Stolen Time

• Posted on 23 February 2024
• By Anne
• 0

So much to do. And going on around us. All the more important to whittle out time each day for what's important - playing with hooks, needles, and pretty string.

It's pre-Crawl time. Meaning my to-do list is pages and pages and pages and pages and . . . Ack! From the minute I wake up, my head is spinning with a myriad of things to be done. And under stress? Heck yes! So what's a maker to do when the weigh of the world rests on their shoulders? Easy peasy as to the what. Make, of course! But the when is harder to finagle.

So where do I steal time to knit? My favorite is in the early morning. Hubby loves to sleep, so he just doesn't get it. But I love to wake up early, brew some coffee, gather my three furry friends around, and enjoy some sweet moments to knit. No computer, no TV, just solitude. Right now, with the sun coming up earlier, I'm also serenaded by a gaggle of birds waking up with me. And I do love the end of the day over a glass of wine with my better half, as we try to solve the NW Times' daily Connections and Wordle puzzles. I never go anywhere without a project; riding shotgun in the car, even short trips, is great for knocking off a few rows. I haven't quite mastered walking and knitting at the same time, so grocery store knitting isn't in my repertoire (yet). I had a friend who use to knit while at musicals and plays; she said she didn't need to see what she was doing, just feel the stitches. I don't know - sounds like a recipe for tinking.

My 'what' to this point has been the RCYC Mystery Knit-Along. For the past few weeks, I've set daily row goals, and have been pretty good at sticking to it. Yesterday, I finished the last row of the last clue, and am now binding off. I must say, this has been one of my favorite Crawl MKALs. The beads were fun, and I appreciated a more solid (versus lacey) scarf-like project rather than a traditional shawl. I'll let you in on a secret - I never wear shawls. But I love knitting them, especially mysteries, as they're the perfect landscape to learn new stitches and techniques. This year's MKAL did not disappoint. The i-chord edging was beautiful. I've not done an i-chord bind off before, so another new skill in my knitting bag of tricks. It was also my first time knitting with Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s Organic Studio Sock - one of the newest additions at the shop. And I love it! My shawl used bright pink 'Mondawmin' and dark brown 'Druid Heights' - both neighborhoods in Baltimore, where Neighborhood Fiber Co. is located. I had fun with the bead colors, too, using dark brown crystals against the bright pink fabric, and bright pink ones when knitting with the brown. I think it turned out quite lovely. And I might even wear this one.

But with one high pressure week yet to go before the big event, I need another what. So I'm turning to my go-to knit-to-relax project - assigned pooling. I absolutely adore this technique! Once you figure out the basic shape of your piece, and the pooling stitch you'll use, there's no more thinking or counting required. The yarn is your guide, and you just go with it as the color tells you what to do and when. My current muse is Dawn Barker's "Froth" - a simple garter stitch loop knit with two colors; a solid and an assigned pooling colorway. I'm using an antique white tonal, and one of the Madelinetosh x Barker Wool Assigned Pooling collaboration colorways, Rhinestone Rosie. Sooooo pretty! The mini nupps (the assigned pooling stitch) against the antique white look like beautiful little spring flower buds. Or tiny, colorful clouds. A simple, pattern that lulls you into a calm space, with the occasional colorful surprise. Absolutely wonderful!

And then there's the coveted days after the Crawl - some of my favorite knitting days ever! All day pajamas and slippers. Hot tea. Popcorn. A good romcom. Snuggly puppies surrounding me. And totally guiltless, selfish knitting. So many ideas already swimming through my head - a sweater, socks, a new assigned pooling design? Tune in next month, and I'll fill you in on my latest exploits with pretty string.

In the mean time, Happy Crawling!!! Looks like Mother Nature is going to be on our side this year.