Tag: Hobbies

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The Only Place

This is a baseball field. More specifically, this is Minute Maid Park. Mr. Honey and I have a thing we do. We love the Cubs but a few years back, we got a little tired of the trips to Wrigley.

Listen, we live about ten miles from the park. If you were to put our address and the park’s address into the Google, it would say it takes about 35 minutes to travel that 10 miles. Ha! That’s only if Moses shows up, parts the traffic and let’s our chariot through. It’s more than an hour and Wrigley doesn’t have a parking lot. They have remote parking lots. So remote you go to the parking lot and then take a bus to the park. 

They have independent parking places and they make you pay for it. We usually take the bus that is less than a mile from our house and drops us off right across the street. It’s fine and great once you get there. It’s the best park in the league but the getting there will make you crazy.

We used to go up to Miller Park every year, known as Wrigley North because there used to be more Cubs fans than Brewers fans. But after a couple years of doing that, I announced we would be going to a different park every year – sometimes two- so we can get out of our comfort zone and actually take vacations.

What’s the significance of an esteemed (my word) citizen of Knitsville telling you about ballparks? Because it the only place I don’t knit. I’ve knit in ballparks before. There’s this thing called Stitch N Pitch I attended once. Just once. That was enough. I will knit everywhere. I am convinced I will be knitting at my memorial service. I will leave orders that anyone who can knit, should knit there. I will be leaving mass amounts of yarn behind so they won’t need to be that. Just needles, hooks and a snack and make a knit night of it.

But ballparks have seats very close together unless you’re in a luxury suite. And seriously, if you’re in a luxury suite, you’re not there for the baseball. And I actually enjoy the sport. But take a look at the photo and imagine someone knitting. Even the most compact knitter would have some trouble. If I were ever to do it, I would make sure I had people who loved me on either side. They couldn’t drink beer (cuz who wants that the smell or the actual beer on your fabric) and we would have to be sitting smack in the middle of the row. Why? Because people are constantly walking in and out of the row. If I am in the middle, I don’t have to be in a constant state of stand up, sit down. Knitters don’t like to be disturbed when we’re in a plush chair with a drink of our choice and the right music playing. You think we’re gonna be chill with people constantly disrupting the flow? That patience thing about knitters is a myth.

So there is a place where I don’t even bring the needles and I don’t mind because the game keeps my interest. It’s the only place. And I very happily pick them back up when the game is over. 

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Doesn’t Feel Like It

 I have one of those jobs that can be done – for the most part – in front of the television or while listening to music. Or outdoors, you get the idea. I am not chained to a desk. Though I am at a desk at this very moment. You don’t need a degree to do my job. Though there are Masters Degrees in knitting available if you look. I’m gonna make you look for yourself. I find some of them funny. People tend not to take your knitting career choice seriously until you show them how much of a living one can make. It doesn’t take much to impress because folks think of this as a hobby thing not a job thing.

It doesn’t feel like it to them and sometimes to me. But then I find something like you see here. I was looking for inspiration on what to write about when I saw a file on my laptop called Projects and Yarn. I do not remember making this file and when I opened it, there were several pics of this. I do remember doing this and I’ve done it since.

This is where I admit to having to look up the name of the stitch because I can’t ever remember it. For the record, it’s the Bavarian Stitch. I believe I continued with this and made a blanket that was given away at the family get together.

This was not an easy stitch for me to learn. For me, crochet stitches are harder for me to learn. Knitting is a natural love for me. I didn’t love crochet at first. Didn’t respect it at all. I have slowly come to enjoy it almost as much as knitting. Knitting will remain my love, If I had to choose, I would knit over crochet but there are times when I quite look forward to putting down the needles and picking up the hook.

What this photo reminds me is that there is work in this unusual career I have chosen for myself. I took it from just a hobby on purpose and circumstances have led me to think about it in a clinical manner because I don’t want to have a hobby business. I want a sustaining business. Should something happen to our finances, I want to be able to have a base to start over with.

To some who see me knit in public, it doesn’t feel like it, but I take it seriously – while I maintain the spiritual side that is provides me and the fun and community that comes with sharing it with folks who also knit or crochet and those who just admire our doing it.

This isn’t hard work, at least not the visible part of the business career, but I work hard at it.

 

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I Want a New Drug

I want a new drug.

Actually, what I need is a new hobby. Knitting was my hobby. But then I recognized it as a spiritual gift and then that gift produced so many finished objects that it became the source of a career. 

I still get immense pleasure from knitting and crochet and I do it without complaint but now I don’t have a hobby. Technically, a hobby is something done for pleasure and not done for pay or professionally but some with skill or proficiency. Of course, proficiency takes time. 

I’m thinking piano/keyboard. I played some in college. Maybe exercise. Reading for pleasure is nice to think on. As long as I don’t read pattern books.

I don’t think Candy Crush qualifies for hobby life though it fits the criteria and I can play it for long stretches. I can write as a hobby. But I’ve written professionally and I would want to publish anything I wrote.

If not keyboard, then studying voice. I don’t but my voice is older and changing; maybe lessons will help. Maybe I can get a view more years singing in choir.

Miniature golf is also a possibility. I wasn’t good at regular golf When I don’t care if I lose miniature golf. I just want to make par and have fun. And it takes care of the exercise thing.

The decision doesn’t have to be made this second. I don’t have to choose right now. I want something that captures my interest. Something that is a productive use of my times and moved with me through my life. Something I am glad to have as a regular part of what I do. Something I truly enjoy.

Maybe sleep. My body is my happiness project so maybe I can make sleep my new hobby. Imma think on it. Pray on it. Sleep on it.