Blue Skies and Baby Steps

When I was a kid, my favorite color was sky blue. I still remember exactly how the sky-blue Crayola looked, brand-new out of the box, and how much I loved using it.

As I got older, sky blue went the way of crayons and coloring books. My wardrobe filled up with blacks and the occasional red, and I didn't think much about sky-blue until I unexpectedly received a whole bag full of glitzy, sky-blue alpaca roving.















Shasta "guarding" the spinning wheel

The roving sat in my stash until yesterday, when the orthopedist told me to cool it with the knitting for a few weeks. I decided I needed to spin up something bright and fun to cheer me up, and glitzy sky-blue alpaca seemed to fit the bill just fine.















The beginnings of a bobbin of alpaca singles


Can I tell you, I love this roving!! It spins like a cloud, like air itself. I've even been able to do a little bit of long draw, something I was never able to accomplish before. Half of me can't wait to finish spinning because I'm dying to see the finished yarn and the other half doesn't want the spinning to end. If I had to be laid up and out-of-knitting-commission, this is certainly a good way to do it.

Maybe I'm just in an extra-good mood today because M finally, at age 16 months, decided to walk all by herself for the very first time. In the past, she would walk while holding hands; she would cruise along the furniture; she would even take half a dozen tentative steps towards a beloved adult, all the while stretching out her arms and practically falling at our feet when she reached us. Then, all of a sudden, she decided that she could do it on her own -- and she did. She spent the day walking everywhere, turning right, turning left, falling down and getting right back up again. I can't remember when I've been so proud.

I took her to the playground this afternoon and it was the first time she went around without clinging to my finger the whole time. I watched in awe as she walked away from me, heading off to investigate an inviting-looking step or an interesting patch of gravel. And I thought, she'll only walk farther and faster from here on out. It made me the tiniest bit sad, made my heart ache just a little bit even as it was bursting with pride. She's on her way, one baby step at a time.