Hobby in Hiatus

I picked up knitting a few years ago.  I think it actually began with crochet - my sister would bring her latest crochet project to family gatherings and one Thanskgiving I decided I wanted to learn.  I picked it up pretty quickly (well, the basics anyway) and resorted to online videos to remember what I had learned that day.  But I soon realized that I like the look of knitting more than crochet, and there began a love/hate relationship.

I learned to knit mostly through the knittinghelp website.  My sister showed me a few starter techniques and I had a good basis for developing my skill from there.  My first project was a reading wrap for my mom.  The pattern was quick and relatively simple, and I couldn't believe that my hands had actually made the finished product!

I then embarked on the baby blanket business.  Erica had just found out that she was expecting Asher at the time, and it was the perfect project to tackle.  I had grand delusions that every baby born in my family of friends from here on out would have their own special Aunt Mary-made blanket.  I found a striped pattern on Ravelry, modified it a bit, and got to work.  The thing about stripes that I didn't realize?  Every time you change colors you have 2 ends to weave into the project.  For an experienced knitter? No big deal.  For me?  Well, I never actually took the time to learn to do it properly, and then I got all stubborn about it, and just decided to do it my own way.  That was brilliant - let me tell you.  Oh, and the other thing I didn't mention...I was not only taking on my first large knitting project, I had decided that it would just be so much cuter if I batted it, backed it with fabric, and gave it a piped edge.  And that decision wouldn't seem like such a big deal if I had a sewing machine (or even knew how to use one), but I just figured I'd sew it all by hand.  I think this example could probably give you some keen insight into my life decision making processes.  I don't necessarily make things easy for myself, and yet I set some pretty high expectations.  Good times!  After hour upon hour of toiling endlessly (I even took a full vacation day to get it finished before we went to Austin to meet Ash)....voila!  The results were well worth it, and I love that Erica has gotten so much use out of it!

(Photo Courtesy of Amelia)

Easier projects I have done  since then are a scarf for my niece last Christmas, and a baby bear hat (in crochet) just in time for a few sweet friends new baby boys to have their first photo shoots.

Here's the problem though - I've been working on a blanket for Jackson since Cassandra found out she was pregnant.  You may have noticed that Jackson is several months old now.  And, um, yeah, that blanket?  Well let's just say that knitting got the better of me and I can. not. do. it.  I don't know what my deal is, it's about a quarter finished, but I can't make myself pick it up again.  (Forgive me Cass & Jax!)  I felt that coming on though, and let Cassandra know on the front end that Jackson would definitely have an Aunt Mary baby blanket by the time he was two.  Or five.  And poor little Chase may be somewhere around ten.

I'm getting the itch again, so maybe there's hope.  Knitting projects can be time consuming, and my brain feels the pressure of the length of a project from the first stitch - which obviously works against me sometimes.  I love the finished product, but getting there can stress me out - and that's not really the point of a hobby.  So I've been taking a knitting sabbatical.  But believe me, the day I finish Jackson's blanket...you will ALL know it (assuming we still have this blog in 2014).