Tuesday, June 05, 2007

At this point, I might never die

Melissa at Little Woolgatherings just might have saved my life!

A while back she sent me the book Knitting for Dummies and some yarn to get started learning how to knit.

And I'm learning. Very, very slowly. See?

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I casted on, and according to the book, that's considered a stitch. So now I'm a knitter, hee hee!

So how did Melissa save my life?

Knitting gives me a hobby. And hobbies are important to our well-being, according to Get A Hobby! 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle, a new book by Tina Barseghian. Stress is harmful to your health -- it could even kill you over time -- and hobbies reduce stress and promote relaxation. Having a hobby could save your life!

According to the book's quiz (who doesn't love a quiz?), I am adventurous, animal-loving, musical, nature-loving, nurturing and outdoorsy, so I should pick out hobbies that go along with these traits: falconry, caving, deejaying or storm chasing, the book suggests. Hmm. Can I keep a bird on my arm while I strap a headlamp on my forehead, spinning some records in a van outfitted with tornado-monitoring equipment? Cool.

Get A Hobby! is easy and fun to read. You'll find hobbies you might have never heard of before (balsa wood sculpture or Polaroid transfer, anyone?) and read profiles of people who actually do the hobbies. For each pasttime, there are tips on how to get started and a sample project so you can try it out to see if it's for you.

I have several hobbies -- or I did, before Flybaby was born -- including sewing, gardening/landscape design, singing, wildlife watching, reading, tent camping, collecting vintage hats, travel . . . . oh, it was a fun and busy life. Why, I still manage some of them today:


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Here I am (in all of my curly-frizzy-haired glory because I didn't get a chance to straighten my hair -- wait, could that be considered a hobby?) enjoying hiking, cooking, blogging on my notebook computer, birdwatching, reading, knitting and wearing one of the hats from my collection. And pushing a stroller. (Usually, there is a baby in the stroller. Or a cat.)

At this rate, I should live a good, long time.

Unless I take up something dangerous like storm chasing.

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9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

You're so funny! LOVE the picture! I wish you better luck than I had as far as knitting is concerned. It may have very well taken a good decade off my life. That, or the time Jacob removed a half-completed scarf from the hooks!!

10:15 AM  
Blogger Dayngr said...

I can't knit, crochet or anything even remotely close to those. Does blog surfing count as a hobby? If so, I may have just added 10 years to my life.

10:24 AM  
Blogger Awesome Mom said...

Haha!! Knitting is fun but it takes a lot of practice to get good. I am not even close to being good with knitting but I can do ok.

12:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How funny! The picture is great! Good luck with your new knitting hobby. I have never tried that!

12:17 PM  
Blogger Erin M said...

i have a yearning to knit

but i hardcore suck at the needle arts

1:48 PM  
Blogger groovyoldlady said...

Hobbies are only relaxing if your husband doesn't gather all your little piles of yarn and books and scrapbooking and and notebooks and half-finished sundresses and puzzle pieces into a mountain in the living room and demand, "When're you gonna FINISH all these projects??!!!"

Nope. Then the pressure is on and all bets are off. I feel a yard sale coming on...

7:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Knitting has become my zen.

knittinghelp.com Great videos to help you with techniques!

9:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That picture makes my day!!

9:46 AM  
Blogger Jennifer Swanepoel said...

LOL!

1:32 AM  

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