I've gotten so into knitting these past few years-- into the process, the theory of pattern design, fiber lust-- that I forgot why I took it back up again. Only lately, shoulders heavy with the terrifying burden of entering the real world, have I been reminded that knitting calms me down.
I think a lot of knitters fall prey to a trap similar to the one I found myself in. I got into the groove of life for a while, got much more knitting skill, and left those mindless, therapeutic beanie projects in the dust in favor of anything with a complicated motif or skill. Those intricate projects are a nice bit of work, but I forgot how soothing it is to just sit down and knit. No shaping, no cables, no row counter.
I've been keeping my brain so occupied lately that I haven't had any time to just sit and think. I've had plenty of time to sit and think about jobs or my life, but no time to just let my brain wander. Unfortunately I'm smart enough to realize I've intentionally kept my brain busy-- even down to the projects I choose to knit. Last night, after I spent a solid couple of hours unraveling a skein that has been tangled up for more than 5 years, I swatched with the all-but-forgotten yarn. As I got into the rhytym of automatic, shapeless, plain knitting I realized how much I missed plain knitting.
When I came to college I had known how to knit for quite some time, but my skills were beginner at best and I didn't have much interest in it. Berkeley changed my attitude toward knitting. I picked it up again because I needed something to do that didn't sap anymore energy from my already fried brain. My knitting skill increased rapidly, and so did my fascination with the craft. One thing led to another and I ended up designing things in my head while on the bus, wondering which lace motif will work best to stretch my fiber yardage.
I wouldn't trade my new attitude toward knitting for anything, but it is nice to occasionally remind myself that a little methodical knitting mellows me out. Now all I want to do is knit beanies--truckloads of plain, mindless beanies. And hell, if I knit a beanie every time I feel weird about jobs or my future I could coif all the cold little kids in Russia.
Knitting progress. There's a lot of it. Unfortunately I'm not near my camera right now, but I'll post photos tomorrow. For now here's the run down:
-Garter Stitch Vest is NEARLY complete. So close to being done it hurts. Stitch count is slightly off on the right sleeve portion, so I have to rip back a bit and fix that. Mere hours 'til this one is complete
-Grecian Plait... I'm still working on that!? Almost done, too! I've got about an inch of the back and one (short) sleeve left to do. Then seam it and see if it fits.
-Springtime in Philly beret is an absolute JOY to knit. For any knitters out there who want an easy, beautiful lace pattern knit this hat. The pattern is so well written, easy to follow, easy to memorize, yet it's just challenging enough. Perfect to bring with me when I'm out, so this one is getting a fair amount of public transit knitting time. I'm almost done with the first chart, so that's about halfway!
Photos of progress tomorrow. Off to bash my head into a wall/look for more jobs. :)
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