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By kilax, February 12, 2015 9:46 pm

Gosh, I got so lost in this knitting project for my snister that I haven’t posted in over a week!

Ja ja ja, just kidding, I haven’t quite moved to that level of obsession yet.

I was actually taking a blog/social media/texting break while we were in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, with our otra familia, Gina, Steve, and Luca, for the past week!

In August last year we decided it would be fantastico if the five of us traveled to Mexico together. Gina and Steve had gotten great recommendations for Playa del Carmen from a family member, so we found an affordable airbnb rental, and booked tickets in September (which happened to be just the right time to buy a few summery things on clearance for the trip!).

Booking in September was far enough away that I sometimes forgot we were going at all! Then I would remember during the beginning of a long run and spend the rest of the run daydreaming about what it would be like to soak up the sun in February. Ahhh.

It. Was. Great. I’ve never traveled anywhere else with such fantastic weather – cool in the morning (great for running!) and at night (great for going out!) and nice and warm during the day (great for the beach!). I was astonished that so many shops didn’t even have doors on them – could the weather really be that nice somewhere, year-round? Ha ha.

I wasn’t very familiar with Playa del Carmen (or any town in Mexico really – the closest I’ve traveled to it outside of the states is Aruba) before going, and honestly didn’t do a lot of research before I went. I knew I wanted to be lazy and hang out at the beach (check), see some ruins (check), and snorkel (check).

More to come in future posts…

What’s cool though, is that if I mentioned I was going to Playa del Carmen to people who had already been there, they raved about it! And I can see why – it has something for everyone – beaches, excursions, cenotes, scuba/snorkel, bars/restaurants, shopping… and it’s safe to be in town and explore.

I’m so happy we chose to go there, and especially with Gina and fam! And can’t wait to write all about it… once I get some rest. It’s been a long day of traveling back home!

Comments (29)

By kilax, January 27, 2015 6:26 am

Guys! I haven’t given up on knitting yet! I am actually, gasp, enjoying it, and finding it to be a soothing hobby (and especially like that it keeps my hands off my phone, and also out of my mouth, while I sit around, doing it)!

I worked a little on my washcloth, day by day, until the final class to finish it last Thursday. Even though it had a lot of errors, and looked pretty wonky, I was impressed by myself, that I actually made something, because I am so NOT crafty. Not one bit.

I immediately started another, because I wanted to keep working on the skills I learned, and finished that one in one night! Can you tell which below is the first one, and which is the second? Ha ha, I hope so!

After I was through with the blue skein of yarn, I moved back over to the one in the knitting kit Mica sent me, and yes, kept going with the same pattern, just adding a few rows. After Data modeled it for me, I kind of wished I was knitting him a bonnet. Muah ha ha, that time will come, Data.

(And why not knit him one? He doesn’t seem to mind having things on his head or around his neck! Check out the schweet lumber sexual hat that Rachel‘s cats, Soxie and Leo, got him. They said they thought maybe he got sick because he wasn’t staying warm enough, and thought the hat would help. Awww.)

Anyways. I am finding myself greatly looking forward to doing a bit of knitting here and there, most days, and am really pleased by that. I didn’t think I was someone who could enjoy making things, or be self-motivated to do so, after all my years in college of being forced to draw, draft and build models. Whenever someone’s suggested I take up a craft as a hobby before, I’ve always felt panicked by the thought of it. This… gives me hope. I really want to continue with it, hopefully taking some classes, but also looking up patterns and ideas on my own (I have a few, already!). I tend to be really lazy with research, so actually doing some would be good for me.

Do you enjoy “making” things?

Comments (28)

By kilax, January 16, 2015 10:15 am

Thank you so much for your well wishes for Data! He ate again yesterday, and this morning, and seems more playful and energetic! Fingers crossed!

So now that I have tried it myself, I have much more admiration for my friends and family who can knit (and crochet)!

For a long time, I was telling Mica that I wanted to learn how to knit. She often tells me about her knitting projects, which I think are really cool, and, yes, have inspired me to want to learn the craft!

Mica sent me some needles and yarn (what a sweetie!), and some really helpful links to try it out on my own, which I did! I was able to get a cast on and start my first (well, second) row, but I always screwed something up and didn’t know what I was doing wrong. So I thought it would be good if I took a class, which… is what I did last night. And realized I am NOT a natural at knitting!

Ha ha, I don’t suppose anyone is. I suppose most everyone made huge mistakes like I did the first time, and had to learn muscle memory over time, but holy cow, is it frustrating! I can’t tell you how many times I asked the instructor to come fix what I’d messed up.

Now, the good part is I actually realized I messed it up – I could see my stitches were twisted, or that for some reason I had switched from perling to knitting and I wasn’t supposed to. Anyway. What I have learned about this, is that like with most other things, it requires way more concentration and focus than comes naturally to me. For example I would be knitting a row then all of a sudden start using the needle from the wrong side, because I stopped paying attention and started talking to someone else. So I guess this won’t really be a hobby I can do while I am watching a movie, or having a conversation, or… anything else.*

But hopefully! I will stick with it, and get better at it! Because when I do get in to a groove with it, it’s fun. And it’s a little addictive – I was thinking about it most of the morning until I could work on it again.

I was laughing though, because last night, the instructor saw me fixing something, and moving it around on my needle and wanting things to be lined up just right and she goes “Oh, you must be a perfectionist, like me!”

And I am thinking, “I am NOT a perfectionist.” This thing we’re making? This washcloth? I know the first half of it is going to look like total crap and hopefully the last few rows I get right. And that’s okay. You’ll be able to see my progress in the work and I am okay with that. I don’t plan on using it. Maybe I will make twenty of them before I start a real project I care about.

But I suppose if I ever plan on making something to wear or even give to someone else, it probably should be a little closer to perfect than I ever aim for. Ha ha.

I actually recorded this post then transcribed it with minor editing, so if it reads different than my typical post, that’s because it’s mostly my speaking style!

*I already know I am a horrible multitasker, so a hobby like this for me, is a good thing.