I don't even have to keep the fruits of my labors. In fact, it really fulfills me to be able to make something for a friend's birthday or when they are feeling down. My desire to give gifts, I believe, comes from my mother. She has always been really good at picking out just the right thing for an occasion. She loves to shop and scour the earth for that "one thing". I, on the other hand, really didn't catch the shopping bug, but that doesn't stop me from finding that perfect thing. I just take a different route. There is nothing like a hand made gift: something that you put a bit of yourself into. Please don't take this wrong, I don't make gifts to toot my horn and make it about me, but seeing someone wear or enjoy something that I have worked so hard on just for them gives me the best feeling inside. There aren't enough "thanks" in the world to compare with getting to see my friend being warmed by the hat I knitted for her or smiling after biting into one of my cookies after a rough day.
Because of this desire to make everyone in my life happy and comfy, I have found many, MANY ideas, patterns, and recipes that I am just dying to try. The problem is, I don't have enough time to make all the things I have on my wishlist! I am in the beginning stages of Project ADD, I think. I hope it isn't serious, but I find myself wanting to start all of my wishlist at once. I have been doing OK, keeping myself to only a couple knitting projects at a time, but it has been a difficult road.
As I have quite a bit of spare surfing time at work, I often find myself on pattern sites and recipe sites. There are oodles of patterns and recipes that I have set aside for "next time". I remember my dad saying that if my grandmother had a biography it would be called, "Recipes Clipped, But Never Made". I can sympathize with that. There are tons of recipes and patterns out there just waiting for my little hands to attempt.
Previous posts have touched upon John's scarf and PW's Christmas (which, with all the mentions between here and on facebook, is starting to tug at her to know what it is). I told myself that I couldn't start anything else until I "caught up" on the scarf. "Caught up" should really have a more concrete meaning to me. Apparently, at the time, it meant, "Go to the yarn store, even though you are nowhere near finished with your current project. That way you can look at all that beautiful bamboo goodness and torture yourself until you start the project anyway."
And guess what I did. Yep, I started that project for PW four days later. Hey, I did wait four days. It is turning out beautifully, though. The stitch pattern is lovely, simple and it isn't terribly hard, once you get the hang of it, and the yarn is gorgeous and there is a ton of love going into this thing.
BUT I guess, I am just not satisfied with working on those two projects. I have a scarf in the works (at work, shhh) and a bag of yarn by my bed. I keep thinking it is time to start hats for winter. All my little nieces and nephews need to stay warm outside, right?!
The problem doesn't end with knitting though, I also have a cooking and baking problem. That is something I have always enjoyed and have been pretty good at. Unfortunately, my baking has suffered badly over the summer (which has made my zeal for recipes even stronger). I just didn't have time or energy to cook much at all. As I am rectifying that, John and I decided to get back on the more healthy track. Meaning: cut back on the sweets! To my dismay, a batch of cookies or a weekly cake is not quite in our diets. Not like it used to be. I am not complaining about the positive change in our lifestyle, but I do miss the act of baking and the excitement I see on the boys' faces when they come home and see what is on the counter waiting for them. I need to realize that baking doesn't equal dessert. Homemade breads, rolls, muffins... They are all yummy and BAKED. It is just a matter of changing my perspective.
I have been looking at a recipe for black bean brownies for months. Delicious, lower in fat and calories, and full of fiber. It sits on my counter beckoning me to take the leap and just make them. I vow to have a report on these within the next couple of weeks. I have high hopes. I will not be disappointed.
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