needles

So, it’s been, what, maybe 7 weeks or so, since I took up the needles and cast some yarn on them, and true to form (the obsessive-compulsive one, that is), I have found it hard to put those needles down, even if all the busy work has produced, well, just that, evidence of compulsive and obsessive busy work:

Four hats, of which one is perhaps wearable. There was a fifth one, and that, I am happy to announce,is being worn by a very young men who doesn’t know any different yet when it comes to making a fashion statement.

Three scarves, of which one, the least colorful, is the only decent looking piece of work, up close that is.

And now I have embarked on a bigger project, a sleeveless sweater, or shell, using the softest 100 percent baby alpaca wool. And, in between, a wool and mohair scarf for the husband….

Is it any wonder that blogging has taken a backseat to all this yarning? It’s a shame, though, because I think I am still better with words than I am with wool. But the knitting calms me more.

Which reminds me of an exchange I had today with a woman (my age probably) in the knitting store in which I am becoming a regular these days. A frequent knitter’s card would be an excellent marketing tool for these guys, but hey, with people like me, getting hooked so easily, they don’t need any gimmick to reel more people in.

Anyway, back to the women: She was twittering away with the sales people about her project and how though wool is expensive it is still cheaper than a psychiatrist, and how as soon as she sits down on the couch, she off with her needles, gone into relaxation land… When I pipe in, sharing my mindful mindless knitting and its results no one wants, she too, shared her stories of her unwanted (by family) knitted pieces….

I am thinking maybe it’s time to start a website for curating these yarn works from hands that are busy healing the mind and at the same time making a lot of therapists poorer!

On a more practical note, in one yarn store in Pittsburgh, I saw a big box labeled “chemo caps.” The box was filled with hats knitted by people and donated for people undergoing cancer treatment. I think this is a great idea. Perhaps another box could be made up for donating baby clothes for community clinics….

I would do all these things, save that I feel that the quality of my knitting is so bad right now that the recipients might read my good will as an insult.