Needled

To see image source, click on the image

So I recently took up knitting again after years of not being crafty. Between school and work, not only did I not have time, but I didn't have the energy. For the last year or two of my degree I was constantly burned out and had zero creative juice to spare. Now that I'm done school and have a bit of time to do what I want guilt-free, I'm searching for hobbies. Not just to fill the time, but to fill the void. I have been feeling more and more disconnected from myself for the past few years, and have developed some unhealthy habits like shopping and watching way too much TV to feel good. But it never lasts, and overall it just makes me feel more empty. I look back on a time when I used to garden, cook and sew, and I miss it. So I decided to throw myself back into creating, and knitting seemed like a practical choice. Not too mentally demanding, it creates something you can use, and with Youtube these days you can find instructions for everything!

I've been knitting on and off since I was about 6 - my maternal grandmother was a avid knitter and I think my mother taught me. That's the one thing I really remember about my grandmother - her knitting in front of the TV. She could knit an entire sweater in one night without ever seeming to look at her hands. It was amazing to me. But until recently, I've never done more than knitting and purling - no cabling or fancy patterns. I hadn't even used circular needles. So I figured I'd give it a shot with this "Snowtracks Cap" from Stitch Nation. After a couple of re-starts I finally got the hang of it, and within a week, lo and behold - my first knitted cap! 'Cept the thing I didn't consider is my recent hair metamorphosis that included bangs a la Emily the Strange. You can't wear caps with a thick fringe 'cos they end up in your eyes. FAIL.



Oh well, at least now I know I can not only knit a cap, but follow a pattern. On to the next....