Summer is great, especially as a teacher. A good amount of time off to get all those things done around the house that get put off throughout the school year, I know I’m incredibly lucky to have the time, but after a few weeks, I get bored. I need something to occupy my time and my mind. I’ve already done a few projects outdoors but it is now too hot to work on any more of those, even first thing in the morning. Okay, it’s not too hot, but it is way too humid. I’ve done most of the indoor projects and am not certain I want to tackle redoing the grout in the bathroom – that may be a step too far even for me.

Last year I had grad school and an internship and studying for my state exam. I did all of that and still ended up with two extra kittens by the end of summer. The year before, I had grad school and the Portland trip – and I ended up with a dog by mid summer. This year I don’t have grad school, don’t have a test to study for and really need something to do. I could go really deep into wine, but my liver (and budget) would not benefit from this option.

So I decided to teach myself knitting. Yep. Knitting. I’ve tried crocheting multiple times – Grandmom tried to teach me, Val tried to teach me and it has never worked for me. Someone told me to try knitting and I always thought they were nuts – I can’t do crafts with one needle, what makes anyone think I could do it with two? But … knitting needles are cheap and I have yarn so why not try. You-tube is a great invention and I watched a bunch of basic “how-to-knit” videos and tried it.

My first attempt – oh my gosh bad. This is not pretty, I don’t care who you are. the casting on was fine – I even learned two different ways to do that in less than an hour, and got pretty good at it. I thought I had the basic knit stitch down until I realized that I had 50% more stitches five rows in than I started with – this was a depressing revelation. Back to You-tube to figure out what I did wrong, try a different type of needle and be very patient and … I did it! I actually knit a square that looks like knitting. Yes, I know this isn’t earth-shattering, but it is the start of a mini project for myself – something to keep me occupied and busy before the school year starts again.

In just under a week, I’ve managed to create a few actual squares of knitting that look like knitting. There are issues and some mistakes, but I keep going. I’m not aiming for perfection with this project, just a good place to learn. I have to practice patience and be really aware of what I’m doing on each row, but so far, it isn’t bad. It’s not fantastic, but I’m pretty proud of myself for getting this far.

Right now I’m still on the basic knit stitch, but I’m hoping to move to the purl stitch next week. Who knows, but the end of summer, I may have a little lap blanket. Whatever I end up with, I’m pretty happy with it – and the cats have something to try to play with as I knit. Just like when I do yoga, they are the obstacle to be worked around that makes it that much more fun. Frustrating, but fun.