I've been in a little bit of a slump lately with my knitting, so I'm not churning out the goods with the enthusiasm of previous months. I know this happens, and I know it never lasts, but there are just too many other things that need to be accomplished and knitting just isn't quite soothing my ills the way it so often does. Patience is a virtue and one that Knitting herself is most generous in bestowing on us, but the patience I need to wait this one out is just not appearing.
My knitting's suffering is primarily due to the fact that I have a new research project I'm carrying at work. Between learning how to use the automated slide stainer, performing literature searches for background information, and moving forward my previous project, my time at work is at something of a premium. The in-between times while waiting for something at work used to be prime knitting time, but now it's just not there. What time I do have is being hijacked by the need to study for Step 3, to be taken in October, and continue work on my Match application. It's no fun when things suddenly heat up like this, but it happens.
Another issue that is just killing my drive to knit is the fact that I made an agreement with my husband not to buy any more yarn until Wisconsin Sheep and Wool in four weeks. My stash is big enough to last, but I'm just not inspired. The large percentage of cheapass acrylic doesn't help, of course. I have projects in mind that simply cannot be done from stash and the projects that can be all strike me as blah. The pair of ribbed socks I have on the needles right now and the fancier socks for my husband are just not doing it for me. Poor guy...everything I have planned to knit for him ends up in the "I'm bored with this" pile. The most exciting, inspiring thing I've done with fiber lately is learning to spin, but I have not a single scrap of roving on which to practice and I'm not allowed to buy any yet! Aaaaaagh! Why, why did I do this?
Oh yes, and did I mention that it's summer, for heaven's sake? Even handknit socks are too warm to wear, and early Christmas gift planning rings just a little hollow.
Runners, I'm told, keep themselves going by fixing their vision on a point far down the track. They keep their eyes on the next goal and the next until the finish line is crossed. To what shall I fix my eyes? Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, of course, for one thing. I'm so excited about meeting the sheeps and the sheepiedogs, finding nice roving and handspun, and just having a grand time. But that is not going to be happening for a while. Instead, I'm looking forward to helping bring a brand new knitting gamer into the world...my friend Valerie. She too is a gamer and has asked to join our cul...er, I mean, hobby...after hearing my enthusiastic testimonials. We are going to go to a fabulous local yarn store and pick her out something nice, after which I will teach her to knit. Her first project: a dice bag...only fitting for a knitting gamer, no?
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