Resolutions revisited

Since the first month of the year has passed, now is a good time for a progress report on my new year's knitting resolutions. I've learned how to rib, so that's one stitch pattern down, four more to go. I've made Kristin's Jazzy Coffee Cup Cozy twice, although neither my first nor second attempt are quite right. The first one is definitely not ribbed, and the second one doesn't have the ribs lined up.

I've continued to knit for others, but honestly, that was pretty much a slam dunk resolution from the get go. The archived January posts confirm that I have continued to blog regularly about knitting. The year is far too young to give me credit for this one, though. I don't think I've improved at knitting and watching TV. I listen more than watch. Whether I'm taking better care of myself is to be determined.

And then there's the goal of knitting in public on my own. Have I come so far in a month that this turned out not to be a big deal? I said that it might be the most difficult of all the goals, yet I did it for the first time last Friday (at a sold out pro hockey game, no less), tried again with an abbreviated attempt on Sunday, and had a solo KIP tonight.

What's remarkable is how unremarkable the experience was. I put in double digit hours at work again and wanted some time to relax without any other distractions. I went to the Starbuck's where I had my second knitting lesson and claimed a spot on the love seat since the plush chairs were taken. The last thing I needed at this time of night was more caffeine, yet there I was getting a hot chocolate instead of a coffee. (I swear I heard once that there's more caffeine in hot chocolate than coffee, but I can't provide documentation supporting it.)

Last night I finished the second ball of yarn, so I needed to join another before I could get started. I'm thinking that three may be enough. One thing I never calculated when deciding scarf length was how much they stretch through use. I joined the new ball to the tail and resumed knitting. There were a few people in the coffee shop, including an engaged couple listening to a prospective DJ's pitch, but I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings. I listened to the John Lennon songs playing over the satellite radio feed, turned off my mind, relaxed, and floated downstream.

I didn't repeat "knit, knit, purl, purl" in my head like I did when I first began this scarf. I didn't count stitches for each row, something I'd been doing until, oh, a week or two ago. I felt at peace just knitting. It really was quite wonderful. Before I knew it an hour had passed. I knitted alone in public and nothing happened. No comments and no befuddled staring (that I know of). It had been a long day--and it's been a long week--but I left feeling recharged. I don't think it was the caffeine.

Good news: my purling has developed a rhythm and comfort that has me more at ease with the stitch. More good news: I had to undo a couple stitches last night, and sure enough, what I saw Kristin doing when she saved the scarf was easier than what I'd been doing. I'm learning and improving. It's very satisfying to know that.

Crunching the numbers, the January FO tally looks like this:

-3 scarves (one for me)
-2 coffee cup cozies
-1 dishcloth

Add a WIP scarf that I'll finish soon, and that seems like a decent month's work.

Next...my next project.