- I obsessively read.
- I obsessively knit and crochet.
As a result, it was only a matter of time until my blog drew in some of this side to me. I learned to crochet when I was 17 (...which I just realized was NINE years ago...oy...), and I finally got the hang of knitting about two years ago. Everywhere I go, I have a knitting or crocheting project on me, my Kindle fire, or a paperback. I pull one of those out regardless of location, using them to calm my stressed out mind, to pass the time, or just for a change of pace. I even combine these two loves of mine: I read while crocheting projects that I can do by feel, and I listen to audiobooks for all the others.
In an attempt to capture some of my personality--and to keep my easily distracted crafter-brain focused--I am joining up with Ginny's Yarn-Along! Due to my inability to look away from my knitting, as well as my scatter-brained personality, you'll see me alternate between ebooks, audiobooks, and physical books, as well as between my projects. I'm hoping this helps me focus on finishing projects, but we'll just have to wait and see!
(Forgive the terrible camera phone picture--it was the only option I had available today)
THE CRAFT: I am working on Elena Nodel's Playground Shirt for my oldest niece, AB. I picked this pattern to stretch myself as a knitter. I figured the challenge of shaping a simple child's garment combined with the ease and comfort of the good ol' stockinette stitch would keep me from growing too frustrated. So far, it's going well.
My only complaint is that the pattern for the 5T-6T size was off by at least 18 stitches when it came time to transfer the armholes to scrap yarn. A few glances at other knitters' finished projects and a frantic picture message to a knitter friend cured the problem, after some frightening tearing back. (And to place over 200 stitches back on my needles and only dropped 6--I call that a success!)
Lessons learned? 1) ALWAYS question the patterns when you think it seems off, and 2) Never knit a row involving stitch transfers or pattern changes when you're exhausted. I transferred those stitches at 3 am; if I had used my head and waited until the next day, I'd never have had to tear back in the first place. Ah well! I'm a little bit wiser and more confident for it!
THE BOOK: I'm listening to I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass. The story follows two sisters, Louisa and Clement, who are so different that (at least to me) they start to seem alike in their entertaining "fumbles" through adulthood and responsibility. Louisa is an artist bound by her own judgement and strong sense (...most of the time...) of what is sensible. Clem, on the other hand, is a wildlife enthusiast driven by passion but stuck in her own wildness. Their adult stories unfold through each woman's stream of consciousness, forcing the story to focus on the the next time each saw their sister and alternating narrators with each part.
I'm finding this tale very engrossing. Though I want to shake both of these women for doing things I would deem foolish, I love how Glass's characterization of each woman makes them deeply flawed but deeply real, driving you as a reader to continue learning about them so you can discover just what drives both of these women. Though I would never label either woman as a role model, you can definitely emphasize with their struggles, both the ones forced upon them and the ones that their foolishness forces upon them.
