TACKLING A BUFFALO

On Dec. 10, 2023, as I attempted to digest the information that our son Milo had been murdered, so much went through my mind – shock, grief, anger, hurt, and dread -- dread because I knew this wrongful death would be disruptive to my daily life for a long time. “No!” I screamed into the phone. I felt the muses slipping away, and I knew they would be gone indefinitely. Mike and I now had work to do. Hallie soon took over much of it, but we are involved in the details. And so, we have worked diligently according to our leadings, and it’s not over yet. Life finally feels more normal, and the muses have returned despite the underlying sadness.

Anyway, that work in Milo’s name is not the buffalo. The buffalo is “Jingles the Elf,” a crochet project in process. The other day, as I tried to start yet another crocheted doll sweater, I realized that I should just retrieve Jingles from the shed and finish him. His face is finished, so he looks at me ruefully every time I go to the shed. My memory was that my work had just been interrupted, but I had forgotten that he was indeed a buffalo of the first magnitude.

It was his hair – the next step in his construction. The instructions ask me to crochet a strip of double loops into a chain, and this is just so difficult to do. I hate to say I can’t, but in some cases, it just isn’t practical in terms of time and stress. (And besides – the pattern is just someone’s idea, and who’s to say that my idea isn’t just as good?) With yarn and a needle, I think that I can come up with the same result – perhaps even better. So, I skipped his hair for now and moved on to his tunic.

We have a few friends among the prison inmates now, and one of them crochets stuffed toys. He says his grandmother taught him to crochet, and with time on his hands, he has perfected his craft. He uses worsted weight yarn ordered from Herrschners and a size F bamboo crochet hook. Inmates can ship things out of prison, so he takes orders from other inmates and makes stuffed toys for their children. 

His work is an inspiration to me. Just look how tightly he makes that fabric. I hope to emulate that work. KW