Ruminations on Knitting

I started knitting by accident. It's not something I would have decided to do on my own, but two years ago, I was dragged into a yarn shop by a friend who had decided the craft was "punk rock," and we needed to learn. That friend gave up knitting 48 hours later in a fit of frustration. I never stopped. These days, I'm constantly surprised by how knitting has worked its way into every part of my life.

This sweater is helping me survive my first semester of graduate school. The body was knit during midterms - one row at a time - at moments when studying just made my brain hurt. It was a tangible measure of the progress I'd made each day (much appreciated at a time when my academic progress seemed very intangible). 

I think knitting has become my therapy. I carry a half finished project around like a security blanket, and inevitably turn to it in times of stress/anger/boredom. In the years since I was first dragged into that yarn shop, this craft has taken up increasing amounts of my time and disposable income. Most of my non-knitter friends don't see the value in that. 

But I'm pretty sure it's worth it.