Baby, I Can Knit While You Drive. . .

Ahhhh. . . summertime. . . the open road. . . 

kids in the backseat for hours at a time. . . this is what I live for. . .

Several (ok many) years ago, Trisha Yearwood sang a song entitiled “Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive”.  I often hum this familiar tune as we travel, but with different words. . . Baby, I can knit while you drive. 

You see, I have a little obsession with knitting.  OK, not little—it is a huge, time-consuming obsession.  I have been knitting for 5 years now and have progressed from the dreaded garter stitch scarf to cabled socks and lace stoles.  I knit whenever I can, and have even found myself dreaming of stitch patterns (nerdy, I know).  My hubby has caught me snoozing mid-stitch more times than I can count when he arrives home after a long night of work. 

Knitting is more than just a finished project for me.  It is like therapy.  Each tiny flick of the needle moving stitches from left to right brings me a sense of peace and calm.  It keeps my hands busy when I would otherwise busy myself with biting my nails, or picking at my cuticles.  It helps me pass the time when I am waiting impatiently for a meeting to begin or to be called in for an appointment.  It keeps me occupied so that I can endure scary movie scenes and football season with my hubby. And believe it or not, I really concentrate better when my hands are busy clicking along on a project.  I have happily knitted along to keynote speakers during workshops and have even snuck my knitting into the “cry room” at church while my babies were little. 

I am not quite skilled enough to knit and read at the same time, although some knitters are, but audio books are an option. I can, however, knit and nurse at the same time-- A skill that has saved me from utter boredom during those early days of non-stop nursing sessions, and produced some pretty great hats and socks and such.

Unfortunately, between working full-time during the school year, taking care of a household, and parenting two children, my knitting time is very limited.  Oh yes, after all the chores are completed and children are fast asleep, I can sneak in a few stitches, but honestly, who has energy for that at the end of a long day?  My favorite time to knit is early in the morning—just me, my coffee, and my needles—but in the hustle and bustle everyday life, that opportunity is typically limited to the weekend, if I’m lucky.

I have, though, found the perfect time and place to focus on knitting, with minimal interruptions—the car.  No, no—not at stoplights as I drive to school, although the thought has crossed my mind.  When I am safely buckled into the passenger seat, you will find me knitting away, no matter how long the trip may be. I get excited about any car trip, as soon as it is mentioned!  One mile to my parents’ house for dinner?  Why, that is enough time to do two rows on this hat!  A trip across town to go to church? Wow—I can turn the heel of this sock!  A trip to the in-laws’ for dinner?  A baby hat will surely be made!  A trip to the beach (mountains, family reunion out of state, any other far-away place)?  Well, that is the jackpot, the ultimate prize.  The possibilities are endless. 

When we prepare for a long trip out of town, I first pack all the regular things—you know, clothes, toiletries, etc.  Then I pack the essentials—“The front seat bag”—full of projects.  Yes, plural.  I always overestimate the number of projects I will need to keep my hands busy because I would certainly not want to be stuck without something to do!  Heaven forbid we are stuck in traffic and I knit through all ten skeins of yarn I have packed without a back-up plan!  Never mind that a cabled sock would typically take me weeks to complete—I should pack 5 extra projects “just in case”!  Stranded without knitting?  Never!

I realize that many couples share the driving experience when they travel.  However, my husband’s line of work required many hours of strategic driving training, so I am only asking him to use these well-tuned skills to deliver us safely to our destination and back home.  Prior to my knitting obsession, I read while he drove, so now I can knit AND carry on a conversation with him!  Bonus! 

So tonight, as we are packing for a family reunion six (SIX) hours away, I am not laying out clothing and planning outfits.  Nope.  I am winding yarn and carefully organizing my projects for the drive.  

Because Baby, I WILL knit while you drive. . . .