LOL

to me, LOL stands for "little old lady."

that's what i think of whenever i consider my newest hobby. i am kind of regretting having chosen this hobby. well, regretting is not the right word-- it's too strong. i am, um, wondering about the wisdom and utility of that choice.

i started knitting less than a year ago because, well, at first because i wanted a light blue scarf and couldn't find one in the stores because freakin' everything was pink last year (not that pink isn't lovely, but it was just, you know, a pepto bismol explosion last winter) so i decided to make one for myself. i ditched that project when i found out my brother and sister-in-law were expecting, and made that blanket i posted a picture of a while back. (i also ditched it because i snapped one of my needles in half while working with it, likely a sign of the ridiculous amount of tension i tend to carry in my body.) what better reason to learn how to do something than for the sake of a family member? or a baby? or a baby family member?

anyway, since then i think i may have gone overboard in my usual way of going overboard with things. a respectable quantity of money and time have been invested, and i've got a few projects— some failures, some successes— under my belt. the successes include mostly long straight things, like that blanket, and scarves, one of which i now use myself, one of which i donated to the cold africans at church, and one of which i am saving to give someone as a gift. the failures? a meant-to-be-felted bag that i made out of yarn that doesn't felt (duh). well i guess that's the only failure and i guess i could salvage it with some seamstress-type work. the other not-quite-success is the same bag in a yarn that does felt, but i ran out of yarn and i really don't need enough to warrant buying another skein. i'll graft something in, i suppose.

"why do you like to do that?" camodad asked me, unable to completely hide his tone of nauseated anxiety. "i don't know," i answered. but i do know what he was thinking. he's thinking his eldest daughter is never gonna catch a man if she is seen doing something that only LOL's and pregnant women do. and no, it does not help my reputation as a closet badass. in fact, it strengthens my reputation as a poser. maybe i should take up motorcycle repair or archery, or trap shooting, or woodworking.

furthermore, i cannot argue strongly by saying that i will be making useful things as i am moving to a place where it is warm all year 'round, and no one needs hats, scarves, or sweaters. (except newborns. i guess i could do the knitting for newborns thing.) and i refuse to start making tea cosies, tissue box covers or toilet plunger covers. (shudder) not while i'm in my twenties, at least. or thirties. or forties or fifties.

so why do i keep doing it? because i like it. i've always liked making things and crafty-type activities. i like having a finished product i can be proud of, especially if it's something useful. it's repetitive and (sometimes) mindless, which can be therapeutic. it's something i can do while watching tv, and that makes me feel like i'm not wasting that time. and the yarns are soft and their colors are preeetty.

despite its recent increase in popularity (don't believe it? ask 5 women you know when they started knitting, and at least one of them will say within the past two years), knitting will always be uncool. to most americans' untrained eyes, it will always be an activity for older women, sitting by the fire, rocking in a rocking chair while the cats play with balls of yarn. but i don't care. like i said, i like it.

so, does anybody need a scarf?