I New Year Knit Resolve
What a beautiful box of crayons – full of such promise, so bright and colorful and new. Its points still crisp and unused.
Can you break one in half? On purpose. Fresh out of its perfect yellow and green box. Not a blemish yet to any of the paper wraps. Can you do it? Or does the thought make you wince?
I can’t and it does.
It’s the same for me and my hand knit socks. Once off the needles, I can’t bring myself to wear them. Oh, I can put them on my feet and admire the fit, the color, how the pattern catches the light. What I won’t do is put my feet on the ground and walk in them.
Once I do, they won’t be wonderfully new anymore. Don’t even make me think of what will happen after I’ve washed them or the pills that will emerge from a worn heel.
Upstairs I have a sock drawer dedicated to numerous pairs that have never seen the inside of a shoe. Up until now, I’ve loved how I can go to my closet, take one out, and feel how the cables still pop, plump with life. I can hold the lace up to the window and see the pattern of light when gently stretched. And I can sit on my step stool and watch how the cuffs recover their original shape after I’ve taken them off.
I have gotten as much enjoyment out of admiring what I’ve made as I do when knitting them. This year I want to go beyond my comfort zone and actually wear the socks outside. I realize this may seem trivial to most of you. For me it is a big deal.
So the first step is acknowledging I have a problem. That’s as far as I’m going today.
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January 1, 2007
