Of yarn, that is. Yep, because I have so much free time, I’ve taken up knitting. The truth is that knitting is an amazing, natural stress/anxiety buster. It’s also been proven to ward of the mental decay of aging.
My longtime friend and mentor, Leslie Petrovski over at Nake-id Knits, is teaching a few of her pals to knit, so on Wednesday evenings when I’m not trapped at home due to snow, I join the conclave for a little noshing and knitting. (I usually bring hummus from Ali Baba, which is seriously addictive.)
So far, I’ve been able to attend two of the four sessions, but thanks to some handy-dandy online video tutorials on how to knit and how to purl English style, I’m keeping up just fine.
I missed the first lesson, so I used only the tutorials and did this >>>>>
Not bad for a beginner, eh?
But, then there is this … sometimes I “drop a stitch” and end up with a hole.
But, I’m learning to go back and fix my boo-boos, and this week I’ll learn how to add and subtract stitches as required by patterns.
Our first project is a felted purse (see the Nake-id toteflat pattern). Then, I may try a small blanket and perhaps a simple dog sweater for Lilly. Stay tuned.
Oh, how fun! I don’t know how to knit but used to be able to crochet a little. I also did some hand sewing to make doll house stuff when my daughter was little. There’s something relaxing about repetitive, mindless hand movements that are really soothing. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had some kind of hand work like that to do while watching tv.
I’d recommend finding a fellow writer who knits to teach you. We get each other’s unique brand of crazy and know how to explain things to other word types.