Finding Time to Knit

I was asked this question recently, how do I find time to knit. I honestly do take a knitting bag with me nearly everywhere. There have been times I've been tempted to take a small project along to work on while standing in line at the grocery store. I don't know why I have to spend more time in line waiting to pay for my things than I spent gathering them from the store shelves. When I was working on my book, there were times I knit in the car, but just while sitting at leap year red lights. I didn't keep that up for long, as I quickly realized I was not setting a very good example for my daughter, who is old enough to remember this when she starts driving in a few short years!

The trick to knitting on the go is to work on simple and/or small projects. If it's something you'll be picking up and putting down quite a bit, or something you'll be working on while chatting, you need to be able to figure out where you left off and what you were doing very easily.

Things that don't work for short bursts of knitting are complex stitch patterns, complex color patterns, and large projects that get bulky and heavy to carry around.

I keep each knitting project in it's own bag, with loom, yarn, and notebook. I have a small toolbox that has a hook tool, crochet hook, scissors, measuring tape, tapestry needle and pencil. That toolbox goes into whatever bag I'm grabbing to work on. I have seriously considered having several toolboxes, especially when I find myself bending a paperclip to use as a hook tool when the toolbox got left behind!

When knitting in public, be sure to have a good story to tell about what you're doing. Many people haven't seen loom knitting, and will want to know what it is and how to do it. They will surely ask what you're making. Frequently, I'm making a sampler or trying out a new stitch or technique, and people always seem so disappointed I'm not knitting something "real." And they get so incredibly shocked when they see me frog something in seconds that I spent several hours creating.

So where do I take my knitting? My daughter takes piano lessons, so there's a 45 minute block of time to knit every week. I take her to Spanish class one day a week, and co-op classes another day (we homeschool), so those are knitting opportunities also. Same with horseback riding time, or any other sport where you sit and wait and watch. Chatting and knitting go very well together, as does knitting and watching TV. Really, you can follow the show very well while listening to it and glancing up every once in a while.

Think about it: any time you can sit is time you can knit. I'll give you a pass during meals and when driving!