Long time no knit?
Hello all, I'm back...

It's been a loooong week. And I'd barely knit a stitch since last Sunday. When I am on a tight schedule, I impose certain rules upon myself. I ban all of my favourite activities, whatever they might be at the time. In the last year of my undergrad, it was Diablo II, last year it was the Sims... so when I came to the final stretch (or not so final stretch) of my summer research paper, I decided that this year, knitting was it.

You see, I always finish my papers, almost never have to beg for extensions, and usually I live happily ever after. But this year I discovered that knitting is not in any way like computer games. When I play computer games, I usually consider that time to be completely wasted. I have accomplished nothing tangible, even if I did finish Diablo (twice, y'all) and advanced some levels, when I turned off the computer, nothing at all had changed.

Knitting never makes me feel guilty (unless I really ought to be doing something else, like making dinner, or picking my husband up somewhere... sorry Mike!) No matter how much people tell me that I am obsessed (they seem to think this is a bad thing?) I can't bring myself to feel bad. Because I am MAKING something. I am creating, I am progressing. When I am done twisting bits of string around some plastic dowels in inventive ways, I will most likely have something actually functional at the end. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a process gal as well, I am finding each odd row of River absolutely gripping, and discover myself flying through the even rows in anticipation...

Not to mention the fact that knitting actually calms me. Not many things do this anymore.

So, I'm bringing back the knitting. I knit three rows on River this morning while sipping tea on the veranda while Mike read aloud from Fowler's English Usage. At this rate, we'll be getting the seniors discount soon...



I've also discovered I can get a repeat done in less than one repeat of Rufus Wainwright (note the cd in the picture)! I am working towards two repeats in one album's time. It was actually raining lightly while we sat out there, but the rain doesn't come in, and I love the way the drops muffle the sounds of the street and change the way the city looks and feels.

But don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of work to do, and I am not going to let beautiful River interfere. I am just aiming for balance. I can't slack off, with these taskmasters on my case: