Project Notes

To say that I've embraced knitting is not an understatement. I usually have several projects going at once, and happily bounce from thing to thing depending on what I feel like working on. At this point, it's part of my day, and I feel like something's missing if I don't do a bit of knitting.

As to why this enthusiasm has developed, I'm pretty sure that being in a long distance relationship has something to do with it. There are long stretches of solo time, and it helps to have something to do that makes me feel like I'm living well, as opposed to just waiting for the next visit.

In terms of projects, I find it's good to have one or two that are mindless knitting that I can just do wherever. Then I like to work on something that forces me to learn something new. This may not seem the case to people who don't knit, but there are a lot of places to go once one has learned the basics. I think it's safe to say that knitters who consider themselves "experienced" have probably been doing it in earnest for at least 5-10 years. At least.

Keeping the "learning something new" think in mind, friend D and I decided to each start knitting the same sweater pattern. Long story short, we both stopped working on it, for different reasons. Speaking for myself, I'm just not there yet. It was not enjoyable at all. So I'm going to make Acer. (picture from that link).

I also started a pair of socks using a new method. I had lots of information on techniques, but not a specific pattern, so it has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would, with lots of ripping back and re-doing. Ultimately, I think this way will be faster and make a nicer sock, but it's frustrating as hell at the moment.

With those two stalled projects in mind, I started on a scarf called Clapotis (picture from here). Safe, predictable, useful. It had a new technique in it, where one drops a stitch at a particular point to create a really cool ladder effect. But it too has been an exercise in patience, as one has to knit a lot before getting to the good stuff. I was close to putting it aside when I got to do the first ladder, and now I'm hooked.

Then, there's baby stuff. I'd like to whip out a couple of gifts before the babies in question go off to college, so I need to get crackin'. The simple fact is that there will always, ALWAYS be more cool patterns out there than I can knit, so I need to choose wisely.

It's funny how this thing, a hobby, can go from something that is chosen to fill time, to something that engages me so much, to something that got added to the list of things that helps me define myself.