Knitting Addict

I am lucky enough to be a stay at home wife. My children are grown and have homes of their
own, so I also have a lot more free time than I have had at any other point in my life.

You might think my house is clean, orderly and well run; that I make a point of keeping in touch
with good friends; spend time nurturing my relationship with my children and projecting the
essence of grandmothering onto my eight grandchildren by making and sending them
cookies as a treat. You'd think my husband would be greeted by a delicious home cooked
meal every night when he came home from work and that my gardens are visual delights for
neighbors who stroll by my home. You'd think……but……I knit. I knit all the time. When I'm not
knitting I'm reading about knitting, or I'm in knitting chat rooms talking about knitting.

I don't know how many people out there might be quite as addicted as I am, but it's a serious
issue. If I were drinking or doing drugs there would be a number of well intended folks
interested in stopping me and helping me to develop a more well balanced and productive life.
But, I knit. It looks harmless. I sit in my rocker, and click needles. No apparent need for
intervention. There appears to be no hope for a cure either.

I knit a few rows, leap up, put in a load of clothes in the washer, take the vacuum out of the
closet and set it in the parlor….then, sit back down and knit. A few rows later I take the clothes
out of the washer put them in the dryer and dust the parlor. The parlor gets vacuumed a couple
of rows later. Now it's mid-morning and I finally think about taking a shower and getting
dressed, unless I'm turning a heel on a sock, which really can't be interrupted Exchange these
chores for others and my days all pretty much follow this routine.

It far worse in the warm months when I can sit on the screened porch or out on the patio….
hours can pass. Also, during this period I am too far from the house to do any chores.

I have a knitting bag in the car for those long trips to the corner grocery store. I sat in a meeting
last week in church trying to work up the courage to ask the minister if he really truly would find
it vexing if I knitted during services on Sundays. If he were just going to be a little annoyed….
well, then I think I might knit. After all, from time to time he annoys me too.

How do some knitters do it? How do they reasonably allot time to their knitting and maintain
the rest of their lives appropriately? I have no will power or self discipline; to suggest I work
this out on my own would be like expecting I'm only going to take one potato chip from the
bag….right…..that's going to happen.

If my Grandmother was right and we should always look for the silver lining, I do have to say,
my husband and I have drawers full of wool socks for the winter, my grandchildren have warm
sweaters in every imaginable color and style and even the cats have a hand knit wool pad in
their bed.

The dust bunnies under the beds….well….does anyone know if they can be spun and knit?

About The Author

Holly Burnham is a self admitted yarn addict. The addiction will be life long and there is no
hope of remission. Her constant knitting has put the cleanliness of her home in peril. Her yarn
stashes are havens for generations of moths. Her days are spent in her knitting chat room, her
nights in her rocker knitting. At the risk of contracting this affliction, visit her at www.
knittinghaven.com.