Work in Progress Wednesday: Handknit Hats (and the Blog, Itself)

Even though it has been three years since I moved out to Colorado, I still am adjusting to life and there are days when my Imposter Syndrome is very real. And that to some extent affected what I love to do for fun, which is knitting.

Context: in the space of 6 months at the end of 2016, I moved cross country, got a new job, had Julian, my driver's license, and built a house in another part of the county. In that order. Some days I wonder how I did it.

Back in 2015, I was super blonde (because why not?). This was taken at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, aka Rhinebeck. I describe it  as "Knitter's Comic Con" to my students. 

For awhile, I mentally struggled with starting to blog again because in essence, I felt like I was betraying my old knitting blog. I had a blog, which became an audio podcast and then became a YouTube channel - over time, it became sporadic because in short, life got busy (if you google "Cables and Crewnecks" you actually find my old podcast episodes on other websites, not the blog, initially).

And my interests also changed. I wanted to blog about things I was doing in the house once we finished building it and moved in, have fun with my closet post-partum and talk about what my new life in Colorado was like.

But I felt like someone was going to pop out of the woodwork and say, "You're a poser! You shouldn't be doing this! Just stick to one thing! There is no room for talking about how excited you are about your godmother's vintage dining chairs and alpaca earmuffs! You won't fit in!"

I did not in fact get those earmuffs that were in the photo, and kinda wish I did. When I ever go back to Rhinebeck again, I most definitely will.

In fact, I have been knitting quite sporadically ever since I got pregnant with Julian. I was having a very difficult time at my old job in NYC (not the best teaching environment on all ends) and that level of stress and worry, coupled with everything else happening both in NYC and after moving to CO, meant that instead of looking to knitting as a stress relief and solace, I almost walked away from it.

And fretted. On and off.

I also felt the pressure to record, edit and upload, and that I couldn't produce something as polished as everyone else (I am not the best photographer).

While things calmed down,  I had my Educational Leadership program most of last school year, which was intense - I had a class every five weeks with a one week break in between and I had to keep on top of that, work, and home.

I also messed up my wrist this summer (I have RSI from knitting); until this past month, I haven't knitted since January. I felt horrible about giving up the blog; I missed the knitting community, but my interests have expanded. But I was afraid that if I dipped my toe in elsewhere, I would lose out on what I had gained with the knitting and crafting community.

So, now with a little more time on my hands and a need for a creative outlet, I told the naysayers in my head a few cursory (heh) words, and made an executive decision: I blog about what I want. If I want to talk about ginger jars one day and knitting Julian a sweater the next, I will.

I am actually knitting Julian a sweater. It was the last thing I knitted before I stopped last January.

But for today, I am talking about hats.

I love knitting hats because they are quick and are ways to use up the colorful skeins of hand-dyed yarn that is so visually appealing and turn me into a magpie at fiber festivals. I mentioned before that my siblings in law are coming for Christmas - two out of the three are coming, and my BILs girlfriend is as well. Hats for Christmas!

There are two other hats in the queue and my SIL knows about hers - she even picked out the yarn and the pattern the last time she was here. I haven't cast that on yet, so I'm featuring my BILs hat. My brother in law already knows about his hat; I knitted him one out of the same yarn (Lux Adorna Knits, which is now closing!) last year and in his words, "Yeah I need a new one. It got wet."

To a knitter, that is a horrible thing to hear. I still had a ton leftover, so I was off knitting Saaral by Clare Devine, which is a perfect simple and quick knit designed specifically for the yarn. It knits up quite fast, and with the cashmere, it's quite luxurious.

Let's hope it doesn't get wet this time.

But if it does, I can always knit another.