December 20, 2011

Time

I was going to skip today, being as I'm pressed for time in the most ridiculous way, and then I remembered what today's Gift for Knitters is, and realized that it was the perfect day to make an effort. 

This afternoon I'm knitting my little heart out, labouring under the fabulous delusion that I can still finish it all.  This is mostly a made-up crazy-pants idea.  The thing is that I could be finished this present, if I wasn't unable to knit while I bake, or stagger around a mall, or try and figure out the perplexing sizing system for tights, or clean the kitchen or throw in a load of laundry, and that, my friends, that brings me to today's Gift for Knitters, and it is:

Time

Non-knitters, my darlings, my sweets, take it from me, your knitter wants time. Knitting time.  There's no possible way that you can help with the actual  knitting, we all know that, but right now your knitter is wishing you could, and while you can't knit for them... you can do everything else.  Tonight, when your knitter says something subtle like "THIS IS A NIGHTMARE I'M NEVER GOING TO FINISH I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO DO LAUNDRY AND TRY AND FINISH THIS HAT" and then bursts into tears, you can help.  It's drastic, but you can do it.  You can turn to your knitter and say the following.

"I have a present for you.  I'm going to do the laundry so you can knit."

Pro-tip: You can substitute any other activity that your knitter mentions is a conflict with knitting.  Shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping - you can create knitting time in a million beautiful ways.  Going somewhere? Drive, so your knitter has knitting time. Ask for a grocery list, and leave the house and go get it all, and if you really, really want to be heroic... take the kids with you.

The magic doesn't have to stop there, oh no.  It goes farther than contributing to your families gift giving by supporting your knitter... after Christmas, your knitter is going to go right on liking knitting, and he or she is going to go right on wanting to have time to do it.  Think about making up little coupons.  Coupons that promise a whole afternoon where you'll take over the chores/kids/cleaning/whatever - and your knitter will have time that's designated just for them and their wool. 

Trust me.  Time.  Do it.

Posted by Stephanie at December 20, 2011 4:37 PM