I have come to a recent realization that is a bit surprising to me. Playing a video game for my husband can be a lot like knitting for me.

Whenever I am knitting there is a good chance that I cannot just drop what I am doing. Sometimes I am knitting something simple enough I can stop wherever and be fine to pick it up later. Many times I am knitting something with very precise instructions or charts and if I just stop I may be able to figure out where I was but it could take quite a bit of work. Most of the time with these I really prefer to just finish the row. It is not uncommon for knitters to say "as soon as I finish this row" in response to many things.

Occasionally, when knitting really tricky or exciting things, we even call for a bit more time to finish up. I use the phrase, "let me get to a spot where I remember what I was doing" in these cases. I try never to do this if there is an actual reason I should stop quickly. Needing to catch a bus, dealing with a spill, someone needing more immediate help, needing to get off public transit, dinner cooking questions, etc. However, when it is a situation where we are going to transition from lazy coffee shop relaxing time to the next thing then I am more likely to indulge in knitting a bit more and getting into a good spot to pick up from.

My husband is infinitely patient and understanding of this.

As someone who has never knit, but loves to benefit from knit things and has seen his partner quite upset when stitches have dropped or other bad knitting things have happened, he still has surprising patience. He is quite a patient man in general and is not very big on hurrying, which generally works in my favor. (It does not work in his favor as much since I pretty much always want to hurry, except when I am knitting or looking at things through hand lenses.) Still, it is a bit surprising how he understands completely that I need a bit more time to finish something.

I was sitting at the kitchen table this morning and reminded him his breakfast was getting cold. He explained that he was just getting to a place where he would remember what he was doing and what he needed to do next. Suddenly it clicked. Sometimes how video games work is how knitting works. Sometimes you can just put it down, sometimes you need to "finish the row" by completing the task you are in the middle of (like a boss fight or a skill test or whatever), and sometimes you really need to make sure you know what the heck is going on when you come back to the thing. In knitting this might be if you're in the middle of a big cable or lace repair job and in a video game it might be because you're in a big open world with a million things to do and you don't want to forget your plans.

After living together with knitting and video games for almost 6 years this only just clicked. Suddenly I feel as if my patience for him needing more time to finish up has expanded greatly. Knitting and playing video games are almost the same!

dodo doo do

do do do do

We are into single digit days till I marry my fella and start calling him my hubby. So low in the single digits that we are almost at the prime number run. I think this explains why perhaps I have been so quiet.

Other than that things are pretty good and normal. To alleviate planning stresses I picked up some amazing yarn dyed by the lovely Jill Daper. Splendor Sock Yarn (Superwash Merino, Cashmere & Nylon) in the North Atlantic colorway. I have plenty of yarn for knitting, even for sock knitting. But I turned to the fella while out at my favorite LYS and explained that I needed simple stress relief knitting. That I needed to be able to just knit, whenever and wherever, despite whatever was going on around me. And, that I needed to be able to do this NOW without pulling out the swift and ball winder (which involves clearing surfaces to put the swift on). He agreed immediately, wholeheartedly, and encouraged me to pick whatever yarn would be the most stress relieving to knit with.

How could I not want to marry that man.

That was April 7th. I now have 1 sock done (after tearing back from above the ankle to before the heel) and am mostly done with the heel of the second sock. EMERGENCY STRESS RELIEF SOCKS ARE SAVING MY SANITY! (And if they are done before the wedding I am bringing them, just in case.

I have also been working on something to have knitted for the wedding. I figure it should be small, so as not to make me crazier than I already am. I also like to think of it as lucky... Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Knitted, Something Blue, and a Silver Thruppence in Your Shoe. (Note: I only added 1 phrase there. I don't think I'll get a three pence, but  considered it.)

For my something knitted I decided that making a wrap to go around the bouquet was an excellent idea. It is small and I get to hold it. I picked up some Manos Silky Wool also at my favorite LYS. (If you haven't been to Gather Here yet you really need to go.) I picked up the Natural and then swatched a bunch. The end result is now blocking and waiting for me to sew on hooks.

I used the Shifting Sands pattern by Grumperina and it turned out just how I wanted. Texture and cables without seeming celtic or too cabley. Now I have to decide if I want to find a way to attach my Grandmother's wedding ring to the piece, perhaps with a clasp so I can put it on that morning, or wether to just wear the ring. My Grandma taught me to knit when I was pretty wee, maybe 4 or 5, so having the ring be with the knitting seems right. I don't want to hand that off to the florist though. So, we'll see. No matter what she'll be with me, as will all the matriarchs from the other side of the family. I've got something from them that will either be my old or borrowed and totally floored me. You'll have to wait to see what it is.

I'll try to be back soon, maybe even with some wedding pictures.

I have a book out of the library and I can't decide if I want to finish reading it.

The book is Girlchild: A Novel by Tupelo Hassman. I saw it at the library and it looked interesting and the plot summary sounded interesting. I took it home. I started it.

It was a bit shocking and not what I expected. It is excellent. It is raw. It is heartbreaking. I am only 73 pages in.

It is not fun, light, or at this point a feel good story. That is ok. I even like this sort of thing sometimes. I am not sure if now is the time.

Normally I finish novels (non-fiction I often start off strong with and then peter out). Even if they are not what I expected I finish them. (I do not finish them if I dislike them. Fuck you Wuthering Heights.) This book I do not dislike. I might even like it; however I feel like I might not be emotionally prepared to handle it right now.

I have been using books as a way to escape, kill time, relax, destress, etc. I have not been using them for rigid intellectual stimulation. I have not been reading anything that is hard to read due to content. The questions is, should I?

I know there is no should. It is whatever I want. I just feel uncomfortable that this story makes me uncomfortable and squamish and feel bad. That I want to just have places to escape to and this is not that place and the character need a place to escape to as well.

DSCF2114 by Jacob Barss-Bailey on Flickr.

As promised, some pictures. Very late.

Encountered some enthusiasts pregaming in the parking area. With tea. In china teacups. (I must do this sometime! The collapsible tables are excellent!)

I can't remember who did this shawl, but it was there in 2012 too and it just knocks me out.

Acting like a real grownup I ate apple crisp for lunch (or earlier) and avoided the lines.

The Ravelry meetup was well attended

The animals were cute and silly!

The artichokes french were the best things I have ever eaten. (And if you wait till late afternoon the line is fine. Just don't wait too long or they might run out!)

I competed in chopstick speed knitting (poorly)!

And I walked away with very reasonable goodies. (No yarn at all, but just what I was looking for!)

Well, the countdown on 2012 is here and we can all gear up for 2013.

I haven't managed to get better at blogging regularly. I haven't figured out what planning a wedding means. I certainly haven't managed to keep my hope spotless, free of laundry, and with a tidy office/knitting room. Also, still no monogamous knitting or only stash knitting.

I am working on giving myself a break. Apparently I have Puritanical grief. I am looking forward to figuring out how to plan a wedding. I am glad friends have new jobs they love, even if they are farther away. I am looking forward to more runs and exercise as my leg improves.

I think 2013 is going to bring us good things. Not necessarily more blogging, but good things. I am going to ring it in with my fella, some friends, good cheese, boardgames, and a variety of single malt scotch.

Well I hope all of those along the Eastern Seaboard are well battened down. Here in MA they have closed almost everything! (Even major Universities that are known to never close have closed for the day.) It is likely some of the farther out suburbs and also people along the coast are in for some trouble, but nothing like what NJ, Virginia, DC, and the NYC area are about to get. They are the ones I am worried about.

Anyways, here that means that perhaps I will actually write a Rhinebeck roundup post, because man was it super fun.

In the meantime I better shower and then fill the tub. I assume everyone learned from their parents to fill the tub if a big storm is expected. (Drinking water is not tub water though, however if you loose power for a while the ability to have water to flush a toilet can be pretty excellent.)