Knitting craze

I've been so busy lately with the business, Moira's kindergarten, Ian's preschool, the house and Brian that I've found myself thinking and unable to stop. It's not hard, with Moira's and Ian's school schedule and activities, bill paying for the house, expenses with the business, and all other responsibilities with the family; not to mention we just finally sold our old townhouse. The debate on keeping it and renting it over selling it and focusing on just one house finally is over.

It doesn't stop the fact that there are a LOT of things to think about and I couldn't stop doing it.


I finally found a way to overcome it by picking up knitting again. I had learned it when I was in high school and found a store nearby where I found these great looking yarn. So I decided to try knitting again. My first project was a scarf for my mom, this was back in July 2006! - a simple one using a ribbon yarn and stockinette stitch (knit on one side and purl on another). It came out nice and simple, the yarn did a lot more to it than my knitting did, but it helped me re-learn my skills again.

The next project I did was a baby afghan for my cousin's newly-born daughter. It looked absolutely beautiful on the picture. The pattern was on the yarn label so I decided to try it, 6 months later it was done - and I was happy to see it looked exactly as it did on the pattern picture. It took awhile and my cousin's baby wasn't quite the newborn that she was when I first started but I was happy to have done something for her with my own hands.

My next project was a sweater for my husband. Yes, yes, I know - ambitious especially considering I haven't knitted in over a decade. But I found a great pattern online for it and great knitting learning resources that I could tap that even had free online videos to explain how to do a particular stitch. The sweater took awhile, but when it was done, seeing Brian where was well worth the effort. The fact that people in his office complimented him on the new sweater was an added bonus! I found a matching sweater for Ian which was great so I got the same yarn and color and this time, it went much faster. He looked sooooo cute in it!

Going out of the house with Ian and Brian in matching sweaters didn't go well with Moira as she had a poncho that she couldn't wear. So, we decided that she would choose a new yarn and I'd make her one and this time it would fit her. So we found one and with her constant, "are you knitting my poncho, mommy?", or the early morning, "get knitting, mommy.", I was finally done and she LOVED it. She wore it around the neighborhood with her friends and now I have 3 little girls making hints about how they loved the poncho and how they would love one of their own...

But I decided it was time for me - and here is my project. I did it in 1 week which is awesome and now...I have this great cardigan that is warm and perfect...my thinking has been completely controlled. Everytime I get stressed out and find myself thinking and worrying needlessly, I pick up my knitting needles and I get to start to relax.

Now, if only I can keep people from asking me to make something for them...my current project, another scarf for my mom AND the same cardigan that I made for myself....I think I jumped from the frying pan into the fire with this one...