Knit-tastic

I’m going to be honest for a moment – I really enjoy knitting but I’m not very good at finishing projects. I realize that this is probably shocking news to many of you but, alas, it’s true. I have several half finished projects and many, many more that I haven’t yet started but for which I have big plans.

The Twisted Threads ladies back in Delhi will recognize this particular project as it hasn’t changed much since I left them back in November.

Someday this going to be a really pretty purse that I can sling across my shoulder and people everywhere will want one, turning it into the next (and better) Birkin Bag. Barring taking over the shoulder bag market, my plan is to line it with an old T-shirt I bought in Paris back when I was sixteen. See I have plans! I intend to finish my purse eventually! Of course, as the Ladies know, I’ve had these plans and have been working on this same project since at least December of 2005 and I haven’t exactly made a lot of progress during that time. My one defense is that I’m knitting it on 4mm needles, which means that it is supposed to take forever.

What the ladies won’t believe is that when I’m with my lovely mother in Toronto I become a knitting machine. No, seriously, when I go home I go to knitting stores to stock up on more lovely yarn (my true addiction) and I actually produce output. Last September during a three-week visit I made my mum a scarf, which I don’t have, a picture of, and this shawl.


Trust me when I say the scarf kicked butt more than the shawl. I’m even going to make a second one for a friend who shall remain nameless since I don’t want to spoil the surprise. (And in case it doesn’t turn out I don’t want to over commit myself.)

Still don’t believe that I can produce cool knitted things? Check this out!



That’s right! This is the blanket that I knitted and tasseled all by myself. It knitted up really quickly – maybe three weeks – back in January. The problem was that adding tassels is really tedious that I just finished that part last night around 3 a.m.

I know that I don’t have quite as much output as some mothers or other talented people. I have; however, realized that knitting in front of the TV is incredibly relaxing. And that seeing a blanket, scarf, or purse grow day after day is surprisingly fulfilling. And, finally, that the best part of knitting is finishing a project and realizing that it doesn’t completely and utterly suck. When all is said and done that’s a pretty good feeling to have.

So here I am typing a blog about knitting when I should be actually knitting a baby blanket for Care Bear’s son and starting on my mystery friend’s gift scarf. My biggest problem, you see, is that procrastinating about knitting is almost as much fun as the actual knitting.

Let’s take a poll. How many of you actually think that I’ll complete so much as one of these two projects in time for home leave? Yeah, me neither. But maybe if the ladies in Gurgaon have faith in me, I might be able to manage one more row on my purse before the next time I visit them.