10,608

10,608: the approximate number of stitches remaining before our new granddaughter's blanket will be off the needles.

Yes, we're doing a little knitting here along with the alleged lard-busting.

I can only give a guesstimate of the stitch count because I'm adding stitches as I complete each round. It's truly the most depressing kind of knitting, where you start with a few stitches and, many rounds later, end up with a million. Then again, I'm not sure if casting on a million and decreasing down to a few is any better. What if you made a mistake and cast on a million and ONE?!?!?

It's a process. In this case, though, it's also a product and while I know our wee girl has plenty o' warmies, I'd still like her to be able to primp in her handknit blanket, oh, sometime before she starts school.

In other news, I went back to my volunteer gig at Alderson FPC last night. I haven't been there since Dad died and I wasn't there the week he was visiting either. Dad loved those girls, loved that I was adding something positive to their lives (I take an AA meeting inside the prison). I, of course, shared with them his love and concern for them.

Volunteers are not allowed to give anything to or receive anything from the inmates. I was surprised to find a sympathy card in the weekly packet we volunteers use for registration. A couple of the women had gone straight to the warden and worked some magic to have that card, signed by dozens of loving, caring women, show up in that packet.

They may be criminals (or they may be incarcerated due to bad laws, bad lawyers or bad boyfriends), but they have a lot of heart and soul. I wish I could show the card to my dad.