Golden Apples

Why? Just why? (The Knitters Dilemma)

I have no idea why I knit the things I do. Really, sometimes knitting is just a compulsive behavior, that I seem to have no control over.

Like scarves, and shawls, and socks--Who needs 60 pairs socks? Who needs an equal number of hats, and half again as many scarves? (and I easily have enough sock yarn in my collection for another 60 pairs!)

Sure I knit hats for friends, and socks for my S-I-L, and I give away shawls, and scarfs as gifts. But, I still knit more—and more, and more and more. I have hardly bought any yarn in the past few years--(there is one up side to not having a car)--thought I still have been gifted yarns, lovely yarns. Shopping bags full of yarn. Even with out buying yarns, I still end with more yarn no matter how fast I knit.

I have been cleaning and organizing, and collected all my silks in one place—350 yards skeins, here, 500 yards skeins there, and suddenly, I have 10 pounds of silk collected in a giant zip lock bag! I can't stop knitting with all that silk waiting to become---What!? (What? Well at least one silk shell—maybe two, though I have enough to make three!)

There is another bag of other luxury yarns... baby alpacas, angoras, hand spun blend of beautiful breed specific yarns, all waiting to be knit up. Some small hands are destine to become hats, and others are crying out to be shawls... and Wait—do I need another shawl? The precious little skeins of angora, (some in peach, some in pale blue and some classic white) will become pretty little muffs for my granddaughters...

And here I am, making a Pi Bi shawl. It is EZ classic pattern, every time the number of rounds doubles, so do the number of stitches, (a binary sequence!( and in a few more rows (well technically rounds—but I am working each segment in a lace pattern measured in row!) I will be ready to double the 256 stitches into 512—and start a new pattern. Here is how it looks now—its about 24 inches across, but it could be blocker larger (if it was wet) and I still have a lot of green yarn left.

I might pause then, Just as I paused after 128 stitches. But this shawl was started this year, and will be finished this year—though it is likely I will run out of the mint green yarn—but I have some creamy white –which could become any color, but won't—it will just be a creamy white frosted ring to finish the shawl.

Meanwhile, I have packed away 2 Ladies February sweaters (that I haven't worn at all this year) and 3 shrugs/vest that haven't been needed this mild winter, (or these past few cold days) And enough yarn, wools and wool blends, synthetics and luxury fibers to knit for the rest of my life...

Then there is the collection of cottons (and some linen, too) I could do nothing but knit cottons --potholders, wash cloths, bathmats, and place matts for a solid year—and still, I think, not exhaust my supple. My friends all have an ample supple of hand knit potholders, too. There is only so much I can foist off on them.

And once again I ask myself: Why?