Monday, November 29, 2010

The Knervous Knitter goes under the Knife

I don't think that anyone would describe me as high-strung. Neurotic, certainly, but hyperactive, no. In fact, I may well be the embodiment of hypoactivity. Yet for the past few days I've been too wound up to sleep worth a darn, grinding my teeth and fidgeting non-stop because I'm nervous over a surgery that I'm having this week. I like to make it sound all Beverly Hills-y by saying that I'm having my sinuses "re-done", but really, I'm just having the inside of my face cleaned. Again.

The again part is where I think that the nervousness comes in. I'm no stranger to surgeries, but this is the first surgery (besides my c-sections) that I will have had twice. Forewarned may be forearmed, but it also means that you know exactly how awful things are going to be.

And so, I've found myself up at all hours, knitting like a fiend to both occupy my jittery hands and get myself as far ahead of the Christmas rush as I may before I'm out cold on a Vicodin cloud for a few days. I've been shockingly productive, whipping out 2 scarves and 3 dishcloths this past week. I'm keen to start up another scarf tonight, though I don't know if I'll finish it before the surgery, and know myself well enough to know that knitting and inebriation of any sort do not mix. I've had to frog more projects on account of one too many glasses of wine than I have because of my poor mathematical skills, and that is saying something.

At any rate, the original intent of this post was to extol the calming virtues of knitting, even upon someone as rattled as I. I fear though that I have strayed from my point a bit and instead have painted myself as a fruitcake with bad sinuses and a one-sided relationship with boxed wine. So, back to my point - knitting gives nervous hands something to do. Knitting satisfies my OCD-ish need for symmetry and order with it's patterns and incessant counting; it satisfies my weird need to be productive on some level at all times and, this week in particular, it has kept me from biting my fingernails down to nubs.

If you are a knitter and know of any tipsy-proof patterns that I can fumble through while recovering, send them on over or leave a comment with a link, purty please. I (and whomever eventually receives said knitted good) thank you in advance.

Smell ya later - I hope.

Michelle