Better Things

Published by Shana | Filed under Knitting

Let’s skip the farce. I’m probably never going to prioritize updating strangers on my hobbies over pretty much anything else I may want to do. So there will be no apologies for a nearly two month gap in posts. We can also skip the farce that you noticed. We all have lives, people.

So, here is a short list of the better things I have had to do.

1. Knitting the World’s Most Difficult Shawl

I swear that I don’t hate myself.

I am two months into the Wedding Ring Shawl. This is a gossamer weight piece that will be about 6 feet square and should be light enough to be pulled through a wedding ring. For those of you that don’t knit, that means stupidly time consuming and finicky. After 2 months, I’m 40 rows into the first 60 row pattern. Which I have to do six times. And then that’s only maybe 1/3rd finished, since there is a huge boarder.

I don’t know why I’m doing this.

For scale: that pink string is sewing thread.

I think there is something fundamentally human about overcoming unnecessary challenges. We are a strange people. We drive everywhere, and then do Iron Mans. There is no logic to our lives.

2. Being a Good Aunt

Pretend with me that all children want for their fourth birthday is a hand-knit sweater, since that will make me the best aunt ever. I made Chloe Roo.

It is difficult to take pictures of clothes without a kid to put in it.

My mother has done a good job training Chloe to know how to act when someone holds a partially knit sweater up to her. She holds her arm out and stands nice and still. These are important things to teach our youth.

I love this cable

3. Planning a Wedding

I suppose this is the excuse you can use to get out of anything, and people will nod knowingly and not argue. But I don’t get what the fuss is all about. Planning a wedding is no big deal if you don’t actually care very much about what the cake looks like or what people wear or if someone doesn’t show that said they would.

We’re at the 40 day mark, officially entering what I’m calling (against the advisement of pretty much everyone I know) ”Wedding Lent”. There is plenty of time for drama and meltdowns.

4. Making Things I Don’t Need

I made Rock Island, and then wore it maybe four times. I don’t need another shawl. Why make it? It’s pretty and worked perfectly with some yarn I’ve had for a while. And that’s reason enough.

I like texture.

This shawl is really light. Which I think is supposed to make you delicate and pretty, but on me is just awkward.

5. Going to School as a Hobby

Considering I already paid for a Master’s degree as a hobby, hearing that you can take college course for free has consumed my world. Who doesn’t want to learn about Gamification, the History of the World since 1300, and Philosophy?  Probably someone that would find me to be terrible company.

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