I’ve given it  a lot thought and I’ve come to the conclusion that I could greatly improve my quality of life, if I could just figure out how to knit while folding laundry.  Ginny of Yarn Along fame says, “Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading (though not at the same time!)”.  They are two of my favorite things as well, only I routinely do them at the same time.  When I read to the children in the afternoon, I prop the book open so that I’m able to accomplish some simple knitting as well.  Most of my private reading happens while nursing.  Some times I knit while nursing too.  And there have been a couple of times where I’ve nursed while knitting and reading, but generally that seems like one too many things.  People often ask how I manage to knit as much as I do.  I’m pretty sure they think that I just sit around all day doing nothing but knitting.  Actually it’s quite rare for me to just sit and knit, I’m almost always doing something else at the same time.  I knit while I teach.  I knit standing in lines and waiting in waiting rooms.  I knit during anything we might watch.  I’ll get in a row or two between turns at card games.  I sometimes get ridiculously giddy at the prospect of car rides, where everyone will be strapped in and my hands are guaranteed to be free for a set amount of time.  It’s not odd for me to slip in a stitch or two walking from one room to the next.  A little here, a little there and it all adds up.

This week I’m reading The Forever Marriage and knitting birthday sweaters; Seraphina’s in the daytime and Galen’s after he’s gone to bed.  I’m cutting things rather close on Galen’s, which is strange since I usually have his done well in advance.  Not this year!  I just couldn’t decide what to make him.  I changed my mind about 15 times before finally settling on something once and for all last month.  I’m taking several risks with this one and even though I’m getting close to the end, I’m still not sure how it’s going to turn out!

The yarn for Seraphina’s is dreamy…baby alpaca with a hint of merino in that soft fawn hue that I want to cover just about everything in these days.  I just finished with the calm, meditative part.  I’m about to start on the fun part, which will lead me to the absolutely terrifying part (steeking!!!!).  When I explained the concept of steeking to Iain and mentioned being nervous, having never done it before, he asked why on earth I would ever do such a thing with something as important as a first birthday sweater??  Setting aside the endearing fact that my teenage son deems a first birthday sweater of paramount importance, I’m starting to think he may have a good point.