I started this hat back in December, 2008 and it has been languishing in the bottom of my knitting bag for a year.  But as I started picking out a project for the Olympics, I was startled at the number of unfinished objects that I in my bag; in fact, I’m not sure I could’ve stuffed another project in there.  Sure, I was tempted to stuff them in the back of my craft closet, but I was coming off the high of finished the blanket.  Even now, the thought of starting my Ravelympics sock pales against the desire to finish a red shawl.

I did start one little project.

I’ve never beaded before and I’m hooked.  Now I want to make some removable markers and ones with sparkly beads and ones with bigger hoops and…

Freya says, “Stop Mommy. You don’t need another craft.”  But she’s a dog.  What does she know?

I will start knitting so that I have an excuse to turn on the TV.  I will masquerade as a non-watcher while actually being engrossed in the program.  See, I come from a long line of doers and makers.  My mother sews and quilts and my father has his fly-tying and assorted fix-it-ups.  My sister loves wood-working.  Although TV watching was never forbidden in our house, it was never encouraged as a primary activity.  We were supposed to be productive.  This sounds admirable but it’s become a bit of a neurosis with me.

This Tuesday, I realized that I might have a bit of a problem.  The Lost season premiere was on and I really wanted to see it.  Matt and I sat down, turned the set on, and the guilt set in.  I was about to watch 2 hours of TV for its own sake and I didn’t want to do anything else during the show.  Now, I’m a grown woman and, my mother can’t ground me for being lazy–but I still felt awful.  Watching isn’t producing.  Intellectually, I know that there isn’t anything wrong with watching a bit of TV now and again–and Lost certainly takes more brain power than most shows.  My hands didn’t want to be busy, but I felt like they had to be.  I’ve got to break myself of this, or at least change my outlook.

The good thing about guilt-powered knitting is that I’ve finished up to projects this week.

Boy Blue is finished and fabulous.  And I also finished up some socks to clear the way for my Olympics project.

They are a bit small on me but that’s good since the recipient has smaller feet than me.  Hopefully she doesn’t mind a little bit of Freya kisses either.  On a bit of a side note, it is impossible to take an attractive picture of your own feet.

The Ravelympics start in 10 days.  I am competing in the Sock Hockey and the Designer Original Dance.  My socks will be toe-up anklets with a crocheted ruffle–all of my own design.  Swatching is finished although I am still wiffle-waffling on the stitch pattern to use.  I am also a co-captain for Team Woolie Ewe; we are representing the best yarn shop and community in Texas.

Our roster is posted here.  Candice-knits is the other captain (and creator of the banner above) and you’ll also notice that the Pirate Hooker–owner of Picklesnot Designs–is also a competitor.

It is also a distinct possibility that I will have Boy Blue finished by the time the Opening Ceremonies roll around thereby also meeting my goal of having it completed before the sprogling in question greets the world.

While crocheting this, I noticed that I crochet just as tightly as I knit.  The center of the blanket is messy as I found my groove.  Now the stitches are lined up with military-like precision.  Stitch-hance!

Wait, what?!?  That’s not knitting!  No, indeed.  I appear to have become one of those most befuddling and envied of knitters: the duel crafter.  How’s that for a comic book character?  Duel Crafter–able to wield both knitting needles and crochet hooks with the same reckless abandon.

I never particularly wanted to crochet; I still don’t think the finished product is as attractive as a knitted one.  But crochet does have one distinct advantage over knitting. It is much much faster.  I am not a fast knitter, and I needed to make a baby blanket.  In order to get it finished before the baby is finished, I turned to the enemy.  The enemy is my enemy no longer.

The Woolie Ewe is having a giant sale, and to reassure myself that knitting is tops with me, I went and got the makings for a Noro Striped Scarf.

Some lucky someone will get one for Christmas next year.

Freya says, “Polite pups get treats, right?”

So Matt calls cross-stitching “knitting”.  That’s okay–as long as he doesn’t complain when I spend money on it, he can call it whatever he wants.  The knitter/crocheter animosity runs so deep that I’m more offended when people get those confused even though they are at least both yarn arts.  I’ve got my priorities confused–so what?

I love adding the backstitching to a project. I think it really helps picture come together. Before the backstitching, you have a big, jumbled mess of colors, but after, you can see where one elements stops and another starts and the pattern really makes sense.

Of course the best part of finishing a project is going to the craft store to pick out another one.

The pumpkin hat didn’t happen because I decided to go out on Halloween.  Matt had plans, and I decided that I just wasn’t up to wrestling the puppy while handing out candy all night.  Speaking of puppies, not much knitting has been happening and probably won’t happen until Freya takes the excitement down a few levels.  Ever since she got big enough to jump on the couch, my crafting time has been severely curtailed.  Even the most well-behaved pup can’t resist Lorna’s Laces.

Who cares that it’s a baby pattern?  Knitting yourself a baby hat isn’t sad at all.  Certainly not as sad as eating a two-pound bag of jawbreakers because no kids rang your doorbell.  Definitely not as sad as knitting Freya a matching hat.  Perspective.

This lovely little face belongs to my golden retriever/mutt mix.  She’s 12 weeks old and is my and her daddy’s darling.

I know that I have neglected you recently, but do two wrongs make a right?  Sure, I only picked up my sock project because my video game wasn’t working.  I thought that you would be there for me, faithfull and true.  So imagine my dismay when I discovered your betrayal.  You decided to express your displeasure by bending one of my favorite DPNs into a C.  I’m going to take the high road and assume you chose a C because it was easiest instead of the C being the first letter of a nasty name that the other 3 DPNs would finish.  And after I bought you a nice new Namaste knitting bag to travel with me in!  You’re going to have to work hard to rebuild my trust in you.

With love despite it all,

springplum

P.S. Hiding my shawl pattern is not a good first step toward a healthier relationship.