Chilling

Greetings from sunny (and arid) California! I have a few days to make up for and, alas, nary a photo to show for myself. Lots to catch up on, most importantly progress on my Ravelympic entry, Ornette.

The Saga of Ornette
in 3 verses:
Verse 1, Thursday:
After walking through the streets of Passaic, dragging my suitcase behind me, I approached the bus stop to take me into the City. With half a block and a red light separating us, the bus approached from the left and turned into the stop. I ran for it and the traffic lights changed accordingly. I flew through the intersection, bags in tow, and made it to the bus on time! Serenaded by a chorus of a toddler's screams, I pulled out my needles and got to work. If you remember, I had left my home with 15 rounds to go. With all the jostling and Banshee cries I managed to knit 5 rounds by the time we reached Port Authority Bus Station.

Upon arriving at Port Authority I stowed my sock and look to find the bus to Kennedy. This little excursion lasted about 15 minutes but I finally found the bus, settled my self inside and pulled out Ornette. This second bus ride took much longer, I'm sure, but my only proof is that I managed to finish those last 10 rounds. This trip was also much quieter, despite the melange of foreign tongues.

(For those of you thinking, 15 rounds in close to 2 hours doesn't sound like much, please take into account the natural rhythms of public transport and all those cables over 73 stitches.)

The processing at the airport could have gone more smoothly. I stood in the check-in line for about 5 minutes. Although I had been assigned a middle seat (what hell that would have been for the people left and right of knitterly elbows,) I managed to change it for an aisle, albeit in the last row. I decided lack of reclining won out over middle seat knitting, and thus I made my merry way to security. Although I had dutifully called Jet Blue to confirm that knitting needles were allowed on their planes, I approached security with trepidation. What if they confiscated my needles. The ones that held my precious Ornette (and the ones that held my Cross-Stitch Block socks, and the ones that held my Marie Antoinette - you know just in case I got through everything else...) Fortunately I sailed through security in about 5 minutes, all knitting projects and needles in tow.

I now had about 2 hours of free knitting, minus the time I bought myself something to drink and sat down to eat for the first time that day. I found a cozy little chair next to a table, set down my things and got to work on the heel flap. By the time I boarded the plane I had even picked up the stitches in preparation of the gusset.

The last time I flew was in February and I was quite taken aback with the lack of amenities the airlines now offer. Movies were $5 a piece, ear phones $1. And, most shockingly, pillows and blankets are now SOLD for $7. Fortunately I was warm and had my knitting and i-pod for entertainment. And as I made my way across the continent I had an uninterrupted 5 and a half hours of non-stop knitting in the only row of the plane with an empty middle seat.

That's all for today. Tomorrow, verses 2 and 3, where you will hear about the Shabbos cooking fiasco and Ornette's race to finish before the closing ceremonies in Beijing, Sunday knitting group and more... (maybe even pictures.)