A Magical Time

It's that weird time of the school year. Weird and little bit dangerous.... We still have three weeks to go, give or take, and it is hardly the time to be slacking off. And yet it is still close enough that we all have begun to shut down. There are kids who cannot afford to do this and I am trying mightily to come up with things to improve grade averages before the final bell tolls doom (and summer school) for those poor souls.

It's also the time of the year where it is easy to think that there is pleeeeenty of time. Stuff gets put off because it can always be done later. Pack up some books that are no longer in use? Meh. Why bother? I have all the time in the world for that nonsense. Besides, if I do it now I'll end up sitting with a bunch of bored kids in an empty room and there is little else in this world so fraught with peril. Kids who have nothing to do generally begin torturing one another for the sheer amusement of it all. When that ceases to be entertaining, they will turn their attention to the adults.

And there are more of them than there are of us.

But if I don't do some of the things that need doing, then I will end up doing it all in the last few days. This leads to the grumpies. Especially when the temperatures start to climb and I can't convince any of the kids to move the boxes for me.

It's not quite the regular school year. It's not quite summer vacation. It's like it's both. It's a conundrum, I tellya!

However it is closer to summer than it is to September and that seems to be where my mind is wandering these days. Hence, it is probably not all that surprising that I am suddenly gripped with the need to try something a little bit different. Summer vacation is always a great opportunity to explore new venues. Over the past few summers, I have learned to make cheese. I have learned to make yogurt. I have conditioned myself to visit the Farmer's Market weekly and to actually purchase vegetables. I once tried quilting, but that topic is best left alone. It didn't go well...

This year, even though it is not really summer vacation, I have suddenly decided that it is time to learn Magic Loop knitting. After finishing that not-sleeve on two circs and hating every single minute of the experience, I declared that it was high time I embarked upon the Magic Path. If nothing else, I would enjoy a couple of weeks without having a spare circular needle poking me in the tummy or curling about my wrist cunningly.

Here's how the the Magic Loop experience sounded yesterday afternoon as I was making the first attempt:

Magic Loop. Yeah. Right. Why don't we just call it the stupidest thing ever invented? That would be more accurate. That or "Magic Poop." Stupid Magic Poop. I hate everyone who has ever mentioned Magic Poop to me. They probably just suggested it because they like seeing me suffer. They are laughing now because they know I fell for the Magic Poop joke and are probably all texting each other with lots of LOLs and other letters I don't understand..."

Of course, Magic Loop is most certainly not stupid. Nor is it Poop. It is actually a rather clever bit of magical yarn wrangling and my attitude was really more about my not doing it all that well the first time through. The simple fact of the matter is that I was over thinking it. (as I am wont to do sometimes...) The second attempt, which was performed while watching a helpful YouTube demonstration, was quite impressive. I am now Looping away like an honest to goodness Magician. I'm not even worried about how the first not-sleeve and the second not-sleeve are knit differently and probably won't be even close in gauge.

Not worried one little bit. Nope. Not me. I'm convinced that the Magics will overflow from the Loop and fix any other problems that might arise.

Hey, if it can be Summer Vacation and The School Year all at the same time, anything is possible. Right?

SA