Red things I love: Mark's knitting project

I love saying this: Mark knits.

Not with two needles, but with a circle loom, like this:

He has a big loom for making adult-sized hats, and a little bitty loom for making baby hats. Sometimes he makes big hats for gifts, and sometimes he makes baby hats to donate to hospitals.

See why I love this guy?

Lately he's been knitting a red hat to use in the high school play. The script is called "The Homecoming," and it's the play that later turned into the movie and TV series, "The Waltons." At one point in the play, the mother in the family gives the oldest son a red hat she has knitted for him. It's supposed to be his Christmas gift, but she gives it to him early so he will be warm when he goes out on a dark and snowy night to search for his missing father.

Mark and I know all about this because we're in the play! We're the grandparents. He's Homer and I'm Ida. He's nice and I'm cranky. (Is this type-casting, or what!!??) So of course he's the one making the hat for our "grandson."

Here are some photos of Mark-the-knitter in action:

Oops, blurry camera.
Man, he's so fast!

One more thing I love about Mark's knitting skills: he learned from a guy at church who is even older than he is! Then he (Mark) got another guy about our age started on it. There is this old-guy knitting group at church!! Not that it's an official group that sits around and knits together, but here's the thing: they could. Isn't that awesome? And they all make baby hats to donate, because of course that's what the cool guys do.

Oh, and if you're interested in seeing Mark's red hat on stage, you can come to the play:

"The Homecoming," at Oregon City High School
December 12-15, 7:30 p.m.