There are lots of things I don’t like about Facebook, and today I got the opportunity to express those dislikes (somewhat) in a survey. But what the powers that be at Facebook probably already know is that when it works, the chat feature is one that I use often, and it was while I was chatting with a friend using the feature that I found myself with a mission I had not had when our conversation started.

The Facebook chat feature is an easy way to keep up with people you know and care about, and there is something about the format of chat that, like texts, invites an honesty you don’t always get in conversation.

Last week, the Facebook chat feature was giving me fits. Every 5 or ten seconds, it would disconnect. Not only was I not able to keep up with my friends on other parts of the continent and on other continents altogether, I had to get up and go into other rooms of my house to talk to family members.

So it was with some trepidation when I sent a message to a friend on the Pacific Coast. I really wanted to be able to chat with her and not have the conversation be interrupted by the “Connecting in 7, 6, 5… seconds” sort of message I got most of last week.

I know that she is going through a particularly difficult patch of life, and I know that in some regard, there is not a whole lot I can do that is helpful, but I thought I would at least ask, and it turned out that there is something I can do, and so today, after I finished work on one of the large textured squares I will need for my 2012 North Carolina State Fair project:

I started to do it.

The “it” is a mission to make two matching beanies, one for her husband and one for her oldest grandson.

Using Kim Dori’s “Spiky Beanie” pattern (which I am testing) and Red Heart Super Saver black and Bernat Super Value carrot, (the closest I had in my stash to the team colors for the San Francisco Giants as her husband and grand son are devoted fans), I started out making them side-by-side:

But then due to technical difficulties (the reason for pattern testing, after all, is to work out the bugs), my progress slowed considerably while I figured out what was going on in one specific part of the pattern that was giving me some consternation, but eventually I got it sorted out and managed to get this far with one of the hats before the sun set:

Now that I am past what was for me a gray area in the directions, I expect that the rest of the hat will be smoother sailing, and I will be able to use what I learned in my first effort to make the second hat go a bit more quickly.

Will the spiky beanies I am working on change the world?

Probably not, but maybe, just maybe, they can make one corner of it just a little bit better for the recipients, and my friend will have a tangible reminder that her struggles and efforts are acknowledged and appreciated.