Mule-headed

Have you ever heard the one about the Old Sourdough, the Tenderfoot, and the donkey? In the days of the Alaska Gold Rush, miners by the hundreds crossed the Coast Mountains using the Chilkoot Trail. When I say "by the hundreds", I mean, at the same time.

The story goes, the Tenderfoot couldn't get his mule to go. Looking at the picture, you can see where this might have been a problem. After much cussing and swearing, both on the the part of the Tenderfoot and the Klondikers behind him, the Old Sourdough came up to see what the problem was. As soon as the Tenderfoot explained, the Old Sourdough picked up a handy sledgehammer and hit the mule square between the eyes, at which the point the mule stamped its foot, shook its head, and started plodding up the trail. The Old Sourdough turned to the Tenderfoot and said: "First, ya gotta get their attention."

Despite the fact that I have only 13 squares to go, I can't deny that the mistakes are outstripping progress. Even though the end is so nearly in sight, in thinking over the general snottiness the mitered squares exhibited yesterday (okay, and the day before), it seems prudent to take a break. A change is as good as a rest and all that.

Shelley, Deb, and The Yarn Harlot have all been writing about crochet lately. I've decided to take it as a portent. You can't get much different from knitted mitered squares in wool than crocheted swoopy triangles in Seasilk.

Some people you have to hit over the head with a brick. Some you have to hit with a big brick. Some of us need a sledgehammer. Twice.