As you know, Knitting is my true love (in the craftiverse only - hi Dan!! <3). After a whirlwind courtship that involved lots of staying up late into the night, giggling and cuddling, and taking a few trips together, we got married almost exactly 4 years ago, in 2005.
And it has been a blissful, harmonious relationship. Sure, early on there were a few blow-ups, but what couple doesn't hit bumps in the road? It only makes you stronger. Our children get more beautiful and our love grows deeper.
But now.... now I am tempted. An old flame has returned, someone I thought I left in the past.
It started out innocently enough... Tay asked me to teach her how to sew. I thought, sure, I can do that. I haven't sewn in years, but I'm sure it's just like riding a bike. We went fabric shopping... pleasant memories returned but I was still strong. I would not be seduced by prints and colors, I have a fantastic yarn stash at home!
In retrospect, the signs have been there for a while. I bought 2 yards of fabric in Hawaii, just for kicks. I've been a little frustrated by the limitations of knitting. I knit the top for
Summerlin, though I held onto the fabric for 9 months before doing anything with it. I've been wanting some cute fabric project bags like
these (I bought one and I love it, but I have a LOT of wip's at any given time and $15 a pop isn't going to fly).
So, like I've heard these things always do, one thing led to another, and I was SEWING. I was sneaking around, spending time browsing fabrics... I joined a fabric co-op, ostensibly for Tay but who was I kidding? I finished Summerlin and made 3 project bags, all the time telling myself it was only temporary. I felt dirty. My knitting languished - just a bit, but I recognize the signs of a Craft Conversion.
(I also discovered how my Brain is cleverly tricking me, but I don't know how to plot against it without it finding out. Tricky stuff, battling your own brain. More on this later.)
I was dejected. I was despondent! Wherefore art thou, Love for Knitting?
Then, it came to me in a flash, like lightning.
Here's why:
~Sewing is quick, but knitting is portable -- you can get a sewing project banged out in a few hours, but they are hours spent tied to your sewing machine and cutting table. Knitting takes longer to get to the destination, but the journey is so much more scenic. This way, I can be both process AND product-oriented.
~It's time to face facts: You cannot knit EVERYTHING. (there are
some who
beg to differ, but we're not
going there.) (Apparently tonight I am channeling
Julie) There are some gaps that sewing snuggles right into - Miles of stockinette skirt on
Crumpets holding you back? Just knit the top and add fabric! Need an instant gift idea? Sew up a Magic Bag! (photos forthcoming after it's revealed to its new owner)
And, vice versa, some niches that only knitting will fill - that cute sleeveless dress needs a shrug? Someone wants a nice winter hat? Really, I just need to say one word: SOCKS. Knit it up, baby! And then there are the times they work in tandem - cute cloth diaper with matching longies, for example!
~Hobbies ebb and flow with the seasons -- Sure, I knit in the summer. I've even knit at the beach! But there are only so many things you can get motivated to wrap your hands in when it's 100 degrees out. And only so many wearables you can knit for the summer baby! Sewing has the opposite problem. Put 'em together and you have YEAR-ROUND enjoyment!!
~Cost-Benefit Analysis - Cost of materials is directly proportional to time spent enjoying the activity. Though no peer-reviewed studies exist, I would venture a guess that the hourly cost of knitting as compared to sewing is equivalent (factoring in the time spent in misery unclogging bobbins, rewinding balls, weaving in ends, and pressing seams).
So, in a beautiful ceremony last week, Knitting and I married Sewing as our second wife. (Photography, yoga, and scrapbooking are just close friends of ours - our "posse", if you will)
I predict a long and happy life together! (Until I lose interest and move on to something else.)