Stitches

I went to knitting class today, and once again was happy to have gone. It’s nice to be surrounded by relaxed women, and knitting – surprisingly – is so technical, at least at this learning stage, that it takes up all of my concentration and leaves little room for contemplating other stresses. Tonight, my performance was less than stellar. My stitches were tiny, tight, and twisted. A projection of sorts? Perhaps.

I picked out this yarn for my first project. It’s a bulky, hand-dyed yarn made of 50% alpaca and 50% wool, made by “Blue Sky.” (Color: 1020; Lot: 2618). Not knowing anything whatsoever about yarn, I have no idea if this is good yarn. As I’m writing this, I’m also thinking that I should have researched “Alpacas” and what they have to go through in order for this yarn to be produced. I have to use giant wooden knitting needles with this yarn which is kind of cool.

I have no idea if I’m going to be able to knit anything remotely attractive, but that’s not really the point. The point is to practice and to occupy my mind. My plan for next week and the Thanksgiving break, assuming Cheaptickets comes through, is to hang out in Texas with my family and friends and relax. I thought starting a scarf might be therapeutic. If I’m up for it, I might try to figure out where I’m going to live until I quit my job, and what I want to do with my life come January. Big questions. But for now, I’m viewing the purchase of the yarn as a positive step in the right direction. That, along with arranging to be gone from work and out of the apartment all of next week. Baby steps to minimize stressors.

Knitters Are Cool

I had my first knitting class today, and I am so happy and proud of myself for signing up for it. Happy, because it was relaxing and fun, and there were a bunch of cool women in the class. Proud, because despite being in the midst of going through a rough time right now, I was able to take this positive step towards creating the kind of (non-lawfirm) life that I want. A more stress-free life that includes time for me, the activities I enjoy, and the people that I care about.

When the class started, we had to go around in a circle and introduce ourselves. I was the only lawyer in the room, and the only one who said they wanted to try knitting because they were “stressed out” and wanted to relax. Yes, I actually said that. My god, I can’t wait for the day when that description no longer fits. The other women’s energy was about 10 blissful octaves below mine. They seemed relaxed, genuinely interested in the creative process, and I got the sense that they all had full lives beyond their jobs.

It was like the Twilight Zone. No one was stressed out. No one was checking their blackberries. I loved it.

Tonight, we learned how to “cast on,” “knit stitch,” and “pearl stitch.” My delightfully imperfect attempts at all of those skills are pictured above. All in all, I think I did a decent job, and I truly enjoyed it. It takes a lot of focus, and once I get good enough to get a rhythm going, I could see how knitting could be incredibly relaxing, and almost meditative. The perfect thing to practice while watching tonight’s coverage of the election returns.

Go Dems!

Ho-Hum

How did it get to be 8 o’clock pm today and I’m still at the office? I’ve spent the whole day trying to check a binder the paralegals prepared for me of all the documents cited in an expert’s report. It’s filled with dull accounting literature and long bates numbers and it’s so b-o-o-o-r-i-n-g. How am I going to get through 87 more days of this?

Here’s some good news to balance out the gloom and doom: On a wave of optimism earlier in the day, I researched and signed myself up for a knitting class for the month of November. How cool is that? Just writing about it is cheering me up again. It’s like I’m a normal person with a normal life that includes exploring my passions and interests. I can’t believe I’ve been in New York for exactly two years and six days, and I’ve never taken a class. Hi, life.

I’m psyched about the knitting class because I think it will be (1) relaxing, (2) creative, and (3) potentially a way to meet other cool girls. Depending upon what skills I can acquire, I also might be able to make a few x-mas presents. I’m sure my family would love that.

By the end of my knitting class, it will be December, a month filled with, among other things, my birthday (ooh la la), christmas, family visits, and vacation. If I can just get through the rest of October and November, December will fly by and then I’ll be down to two weeks in January. I can totally do that. (I just have to keep telling myself that).