Few weeks back, the Beloved One got me a tablet. Not a computer, just an ordinary Android tablet. It uses the same OS as my phone and I can cloudshare things between them and my laptop as well.
I use the phone for keeping track of things. It has apps for everything: Pill reminders, calorie intake, exercise, period calendar, task lists... even meters to measure my progress in my writing projects.
I was using it for entertainment as well. It has Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity to go...
The tablet is now the official 'watching machine'. This way the Beloved One get's to monopolize the big living room TV LOL.
The tablet is also what the Little One uses on her weekends. She plays My Little Pony or keeps up to date on her Animae and Doctor Who.
Oh, and I've been playing The Sims.
--
I digress...
I have several regular medical appointments that I need to keep each week and I've been just chucking the tablet in my purse to keep me occupied while I'm stuck in the waiting rooms.
I was worried about the screen getting scratched while I was in transit, and it was on 'The List' to pick up a simple sleeve for it. I didn't need a case, just a sleeve. However, even the cheap ones would cost money I didn't really have.
And then there they were...
... my knitting needles.
My knitting needles and TONS of unused yarn.
--
At one point in my life... I had been bitten by the knitting bug.
It happened entirely on accident, and I wholeheartedly blame Hello Kitty for it too.
It was the Little One's birthday, and the Beloved One and I had bought two of each of the three Hello Kitty craft kits. The idea was to have the Little One and I do them together. Two were tote bags, one was a 'Knit a Hello Kitty Scarf' kit.
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| By the way, mine looks NOTHING like this!! |
Sadly this was a misguided effort to bond with my daughter. You see on the package it's listed as 'For Ages 3 and Up'. This has everything to do with the presence of chokey bits in the kit and absolutely nothing to do with the attention span of the child in question.
I wound up making all the projects myself.
When it came to the knitting, I had a bit of a tough time at first. I tried to follow the instructions but they were ... less than helpful for a beginner. I researched... I watched video's online... I bought a couple of skeins of 'practice yarn'.
One utterly horrible scarf later, I was ready to start on the Hello Kitty.
I'd asked the Little One if she wanted me to make her two matching scarves, so we could each wear one... or if she'd like me to make her one large scarf. She opted for one large.
It looks like hell... but she loves it.
I was getting the hang of it though.
I was also getting addicted.
Knitting turned out to be more than just a hobby. It was becoming therapy. It was left brain/right brain unity + meditative + productive. The result was almost euphoric.
--
And then the knitting bug got squished under the jackboot of the homelessness crisis.
I didn't touch yarn for about three years.
After we moved into the new place, my box of knitting stuff just sat there, untouched... I had lost all hope that I would be bitten by the bug again. This made me very sad. Oh so very very sad.
--
And then...
Tablet.
Kiki (yes, the tablet's name is Kiki), needed something to protect her during the cab rides and things.
I dug through my stash and found a single, small skein, of a really pretty, soft, mauve wool. I grabbed a pack of double pointed needles and got to work... and fucked it up royally. It was about an inch too big. So, I ripped it and started over. It came out almost perfect the second time. If I were to do it again, I'd revamp the upper flap.
It's important to note that I've FORGOTTEN much of the skill. I've had to hit the YouTube and watch video's on even the most basic things, like casting on.
I have enough yarn for a few more projects. The plan is to sell them and immediately recycle the funds into more materials for more projects. This is therapy after all, and should be done daily. I'm not intending for it to be a lucrative hobby... far from it. I just need it to at the very least pay for itself.
I was also getting addicted.
Knitting turned out to be more than just a hobby. It was becoming therapy. It was left brain/right brain unity + meditative + productive. The result was almost euphoric.
--
And then the knitting bug got squished under the jackboot of the homelessness crisis.
I didn't touch yarn for about three years.
After we moved into the new place, my box of knitting stuff just sat there, untouched... I had lost all hope that I would be bitten by the bug again. This made me very sad. Oh so very very sad.
--
And then...
Tablet.
Kiki (yes, the tablet's name is Kiki), needed something to protect her during the cab rides and things.
I dug through my stash and found a single, small skein, of a really pretty, soft, mauve wool. I grabbed a pack of double pointed needles and got to work... and fucked it up royally. It was about an inch too big. So, I ripped it and started over. It came out almost perfect the second time. If I were to do it again, I'd revamp the upper flap.
It's important to note that I've FORGOTTEN much of the skill. I've had to hit the YouTube and watch video's on even the most basic things, like casting on.
I have enough yarn for a few more projects. The plan is to sell them and immediately recycle the funds into more materials for more projects. This is therapy after all, and should be done daily. I'm not intending for it to be a lucrative hobby... far from it. I just need it to at the very least pay for itself.
