tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47834900825108528612012-01-28T06:52:13.452-08:00Heather Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099369415678263757noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783490082510852861.post-45096580092726437382012-01-28T06:51:00.000-08:002012-01-28T06:52:13.492-08:00I promised myself that I wouldn't fall back on posting here. I do have a couple posts sketched out with my current works in progress (okay, one is now finished), but I unfortunately don't have a good computer or internet set up. Publishing a post requires me to head to the local internet cafe and try to write whilst being surrounded by children playing video games (one is a crazy dancing game that apparently requires you to hit the keyboard as hard as you can). I have to say it's not the best atmosphere for trying to get your thoughts down in a semi-coherent manner. Yeah, those last two sentences took me 5 min to write...<br /><br />Coming up, Heather takes two months to knit a scarf...<br /><br />So, stay tuned!<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4783490082510852861-4509658009272643738?l=knittorious.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Heather Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099369415678263757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783490082510852861.post-46501455615988689732012-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:002012-01-16T09:47:20.642-08:00There are about a million reasons why I knit. Knitting is full of possibilities. When you really think about it, it's amazing that one little piece of string (okay a really long piece of string) can be manipulated into anything your mind can dream up. It can be something simple, complex, practical, fashionable, funny, etc. Whatever that piece of string becomes, it is something that was made using only your hands, a set of needles, a bit of yarn, and some imagination. I think that there's something special about an object that is handknit that you can't find in a store-bought, machine-knit object. You can look at it, once it's done, and say, "I made that!" And I love making things. I always have. There's something about making things with my own two hands that I can't get enough of. It's not always about the finished product though. I love the process of knitting.<br /><br />Knitting, for me, is a journey more than a means to an end and that is another reason why I love it. It can relax me, or engage me. If I'm knitting something simple, with just knits and purls, I find I can relax and it becomes almost like meditation. I find myself thinking through problems I'm having in other areas of my life and I find it easier to find the solution when I'm knitting. If I don't really want to think, I can put the TV on and just zone out and knit, which feels a lot better than if I was just to sit and watch TV. I can imagine someone asking me, "What did you do today?" and I can answer, "I knitted something" rather than, "I sat in front of the TV all day and did nothing." I feel like I'm actually being productive. On the other hand, if I'm knitting something a little more complex, it can feel pretty good to sit and concentrate and focus on something. I can't think of how many times I've looked at a knitting pattern and tried to knit it, but something just isn't right and I've ripped it back countless times trying to understand it, getting frustrated. But then, I get it. It's an amazing feeling to finally understand the pattern and to be knitting something complex and beautiful. And it's something I don't have to be at home to do.<br /><br />I can knit pretty much anywhere my heart desires. If I'm waiting for someone at the dentist... I can knit. If I'm at a coffee shop... I can knit. If I don't have anything else to do... I can knit. And it's one hell of an icebreaker. I can't recall how many times I've had someone just start talking to me because I'm knitting. It doesn't really matter what country I'm in either.<br /><br />Knitting is global. When I found myself craving to knit, I hadn't picked up the needles in about six months. I didn't know I felt so strongly about knitting. But there I was, fighting the urge to whip out the dental floss and some pens, just so I could knit. At the time we were in Saigon, Vietnam, where it's pretty warm and humid most of the year and I had my doubts that there would be a place that I could buy needles and yarn. But lo and behold, when my birthday came around soon after I got the itch to knit, I unwrapped my presents to find a pair of knitting needles and some yarn. To this day I have no idea where James got them from (and honestly I don't think he could tell me) and I have no idea what kind of yarn it is (some kind of synthetic fibre), but it really showed me that knitting is everywhere, even where you least expect it.<br /><br />Knitting for me is so many things. It's more than just an activity, it's more than just a means to an end. It's a passion I have and it makes me happy. And that is why I knit.<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4783490082510852861-4650145561598868973?l=knittorious.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Heather Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099369415678263757noreply@blogger.com0