Knitter's ADD

I think it's very important to acknowledge this harsh disease and combat it in any way possible. This is a disease that (I assume) affects many of us. My current mantra, aiding me in resisting the nature of this awful affliction, is "Two more rows. Two more rows."

I have two more rows on the personally dubbed Rivers shawl I'm making for mi mama. Well, technically one row and the bind off, but given that it's a shawl worked outwards, that's about 1000 stitches of constant focus. I'm in love with the complexity of shawls only when I've got a good TV show to get me through the tricky rows. Otherwise, I like stockinette. It's easy and I can not pay attention to my knitting. What's that? Isn't the point to have something to do?

I'm a product of my generation. I'm a Millennial. I thought I was just at the tail end of Gen. X (I was born in 85, if you're curious), but apparently not. I am part of the ADD generation. The ones who have been raised on the internet and commercials. We are superb multitaskers, but you ask us to do and focus on one thing, and it's a no-go. In my undergrad, I should probably have minored in film. I was the head projectionist for the film series my university had. I was paid to go watch movies--at least 10 hours a week, and sometimes as many as 8 films in a day during festival season. And I fidget. People often ask me when I'm in a coffee shop reading and knitting how I do that. I learned how to knit, in the dark, during those 8-films-a-day marathons. Somehow managed not to drop stitches, too. I'm an English major, also, which means great swaths of my life are spent reading. I wouldn't knit if I couldn't multitask. So I do. But sometimes that makes for frustration when I can't do two things. Like very lacy rows and bindoffs.

And then there are new projects, waiting just around the corner. The sleeves to be re-knit from yesterday's horror show. Look! Salvaged yarn! Two full-size balls, three ....half? balls. Yay! Still nervous about having enough, but I showed the damage to the friend who helped me buy the yarn in Dongdaemun years ago (thanks Marie!) and she said she may have some of the same color lying around that she could send me. This means the sleeves are now on the list of things to finish before Korea, so if I need more, she's only doing Canada international shipping.

The next project that I'd like to get started (and finished) this weekend is some mittens for my grandmother. She was out a few weeks ago for my little sister's graduation, and saw the garter stitch handwarmers I made at the beginning of the winter. Commented that something like that would be great for her arthritis. So of course I'm trying to make something before I go. I'll probably make a pair of basic mitts like what she saw for around her house during the winter. One of my first times using Rowan, too.


So now that I've rambled for a good long while, I'm off to actually finish the shawl. Promise. Then I'll let myself cast on...everything.