My house is empty. I just finished taking down and putting away all of my Christmas decorations and sent both of my kids back to school. Now what?
In a move that is not entirely common for me, I actually planned ahead for this day. Despite the fact that I have tons of house projects waiting for me, I figured I’d have lots of empty time when both my kids left home. My husband just started a new hobby last fall, so I thought maybe I should have a hobby, too. I decided I would take up knitting.
I’m not really sure why I picked knitting. I used to knit (a little) when I was in middle school. I was into all kinds of crafty projects then. I’ve been intrigued by the luxurious natural yarns at Lancaster Yarn Shop here at Kitchen Kettle Village, and when I visited the shop to talk with Wendy Ellis, the shopkeeper and knitter extraordinaire, about knitting, I … well, let’s just say I walked out of there signed up for a class.
Wendy teaching the Absolute Beginner's Class - my first class!
Despite the fact that I felt as if I had five thumbs (number is arbitrary, but the feeling was real) during that first beginner’s class, I actually learned to knit. Wendy and the other knitters in the class were very encouraging (and patient) as we knit, step by step, through a beginner’s scarf project.
My first scarf!
I completed that first scarf – and get compliments every time I wear it! And I took a second class – to knit a cowl. My daughter wanted that one, so I had to knit another one for me, and then there was the one I knit for my son’s girlfriend. So that makes four completed items since mid-December!
What started out as a half-hearted whim to learn a new hobby has turned into an activity I truly enjoy and look forward to doing. I find it relaxing to sit down at night after I’ve spent time working on the current house project (a promise to myself after I delayed putting up Christmas decorations last month because I was too busy knitting!) to work on my current knitting project. I already have patterns selected to knit as Christmas gifts!
My cozy cowl
Tomorrow I’m taking the next step – an intermediate level mitten knitting class from Wendy right here at the Lancaster Yarn Shop in the Village. I’m signed up for another class next month, and just saw a sweater class in March I’d like to take. One class a month sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
