The Story

There is, in most any pursuit that I’ve undertaken, a point where I start to realize that I’ve crossed the threshold from hobby into obsession. Invariably, this brief moment of lucidity occurs a little after two am, when I realize that the babies will be up in less that four hours and I’m still nowhere close to where I was hoping to be.

To illustrate this point, here is the first knitting project I ever worked on

A few years ago, let’s say about six or seven or so when I lived in San Francisco, I taught myself how to knit. I wanted to learn because I saw a small beaded purse that looked so sweet and unintimidating in a small American hand-crafted store while I was visiting Pittsburgh. How could something so little be difficult to execute? So, off I went to an amazing shop, Lacis, across the bay from us in Berkeley where I bought a vintage booklet with instructions on how to knit and crochet, a small purse pattern book, a set of double pointed, double zero needles, and some cotton DMC floss… yes, floss. Once I found some beads and strung them on the string, I was ready to go. Four days later–two of which included quite a large chuck Saturday and Sunday–my lovely boyfriend at the time (now relishing the role as husband) very gently asked if hobbies were really supposed to be so stressful. He wasn’t so sure that an activity which caused such frequent outbursts of profanity was something I should pursue during the limited free time I had, especially if it was going to keep me up until the wee hours. But there, on day five, was at least twenty rows of stockinette with tiny little glinting beads slipped between the stitches. I was hooked. I guess now would be a good time to point out that the pattern called for the purse to be knit in garter, but not knowing what garter stitch was, I doggedly pursued purling on those damn double zeros until I had it figured out.

Here is the last little bag that I finished, notice it isn’t sewn up, but it is knit up in garter!

There are many pursuits that grab my imagination, but the things that hold my attention until two in the morning deserve their own little nook. So welcome to my little string of obsessions and compulsions; I’d like to think that you might find one or two things interesting. And I hope when you find the time to check in that it’s early where you are.

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