NaNoWriMo and Me: Why My Knitting is On Hold

Ever since I was a kid I've dreamed of being an author. I mean, who doesn't? It's not a rare dream, and those with the talent and passion to follow through are the part that's hard to come by. I'm not even sure I have either of those but what I do have is a sort of idiotic ambition. Sure, I might not have put in the hard yards yet, but I can, and I'm gonna get there any day now!

How do you write?

In that mindset I am, once again, participating in National Novel Writing Month this November (and probably not as much knitting as I'd been planning).

NaNoWriMo started small and has turned into a huge, awesome, worldwide phenomenon. I'm not going to go nuts on the details because who is even reading this but it comes down to this: you challenge yourself to, over the course of thirty days, write a 50,000 word novel from start to finish. From 'once upon a time' to 'the end', with an average of 1,667 words a day. You write every day (y'know, the way professionals are supposed to!) and you don't delete. You don't look back. It's weirdly painful, and frustrating, and cathartic and since this is only week one I'm really enjoying myself.

Unfortunately, unless you're much more prolific (and focused!) than I am, writing that much can take an hour or two. And it takes up the time slot that would normally be spent on knitting since, sadly, I'm not able to do it at work or while I do the housework. What time I do have to spare will be split between video games (because have you seen what's out this month?) and working on this:

This is the free Knit Picks Rejuvenating Waves pattern set, crocheted in their Dishie yarn. It's not too difficult, and once you get into a rhythm it's easy going, but crocheting tends to leave me with aching hands since I rarely do it these days. It's for a Christmas gift, though, and knowing how well it's almost guaranteed to be received, well, I know that I have to get it done.

Oh - and I finished the Ione shawlette. It needs blocking to straighten out the curls in the lace section and, as with all of these that I can't stop making, I sort of have no idea how to wear it, but... it's so cute.

Outside of the house the garden is really doing its thing. The onions are looking thick and strong, the first strawberry is turning pink and the first blueberries fattening up. I left in one of the bolted kale after seeing how much the bees love the little yellow flowers but tore out the monster spinach - it's done its time. I'll certainly be growing it again but, y'know... perhaps not a whole row of it this time. That was far too much spinach for me to use. A handful of plants amongst the chard sounds like a good amount, though, for next time.

The big artichoke is sloooooooooooooowly opening, and shows a little more purple every day.

The sunflowers, whose seeds I was given by a fellow gardener (much more talented than I am - they grow and make amazing stuff with their garden, I am constantly jealous/inspired), have popped up their little heads. They grow nearly as fast as the pak choy, which I am convinced I would see moving if I sat still for half an hour and watched it.

I may have sown those a little thickly.

Here, taken three days apart, are two photos of the pak choy.

I'm so glad I decided to plant these again this year. In a world where waiting for the garlic, onions and potatoes (surely not long now, right?!) is driving me crazy, it's nice to have something this enthusiastic shooting out of the ground. The lettuce in the pot above is growing in at a much more reasonable pace, and while the spring onions below have yet to appear I still hold out hope. I haven't managed to deliberately grow any in the past but perhaps the pot will be a more sheltered environment, and raise the odds I'll remember to keep them watered?