Unconscious Collecting Continues.

Today has been a sunny and rather mild day in the great state of Maine. And yet, there seemed to be just the hint of a chill in the air. It was that subtle reminder of colder days to come. Oh, and a certain holiday season that demands handknit gifts for all and sundry came to mind.

It happens every year. I spend the spring promising myself that I will knit the holiday gifts during the upcoming summer vacation. I then proceed to create a plethora of handcrafted masterpieces that will only ever drape my Sheepie form.

September hits and I realize my folly. Happily, though, I have discovered the joys of Mason*Dixon knitting and the possibilities thereof. Shortly after purchasing the book in July, I quickly scampered off to the local WalMart and bought myself a one pound cone of Peaches 'n Creme worsted cotton to have on hand when inspiration struck. Today was the day. I realized that I simply could not live another day without starting the Chevron Stripes Hand Towel. Had I not cast on when I did, there was every possibility that I would have spontaneously combusted or something equally dire. There was the the usual false start and a realization that I am the last person in the free world to see the pattern error that exists in the very beginning. (or I am reading it completely wrong...which is a strong possibility, lets face it.) There was the hand pain which comes from having the wrong needle for my uniquely shaped hooves. There was the brief period where I lost the stitch counter in the depths of the couch cushions and feared that I might have to rely on my faulty, middle aged memory for the duration. But, in the end, all has gone pretty smoothly and without problems that couldn't be solved handily.

Someone's gettin' a fancy-shmancy hand knit towel under the tree, I tellya!

However, as I pulled together the necessary materials for this epic endeavor, I made a startling realization. It appears that I might be something of a "hoarder."

A few weeks ago I posted several entries on the subject of my underpants mania. I discovered that I had been purchasing large amounts of undies with no real memory of having done so. This little lapse resulted in my having amassed 57 pairs of drawers. My mind boggled just a wee little bit there...

Well, it seems that my "just in case" purchasing is not limited to frilly underthings. It seems that I also have been stocking up on worsted weight cotton for, and I kid you not, years. I am finding balls of the stuff in every closet, cupboard, nook and cranny. And as I find them, I am experiencing what can only be described as "recovered memories" of projects that seemed of the utmost importance at the time. So, in addition to the one pound cone, I have any number of full, half and quarter balls of blue, pink and white Peaches 'n Creme cotton with which to swaddle my friends and relations should they be in need of towels and the like.

Seriously, if I could do the same thing with gold or real estate I'd be set for life up here!!! As it stands now, I will be the only retiree in the home with a lifetime supply of underpants and handknit dishcloths.

I am singlehandedly keeping the cotton industry afloat right now.

SA