet!! keep well Amanda x

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    1. It is difficult to explain but I think you've done it well and I can relate to it. Thanks Amanda. x

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  3. Wonderful little feet with beautiful stripy socks, it's a marvel how those little feet grow. With all your star gazing, have you managed to see the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter? We've got until Monday to see it at it's best, if the clouds stay away. x

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    1. I'm hopeful for Monday for the conjunction but it's going to be very low in the sky so I'm thinking about where I can go to get a clear view of the horizon and make the most of it. x

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  4. You describe such a moving experience. The socks are a real delight, such a lovely tradition.

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  5. What a wonderful, emotional experience! I haven't been sleeping well this year and I'm glad for heavy curtains, but as soon as I wake I draw them to let in the light and feel uplifted that a new day has dawned. Knitting socks for your family is a caring thing to do and must give you satisfaction. The photos of the latest are very sweet.

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    1. Thank you Linda. I often sleep badly and until this year I closed the bedroom curtains as soon as it grew dark, I really couldn't bear to see through the window at night, but I think leaving them open was something to do with lockdown. We didn't set an alarm and woke naturally when we were ready and I think the growing light was part of that. It has suited me far better than I could have imagined. x

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  6. What a wonderful experience. I'm sure that will stay with you for a very long time. What is it about little feet? I always have to make a grab for a little foot, haha. So cute.

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    1. So do I Jo, I frequently tell Tom Kitten that I love his feet. x

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  7. You were transported to something special and away from all the mayhem down here on earth even if just for a short while. Your socks are super and it must be lovely to see them passed on to younger, smaller feet:)

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    1. It really is lovely to be able to make things for the people I love and to see how much those things are appreciated. You are right about being transported away from the mayhem, I wonder if I would have felt the same about it in a different year? x

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  8. It seems everyone is knitting socks this month! I shall have to join in. The colours of yours are lovely.

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    1. You are no slouch when it comes to sock knitting. I do really like this yarn, and I like the fact that it's produced by a British company. x

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  9. Wow I love those Holly berry socks, the colours are amazing! I really must learn to knit socks . Something for over Christmas perhaps
    Have a good one!
    Jillxo

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    1. Thank you Jill, it's lovely to see you here. Be careful - sock knitting is addictive! Happy Christmas. x

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