I am one with the wool...

....I have unexpectedly found my salvation! (And a life saver for my kids and dh as well).

My friend, Lee called last week to ask if I knitted...uh--no way. Too bad she said....she's into it & was hoping we could knit together while we visited in Atlanta. I didn't give it another thought until we got there & she showed me her projects. Wow! She created the most amazing things. We drank wine & conversed while she knitted away on a sweater for one of her daughters. The next morning, I accompanied her to the yarn shop, Knitch in Virginia Highlands...oh my gosh....for those of you in the Atlanta area....this place is heaven! It is NOT your usual yarn or craft type store....it has atmosphere that draws you in and MAKES you want to "be one with the wool". So here I am....completely addicted on just one moment!

Lee set me up with some circular needles & I picked some beautiful wool yarn, hand dyed from Montana...right near my brothers town! It is so vibrant & lovely.....so off I set to knit a hat for Anna...I had zero confidence that I could do it, but Lee was a great teacher and off I went! I was manic...I tuned everything and everyone out (except I could actually converse when I wanted to!).....I found my Zen, I found my Peace, I found my (long-missing) Sanity! I could not believe how relaxed it made me & I knitted until the wee hours of the morning while everyone else was asleep.....I would have finished the hat myself on the last row, but Lee was asleep & I didn't know what to do until I got to the end! But soon after we all got up, I finished Anna's cute hat! Hmmm.....what time does Knitch open today? Lee and I headed to Knitch & I got more yarn....I had to have enough for a matching hat for Natalie....Roger was destined to have a hat lovingly knit by me, and of course, my mom's blue eyes begged for the lovely turqoise....and I just couldn't resist the green for myself :-)

I began Roger's hat Sunday night.....on the drive home, I usually drive (to cut down on arguments :-), but I wanted to get a bit further on his hat, so Roger drove & the kids napped & thank God for the 2 DVD players which occupied them for awhile.....as it got dark, I popped on my reading light and knitted feverishly for hours, never looking up......Roger veered off on an Exit and I did look up & ask what he was doing...."Duh....we're home!" I could not believe it....I rode for hours, happily knitting away, completely oblivious to his driving (usually I can never rest, since I have to be sure he's driving OK, and awake :-) It was the most peaceful drive! Yay! And I was on the last row of his hat! Once we got the kids in bed I picked up the hat and completed it.

The funny thing is that Roger was acting like he'd never really wear a hat that I knitted for him (and after I so carefully selected the hand-spun, hand-dyed Manos from Uruguay!!)...BUT, once he tried it on, he couldn't take it off and actually slept in it for awhile & then wore it to have his coffee the next morning....he likes it! And Anna wore hers all day at the aquarium too & in the car.

So....I guess I have some apptitude for this....I'm anxious for more patterns & more learning. I need Lee. She's the best teacher in the world & so patient. My next project to begin this afternoon while sitting in the car for an hour at dance will be Natalie's hat. I might need to learn how to knit mittens for her.....that's what she wants. Lee?? Help!