Yesterday I stayed home and listened to the Met broadcast of Lucia di Lammermoor, the opera by Donizetti. It is a ridiculous story, loosely based on Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, but it i was just the right thing for my last free day of Spring Break.
It was just the right thing to do. It gave me an excuse to stay home and begin working on the sweater I will knit for the Oregon Basset Hound Games this summer. I had this idea of putting a basset front view on the front of the sweater and a rear view on the back of the sweater. I discovered a tool that will convert pictures to knitting (and cross stitch) graphics called the KnitPro Chart generator. I played around with that for a bit, while Lucia and Edgardo pledged their undying love for each other.
While Lucia’s brother, Enrico plotted to wed her to Arturo, I got out the yarn and cast on. As I knit, I wondered, what Sir Walter Scott would have thought of this adaptation. That got me thinking about my all time favorite book: Les Miserables. I have never seen the play or the movie. I don’t plan on doing so either. I love the book too much to see it turned into something I might not like. Everyone thinks Les Miserables is about the love story, but it isn’t. It is about forgiveness and repentance. Maybe that is in the play and movie, but I doubt it so I’m steering clear. I wondered what Victor Hugo would think about the play and movies. How knows, maybe he’d have loved them and I am just being a stick in the mud.
By the time of Lucia’s mad scene, I was madly knitting the ribbing. I may even have shed a few tears as the opera came to its terrible sad ending. But I was ready to begin the color portion of the sweater and the initial rows require a bit more concentration, to get things centered and set up.
I knit into the afternoon and have left things at a place where I can manage it once I go back to school and have less time to knit and read. Good thing the sweater doesn’t have to be finished until July!
booksandbassets 
I like how you combined your love of knitting and opera into one well composed blog. I wish you the best of luck maintaining balance as you return to school next week!
What a great way to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon. I can tell that you thoroughly enjoyed both.
I have read Les Miserables, seen the play twice, and seen the movie. Although the book is condensed into two hours, the play is as moving and haunting as the book. The movie wasn’t bad, but not nearly as good as the play. (My opinion)
I read Les Miserables first and then saw it on stage. I didn’t think it focused so much on the romance, but the movie did a little more. I enjoyed it more on stage for sure, but nothing beats the book.
I also enjoy knitting while listening though I’m usually listening to a book rather than opera. What a relaxing way to end spring break.
I knit and have knitted in a lot of different places around the world, but I have never knitted while listening to opera. Perhaps that is something I need to try. I loved all the different topics that meshed so well in your post!
I think knitting and the opera are a wonderful pair!!
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!