Tofu Baby Sweater from Flying Fingers - Day 4

Watch what I'm not knitting...

What’s up my sleeves this week (sorry, I couldn’t resist)? A lesson in what not to watch when knitting…

Normally, I’m especially fond of knitting while watching television.  I don’t watch much TV, but when I do, knitting makes it feel like less of a time-suck because I’m multitasking.  Plus, I’m the fidgety type who doesn’t sit still very well, so this is a perfect time to invoke my value of knitting as “socially acceptable fidgeting.”

That axiom works well in most cases, but not this past week.  Why?  Because this past week was filled with compelling television that demands your full attention.  This week’s viewing entertainment included some long-awaited episodes of my very favorite TV shows, none of which lent themselves to accurate knitting:

While many Doctor Who fans are knitters, the past two episodes have been so mind-bendingly complex that I mostly just stared at the screen with my mouth open rather than stitching.  Really, I feel like I need to see both episodes again multiple times while taking notes in order to comprehend everything that happened.  The Christmas Special, always a treat and this year one of the most humorous and delightful episodes I can recall, was good for knitting.  I got a lot done and was near giddy with entertainment and accomplishment by the end.

Sherlock, which specializes in excruciatingly long gaps between seasons, offered another dose of “wait a minute…what just happened?” television.  Clever, enthralling, but too enthralling for simultaneous knitting.  I think I managed three rows during the whole program.

And then, there’s Downton Abbey.  Which needs no explanation. Sigh.

Fortunately for me, my Netflix ensured I had a few backups to entertain my knitting self.  Longmire and Jessica Jones are excellent, well-written shows, but not so challenging that I can’t knit.

Now those networks need to calm down so I can finish these sleeves!  

What television keeps you from knitting?  Post to Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #knitlesswatching and share what's so good it keeps you from stitching.

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 4

For. Ev. Rrrr....

Forever.  That’s what it felt like to get these last two repeats of the pattern done.  The yarn-overs still refused to play nice with the stitch markers—please, someone invent a solution for this! 

And the Curse of the Top Down Shawl?  It’s still following me like a black wool cloud. No matter how generously I plan, no matter how much of a head start I give myself, the final segment of some all top down shawls always feels like an endless sludge to the finish line.  Sore shoulders.  Cramping fingers.  Backaches.  Posts that are three and four days late.  Ugh.

Previous times, I have episodes of knit-worthy TV shows like Outlander and Smash to binge on while knitting excruciatingly long (400 stitches!) rows.  This time, it was just me and the conniving Underwoods pounding our way through season two of House of Cards.  When I hit that final stitch last night at 11pm, it was as if the storm finally passed.  I actually look forward to knitting again.

Which is good, because I’m not completely done. I’ve got the edging pattern to do now, but for some reason that doesn’t feel quite so bad.  More like the home stretch.

I hope. Stay tuned.