Thank You, Sock

Dear Sock,

I really can’t thank you enough. Even if you had the capacity for human thought and emotion, I don’t think you could fully appreciate how much you’ve given me (today, especially). I still have hair because of you. I would have pulled it all out, had you not been in my backpack waiting for me.

As you are unaware (because you’re a sock - really only half a sock), today is the closing date for my first house purchase, and things are not going entirely smoothly. The first thing I did when I got off the phone with the lawyer’s office? I took you out and knit two of the most satisfying rounds of my life. Then I cried. Now I have a headache, but the next several rows that I knit were utter bliss.

What would I do without you, sock? I suppose I would knit something else, but I don’t think there’s anything more therapeutic than setting up an instep and starting to decrease. I only hope that someday I’ll repay the favour by giving you a happy home on a grateful pair of feet.

xox

Love Always,
Alicat

Knitting as Escapism

I, like one or two other people in the world, have stress in my life. Sometimes I cope better than others, but for most of my life I’ve been aware that I’m a procrastinator. Lately, to temporarily free myself from the stress created by this procrastination (and also to fuel it), I’ve been knitting.

The stress - buying my first house and having to pack-up and move out of my apartment in the coming days.

The method of escape - a pair of grey wool socks (the second sock, specifically).

Every time I start to feel the looming deadline of yet another task that needs to be completed, I find myself reaching for my project and thinking “just a few more rounds and I’ll be ready”. Ha! I’ve been powering through the cuff of this sock, but my cats still haven’t been taken to my parents’ house for the week, and my refrigerator remains uncleaned. I’m so glad I’ve found knitting in my life. This is the most productively I’ve ever procrastinated!

As an aside, the first sock I knit using my own pattern went quite well. I’ve made a few adjustments to the pattern, but I’m pleased with the result. I think I’ll post my pattern once this pair of socks is finished, blocked, and passes my final approval :)

Silver lining

I'm so ill that I can't breathe through my nose at all, and breathing through my mouth is painful to my sore throat. But I just had the fantastic realization that being home sick from work tomorrow will mean I can work on the pair of socks I'm knitting for the boyfriend's dad. Oh joy! I wonder if he would take issue with wearing socks that I knit while stopping for sneeze/nose-blowing breaks every 2-5 minutes...

I have a problem

As I sit here, unable to get out of my pyjamas because I would rather not put down the sock I'm knitting, I think it's time to start some therapeutic blogging.
I have a knitting problem. Several, in fact.
Problem #1. I get so wrapped up in projects sometimes that I forget the world is still turning. It's almost 3pm. Why am I still in pyjamas?
Problem #2. My full-time job impedes my ability to knit whenever I feel like it, but I couldn't support my yarn habit without my pay check.
Problem #3. I make a lot of mistakes. The fact that I have yet to produce a completely flawless project fuels my need to keep knitting beyond what is socially acceptable.
Basically, I knit too much.
I would write more, but I have to get back to my sock.