PostADay2011 Topic #221 “What is your favorite way to get exercise?”  led me to imagine a perfect world where working with yarns and fabrics burned calories….

I would be very, VERY fit.

Instead of working out in a gym, I could sit comfortably at home while I “work out”.  Even catch up on my soaps. My BFF, who is also a yarn addict, could come over and we could chat while we “worked out”.  Wouldn’t that be cool?? And I could justify my yarn addiction to hubby who really loves it when I’m fit. 😉

I actually get a rush when I’m in the yarn section at JoAnn’s or Micheal’s. The only shoppers who seem to be as excited as I am, are little kids. While I play it cool, they are doing what I feel like doing – running about, squealing and squeezing the colorful, fluffy balls of yarn. To answer your question, “is that normal?”  Yes. For me it is.

Working with yarn is my therapy – it helps me stay balanced, at least within my own mind. Knitting has not replaced my medication, but I haven’t frightened anyone lately. I don’t yell as much either.  Many family members and friends now have Jodi Lea originals.

Each Jodi Lea is unique. Not only in the design, but the flaws made during the creation. Sometimes you have to really inspect it closely to find flub ups. A few have obvious flaws to anyone who knits/crochets. Then there are those where I repeated mistakes (on purpose) throughout the pattern to make the mistake a part of the design. I’m especially proud of those, for some reason.

Last time I was in JoAnn’s I made the mistake of looking around after stalking the yarn aisles, and ran into the quilting displays. Now I have it in my head I want to start piecing a quilt together to use up my scrap cloth I kept for “I may be able to use that someday”. My timing is awful – I have 3 yarn projects going on now, and 2 more in the queue. A big crop of babies are due to arrive this Fall & Winter and I am already behind schedule.

So… I decided my quilt will be a “Grandmother’s Flower Garden”. An old-fashioned pattern using pieced together hexagons. It will be my very first patchwork project and I can’t wait to get started!

Now before you roll your eyes, let me tell you about the fabric left-overs I have been saving up. They will make the cutest “Baby Flower Garden” quilt ever  😉

Looking over the pattern, I realized that every piece must be sewn together. By hand. It’s going to take a lot of time and patience. And we all know how much of those two things I have. Ha! I should make a test flower to see if my clumsy fingers can even handle that much.

Who knows, I may even be able to finish it before any great-grandchildren come along.

🙂