Sometimes I wish knitting were not such a practical skill.  I mean who can resist starting projects that are perfectly useful?  Like socks?  Or a baby sweater?  Or a sweater for your husband or yourself?  Or winter hats?  Mittens?  Cowls? Scarves?  Especially now at the tail end of Winter with the sky dumping rain or snow or those freaky little icy pellets that pelted down for half an hour this afternoon — and who isn’t kinda tired of their Winter hats and mitts and such by now?  And why not knit up a few fresh ones — after all they are quick projects, right?

Unless you decide to try out a new technique — like the twining (a traditional Scandinavian method using both ends of the yarn ball to make especially thick knitted fabric) which I learned at Madrona Winter Fiber Arts Retreat a few weeks ago.  And now I am designing hand mitts using a technique that I barely know and which still feels awkward…yeah, not such a quick knit after all.  Like the Brioche mitts I am also inventing because I don’t have yellow mitts to go with my yellow cowl and gray-blue-yellow hat.  This has involved mastering a new cast-on and figuring out the proportions for the thumb gusset for Brioche — which is a stretchy 2-sided knitted fabric unlike any other.  Yeah, not quick either.

Or the 3/4 of a sock I have in my knitting bag because last Fall I got these fashionable boots that are open at the sides and oooo! wouldn’t that be a terrific way to showcase colorful hand-knit socks?!  

Or the soft cozy slipper-boots I started because my feet were cold?

On Monday, I was at a yarn shop with my sister Susan and there were all these beautiful Spring colors!  So tantalizing — fresh and bright!  And the sun was shining (tho it was abou 35 degrees outside)!  And the sun shone through the shop windows and the yarn skeins were glowing with spiritedly color!

And I thought, “Hmmmm, I could really use a Spring sleeveless shell to wear under jackets….”

And so I went home with a bag of yarn and some vague visions.  Yup, I shop for clothes at yarn stores.  Which seems practical — until you start figuring how much time it is going to take to design and knit the Spring sleeveless shell.  It will be a miracle if I finish it before Fall!  It would have been quicker —and cheaper — to order something from one of those nice convenient online stores.  I mean, if one is trying to be practical.

But why buy something when you could knit it?!  Or so says that passionate and somewhat delirious voice in my head.  Sometimes without even the excuse of yarn fumes.  Like when I see a sweater or a soft jacket or scarf or hat….and I think “I could knit that!”  (Could and should get a little muddled at this point). 

But think about it.  Does a person who is an excellent cook sit down at a restaurant, peruse the menu and then think “I could make that!”, leap from the table and head to the grocery store?  An artsy person might decide to make a birthday card — but will she start by making the paper?  And if you need an end table, do you head off into the woods with and axe to find a likely tree?  Not exactly practical.  Or maybe completely practical, but also impractical.   If you get my point.

Maybe that is why shawls are such great knitting projects.  No one expects them to be practical.  Except me, come to think of it.  I wear shawls all the time!   And they take FOREVER to knit!  So, also practically impractical!