I bought a book

A couple days ago, I went poking around the thrift store sans kids. We have the lamest thrift store I’ve ever been in (no, I take that back; I’ve been in those ones that feel like somebody’s garage sale). It’s small and they never turn over the stock, so if it doesn’t sell, it will be there probably until the end of time. Occasionally they get something new. The clothes are all crummy, though, and I have no need for knick-knacks at this stage in my life, so I spend most of my time looking through the books. I found a book for each of the kids and a couple for Mr. Gren, but couldn’t find one that caught my interest. There were tons of cookbooks, but… eh. I already have five French-English dictionaries and they’re all better than the two I saw there. Gardening books are no fun with nothing to garden. Then, tucked between Christmas craft books, I found one called “Knitting School: A complete course.”

For years, I’ve resisted. I didn’t want to learn to knit. I like crocheting and I’m stubborn and wanted to be able to do everything with crochet. And while there are some things that crochet is better suited to than knitting, I’ve slowly been coming to the point where I have to admit that the reverse is true, too. And there are things that conventional knitting can do that I can’t do on my knitting board. {sigh} It still sort of feels like betrayal.

This past summer, one of my dear cousins was attending a town-wide yard sale and asked if I wanted anything. I didn’t have anything specific in mind, but just told her to keep an eye out for anything craft-related. She ended up finding a pair of knitting needles (size 8, they appear to be) and a skein of fingering weight yarn. I haven’t done anything with these knitting needles yet other than continually try to get them away from Konik who likes to use them as drumsticks. Now it looks like the needles will be able to be used for their intended purpose.

The book covers all the basic stuff: casting on and binding off, different stitches, fancy stuff like collars, cuffs and buttonhole plackets plus a handful of very, very basic patterns. I don’t know when I’ll get around to using it. I still need to finish Konik’s second sock and my friend R’s Axl doll (currently dismembered body parts in a bag). Those should probably take priority.

So there’s that.

But once again, I feel like I should apologize or at least offer some explanation for why I’m absent more than I’m around lately. The thing is, I don’t really know why. It’s like some sort of crafting depression. Other than about five rows on Konik’s sock, I haven’t done anything. Actually, come to think of it, I really haven’t done anything. Not just crafts. Nothing. Just sitting here in this chair. No, wait, I lied. I did do this.

It’s full of more inside jokes than you could shake a stick at, so I’m not going to bother trying to explain it. So there you go. There’s the one something I’ve achieved in the past two weeks.

I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know how long it’s going to last. I don’t like it. I don’t want to stay this way. Hopefully there will be better days ahead soon.