Open Acknowledgment: To all the knitters I've loved before

Last time we talked, I tentatively promised I'd take up knitting.  Have I left you in suspense, wondering whether I'd followed through or not?  Well, the answer is:  Yes!  Yes, I have.  After many practice sessions, getting reacquainted with the knitting needles and trying to improve my tension, I dove into the making of a little capped sleeve cardigan for baby Masha.  Ambitious?  Probably.  Probably too much so.  But for two weeks solid I've been knitting, and I'm now nearly half-way through it.  Mind you, I've made many, many errors.  Ick.  And I don't think this little sweater is gonna be very pretty, or even "convential"-looking.  But I'm excited to finish my first project.  Even if it is lumpy, bumpy, and disproportionate. 

What have I learned about knitting so far?

1.  It is SO relaxing.  I LOVE sitting in one spot and watching BBC shows at night.  Be that as it may...

2.  It is SO SLOW.  I could have sewn 9 things by now... all that lost sewing time!  It's a little frustrating.  It's sad how accustomed I've become to instant-gratification of sewing.  I'd positively mourn over the slowness if knitting weren't so repetitively soothing.

3.  It is SO SLOW.  Yes, I'm repeating myself.  Knitting is slow, in a good way.  I get so obsessive when I sew, always overwhelming myself self-imposed deadlines and losing sleep.  With knitting, it really can't be rushed.  You just finish when you finish.  Staying up later to knit another 5 rows isn't entirely helpful or necessary, because--guess what?-- I'm still not gonna finish it in one night.

 4.  I have developed a greater appreciation for the handknit or crocheted gifts we've acquired over the years.  My eyes are open to just how many handmade treasures accentuate our wardrobe and home.  Hats, scarves, childrens' sweaters, booties, blankets!  It's amazing, and I'm touched by the love and effort that went into each item.  I'm thankful, all over again!  :)  

 And now that I've dedicated a blog post to knitting, I must confess I have had to take a children-mandated break from it this week, and direct my creative energies to the making of costumes for our church's festival Thursday night.  In the past four days, I've cranked out  a Saint Lucia costume, a cheetah costume and a kitty cat costume.  Jury's still out on whether the fourth child will be dressed up or not.   Poor fourth born... ;)  Making costumes isn't my favorite thing to do, but it makes the kids so happy, and so it's worth it, for sure.  Hope you have a great remainder of your week!