A few days later…

This is as far as I seem to be able to get – for all of the time I’ve put into the silly thing, I should be through with it by now! Somebody please put me out of my misery!

And on another note…

Do not even think to ask me how the prayer shawl is coming!

My top 5 justifications for knitting -

5.) It keeps me from killing the dog
4.) Sharpens the mind (can’t remember – did I mention this one already?)
3.) Better use of time than playing video poker
2.) Lowers blood pressure (high blood pressure caused by continually barking dog)

And my number one reason (drum roll please)
1.) God says it is ok!
Proverbs 31:13 (msg)
“She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing”

Recently I reported to my ever-skeptical husband that I had heard knitting lowers your blood pressure. He wasn’t impressed. So I decided to back up my claim. After exhaustive investigation, (ok- 10 minutes of internet research), I came up with the following information.

-One source reported that occupational therapists found that knitting uses both sides of the brain and therefore helps lessen the symptoms of dementia.
-The same source cited that for women with arthritis, knitting could keep their fingers moving and flexible, preventing the hands from becoming too stiff.
-Knitting is also a great tool for helping children develop hand eye coordination, and learning about following instructions and patterns.
-Dr. Herbert Benson, associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mind/Body Medical Institute recommended knitting in his book “The Relaxation Response”. The book is an outline for reducing stress and the diseases that can be caused or aggravated by them.

So the next time someone thinks that you knit too much, just tell them you are doing it for their health!

What am I doing???

So I finally found a project that I thought sounded like fun. It is Alix’s Prayer Shawl, and it is my first attempt at lace knitting. I am part of a group of women in my church who knit or crochet prayer shawls to be given to those who are sick or in need of some comfort. It’s a great way to meet other knitters, and a worthwile project. My first one was just a basic rectangle with a border around it, done in Lion’s Homespun. Pretty basic, mindless, and boring, but easy to tote around because it took absolutely no concentration. After such mindnumbing knitting, I was up for a bit of a challenge. Only three problems. One, my husband, two, my kids, and three, the world’s neediest dog. (Note to self – never again attempt to learn a pattern like this when all of your family is in the house, and the dog can’t make up her mind if she wants in or out.) If I hadn’t had to rip rows out several times, I might be enjoying it. Everytime I would get halfway through a row of the pattern, someone would want something from me, and when I would get back to it, I would have lost my place and would have to rip out the row. I should have stuck with the boring but basic one!

What to do, what to do

I’m in a quandry. What do I want to knit now? I am totally uninspired with what I have on needles right now. It all looks so dull and lifeless. This, I should explain has everything to do with the fact that after a year of working off and on on it, I have finally finished my beloved lizard ridge blanket. Every other project pales in comparison. Oh, I’ve managed to finish a couple of cute dishrags for teacher gifts, but I can’t seem to get excited about anything else. I’ve had socks started for my husband for months – they were supposed to be a birthday gift, but seeing as his birthday was over a month ago and I’ve barely started the first one, so, well, you get the picture. I’m having knitters block. I’m sure it will dissapear, though, as soon as the gorgeous yarn that I ordered to do the clapotis wrap comes in.

This is me – driven mad after years of knitting

In the beginning……..

Day one of my first blog- not sure whether to laugh or cry. My Mom talked me into this. That’s it – I’ll blame it on my Mom! She’s the one who put the thought into my head. She’s the one who said I should do it. So Mom, it may only be you and me reading this silly thing, but here goes. I’m not a complex person – there is nothing wild and mysterious about me. I am a mother of 2, a wife, champion volunteer, owner of 2 dogs, (one who is dumber than dirt) and one “dwarf” rabbit who looks like she ate Cleveland. While I intend this blog to be mainly about my knitting and various other crafty hobbies, the rest of my daily life will surely creep in. I come from a family of fairly artistic people. Mom’s a quilter and knitter, I have a brother who is an amazing photographer, and a sister-in-law who shares my passion for all things that come from a yarn store. While there is not much on it right now, I hope to fill this up with images of various knitting projects, etc. – that is when I can figure out why this website is not letting me upload the photos. So here it is – my official first post. At least it’s a beginning.