one washcloth,
one scarf,
and three inches of sleeve. Why is it then, that I feel like a big slacker? Yesterday alone I knit a washcloth and most of the scarf, but I feel guilty because I didn't do much else. But wait. I did do other things. I baked some cookies. I did a load of laundry. I washed the dishes. I ate. I showered.I'll tell you what it is. I feel guilty about watching TV (this guilt is something I'm exploring). Since I knit while watching TV, I feel guilty about knitting. I start to think that I use knitting as an excuse to watch TV. It's a shame really, because what I want to do is knit. I like the mindlessness of watching TV while I knit. I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do.
At least this week I feel like I accomplished something.
The washcloth is for a housewarming gift. I didn't make it to the party because I was feeling icky.
I don't normally like to make scarves, but I lost a great scarf that Aimee brought me from Japan. I've taken to wearing a scarf most of the time. It keeps my neck warm in this changeable weather. This scarf took about four hours to make. I did fewer repeats than called for since I used a heavier yarn. It's about 70 inches long. I've had this Habu bamboo in my stash since Nina's opening, which is what made me yarn and knitting obsessed (I'd never really had the chance to knit with such beautiful yarns until Nina moved in on my walk home from work, and then all I wanted to do was to touch and own such luscious fibers). I haven't found the right project until now. I have another 88 grams left.
On another note. I just went to a baby shower, where I delivered the elephant I made. This is a great and easy pattern for those who can knit in the round and pick up stitches. The mother-to-be received a few hand-made gifts. Now, I've already done my rant on giving acrylic to babies, but everything that she got that was crocheted was made from acrylic. Take note that there's no yarn store in Elko, so most people to go that place-that-shall-not-be-named for their crafting needs (yes, even in this time of the internet). But still. I wish more people would think about it. I know the mother-to-be doesn't, and I spotted a couple blankets in other baby seats that were crocheted from acrylic. Maybe it's an urban/rural thing? I myself have been taken in by a soft synthetic, fuzzy baby blanket. But let me point out one more time that there are yarns more suitable to baby gifts. Try a superwash wool. Or cotton. Or bamboo, which they say has antibacterial properties. I myself aimed for luxury (since it is a gift) and went with a cashmere silk blend. Okay, so she can't throw it in the wash, but it's not going to melt to the child, either. Count that as rant number two.
7 comments:
It is a bit scary but that's the yarn that's requested, even from hospitals.
Why do you feel like a slacker?
I find that interesting.
Most people view my knitting as throwback femininity (which is amusing in itself) but I've been reamed out for making the others look bad for not being productive with their time (which pretty much just gobsmacked me.) As a woman who had her nose in a book most of my life, I've always had people wondering why I'd "waste my time" like that. My time. Not theirs. and what of it? What goals are we trying to reach? Who are we trying to impress? What's a better use of our time?
What've you come up with on that?
That's just it. Why do I feel like I'm not using my time differently? Sometimes I wonder what I did with my time before I knit like this. I read a lot more. My house wasn't any cleaner, I didn't exercise more (though I did spend more time outdoors, but I think that was because I lived places like Cape Cod and Vermont). I think it all ties into TV watching for me. If I were spending my time reading, or out for a walk, I wouldn't feel like I was wasting my time. Instead, I'm on the couch with the TV. But I'm not, not really. I'm knitting, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing. I have a hard time separating the TV watching and the knitting. Why I feel guilty about watching TV is another topic altogether, really. Because I watch TV while I knit, I feel guilty for knitting. Ugh. Maybe it's just the latent Catholic guilt rearing it's head.
Ha! I was having the same thoughts about watching TV this weekend. I had no plans and lots of knitting to do, so I parked myself on the couch and watched a couple of movies and Law & Order reruns. I got a lot done, but I feel like my weekend had to be justified in a way to Larry and some friends because it seems "lazy". I don't think they would have the same reaction if I was listening to music and knitting.
What is it about TV that makes us feel lazy? I can't spend too much time knitting without the other visual stimulation if I'm knitting alone. I'm still puzzling this out. I'm glad I'm not the only one, though.
i love you and keep forgetting to email to say - i wasn't able to call on sunday!!!
i am glad that you consider these things for babies. sad that most other people don't seem to. i am very glad that the elephant won't melt the baby, for reals!
as for the tv, it's so hard not to feel guilty. but i've gotten better! so if *I* can get better (being ex-catholic and workaholic and anti-tv), i know you have it in you, too! i now see the tv as a relaxant of sorts, and a good way for me to unwind (as long as i control the dosage). b/c i am so crazy anxious and worried that i am never doing enough, watching tv is a great way to do something and do nothing at the same time!!
and on top of that, you're knitting. you're doing a LOT when you knit w/the tv on. serious multitasking, my friend.
ACTUALLY, if i think about it now, YOU are the friend who helped me feel less guilty about watching tv!!! by pointing out the funny patterns and bad writing and good writing and stories on the tv. so how could you, my teacher of being okay watching tv, be in this crisis now? heehee.
big hugs. i will call you this weekend!
It's the intellectual snobbism that considers TV as the "boob tube". There's a lot of dreck on TV, but there's also a lot of fascinating stuff. I sat and (well, mostly listened to, but it was on TV) the Supreme Court Hearings on the 2nd Amendment from Tuesday.
But if I want to sit and watch L&O reruns all day long and knit, who is to call me an intellectual midget? And do I care?
But yes. I watch far, far more TV now that I knit than before. I can't exactly read and knit but I wasn't always reading War & Peace either.
It's true. I felt okay about watching all of Firefly in two days because I think the writing is spectacular. It's the same with movies--it's okay to watch movies, but not tv? I feel bad about watching something like ANTM (I won't usually admit that I watch it, either). There are some things I won't watch if my roommate is around because I'm embarrassed. I might feel the same way if I read trashy romance or something. Though I have very good friend who watches a lot of tv and reads trashy romance, sometimes at the same time, to unwind. She's a very intelligent woman who can carry a conversation. I've just decided to use her as my tv-watching role model.
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