I'm sure that most of you are so busy with your life and your knitting that you don't get a chance to read the newspaper but you may be interested in checking out this article from the Globe and Mail last week. This crafty bus is in Mexico and it is the work of urban "craftivist" Magda Sayeg who is the ringleader of a group called Knitta, one of a growing number of groups specializing in "yarn graffiti". Link to the full article below.
I had a customer in yesterday who mentioned that she seemed to be in a finishing mode, tidying up those UFO's (un-finished objects). I said that I too was working at finishing up several things that had been around for quite a while. Then I thought about it and realized that I can no longer say that. Having finished up a rug hooking piece, 2 pairs of socks and mended and defuzzed 5 sweaters since the weekend, I somehow also found the time to begin a bulky cardigan, a DK cotton bamboo sweater, a toe up sock for demonstration at the "advanced sock technique" class that I'm teaching at the end of the month, a cotton silk summer pullover, and a new small rug hooking project while stashing the canvas for the next one(not small) in my work basket.
As the siren of each of these new projects was calling me and putting the needles/hook in my hands, my more sensible self was asking: "What are you thinking/doing?" while my rationalizing self kept replying: "I'm not really committing to this one yet, I'm just going to see if I like it."
The rational self usually wins and I think that I'm down to 2 works in progress (the bulky cardi and the cotton/silk aran pullover pictured here, with the small rug hooking project waiting on the back burner - in fact it's so small that I'm about 3/4 finished already).
Which brings me to a discussion that we had at the supper table this week: why do most knitters need several projects on the go at once?
My personal answer would be a rather sarcastic and impolite "duh??!!" but to be fair to the males of the world who don't seem to get it, it's important to gently remind them that unlike a game of golf, or a large woodworking project, knitting lends itself well to our different moods and the demands of the moment. No, you can't put down your driver half way through a golf game and go throw a half game of horseshoes, and pick up the golf later on. Most crafters need projects that can fill small increments of our time, which is all we have; where as a large woodworking piece demands a big solid block of time, which restricts the number of projects that one would want to take on.
Notice I delicately haven't even mentioned that we seem to be good at multi-tasking: chatting with the other parents, while knitting, while watching the kids' hockey practice, while planning what to have for supper when we get home. I like the variety that small crafts let me indulge in. I know my limits though...3 serious projects at a time with a good week of "finish ups"every couple of months. That's what works for me. (Oh by the way, remind me to explain to my husband that once you get on to them socks aren't considered serious projects, they're more like hand warmers in the arena, or pocket stuffers for while your in a waiting room.)
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