Knit-Walking...

Do you sleepwalk? I do...but only on the very odd and rare occassion. It's so rare in fact that I can remember all of the handful of times that I've done it. More on those later. For now, here's an amusing anecdote that you can share with your knitty friends.

I guess yesterdays yarny excitement may have been a little more than my subconcious could handle! I came home with my loot and as I had obsessed about it before we went and then obsessed about it while we were in the store, I thought the best course of action was to sit on my couch and obsess about it some more.

I pulled out my Interweave Knits Fall 2007 issue and began to pour over the Tilted Duster that I've been dreaming about since I bought the magazine. The black Debbie Bliss is what I had in mind for the Duster. I checked and re-checked my yardage and did the conversion from meters to yards (yes, I know there isn't too much of a difference, but I was hoping the numbers would magically turn in my favour) and I don't think I'm going to have enough. Of either colour. To make two individual sweaters (the red was destined to be a Central Park Hoodie).

I knit up a gauge swatch last night on 4.5mm needles, even though the pattern calls for 6mm. And I got pretty darn close to 4 inches. I knew I was a loose knitter, but this was still suprising. Anyhow, I figure I'll knit the sweater on 4.5 cuz I like the tension that the yarn knits too. I think it looks...'right'. Plus, I've had problems in the past with knitting things for myself that turn out too big anyway.

So I cast on for the back of the Duster. I got about an inch knit and then I was just terribly sleepy. It was midnight after all. We'd watched Wild Hogs (which was as mediocre as I had expected), wherein I finished up some knitting I'd started earlier in the day, so I went to bed. I took my IK Fall and Winter 2007 issues with me to see if there might be another sweater option that I'd like as much as the Duster, but didn't require as much yardage.

As is always the case anymore when I try to read in bed, I lasted about two turns of the page before I was practially unconcious. I shut out the light, got cozy, and then remembered an idea for a sweater that I had a while ago, an idea for my own design, so I locked that little image in my mind and decided to let it marinate for a while, and promptly fell asleep.

I don't know how much after that the sleep walking happened, but the next thing I know, I'm sticking my head out the bedroom door and talking to my husband, who's snuggled on the couch, still watching some tv (our apartment is very small...right off the livingroom is the bedroom). The dog is also sleeping just outside my bedroom door. I look at the constable and start asking him, while pointing at the dog, when he's going to start doing the increases for the dogs sweater. The conversation is all a little foggy, I don't remember exactly what I said, but I do know it was knitting related.

Rightly so, the constable looked at me like I was loony tunes. He asked me to repeat myself. Now I'm getting mad, because my unconcious self is sure I've made it perfectly clear what I would like done while my concious mind which is just a faint little whisper is like "YOU'RE SLEEP WALKING DUMMY! SHUT UP AND GO BACK TO BED!"

Anyhow, I proceed to try and explain myself and the increasing and decreasing of stitches and am getting frustrated that my husband can't follow simple instructions until I finally say, 'Fine! I obviously don't know what I'm talking about! I'm going back to bed!'

And that was that. I only remembered this when I woke up briefly at 7:10 this morning (there was no way I was getting up before at least 8:30 on Sunday. As a childless woman, I have this luxury...as long as the dog doesn't need to go out).

So you know knitting has really morphed into much more than a hobby when you dream and sleep walk about it, then think to yourself, 'hey, this is going to make great blog fodder!' And after I went back to sleep, I had a dream that I was helping the Yarn Harlot remodel her kitchen. Apparently my psyche doesn't have enough to process with one mammoth remodel project, it has to invent another (and from the few snippits of the Harlot's kitchen that I have seen, she certainly doesn't need my help). From there I somehow got roped into a marketing focus group that wanted to know my opinions on a very cheaply made, brittle plastic baby car seat. My opinion was not favourable.

There you have it. A brief glimpse into the inner workings of my mind. The other sleepwalking incidents? One happened when I was about 12 I guess. I thought my house was a huge volleyball court and it was my turn to serve. The serving area was our sunroom. I wandered into the living room and explained this all to my mother. Another time, I asked in a rather accusatory tone whether or not an ex-boyfriend of mine was going to do anything about the six foot worms that were under my bed. And I think there was one other incident with my hubby, but I can't remember that one at the moment. Must ask when he gets up. I'll have to apologise for my rude behaviour anyway!

Hope at least you had a restful night!