creative versus practicality war

I have tried tons of crafts over the years. I was searching for that one ultimately satisfying crafty hobby. I've driven my husband nuts by jumping from one project to another. I have crocheted off and on for about 30 years. God, that makes me sound old. I've done cross stitch off and on for about 15-20 years. I've avoided scrapbooking though, I knew I'd never stick with that one. I've quilted, I've painted (not very successfully I might add - I just don't have my Mom's flair for that), I've sewn, I've been all over the map with my hobbies. Everyone of them has been extremely useful in some form or other in my life. But I don't think any of them have been as fulfilling for me as knitting.

I'm a product knitter. I don't care about the d#mn process, just give me that sweater to wear! It feels so good to be able to slide that sweater on and say "Look what I did!" to anyone who pretends to listen.

My husband however, is the Anti-Hobbyist. If it doesn't come from a technical manual and there is not a need for something, it does not get learned or done. The man is not spontaneous. He can't even go poop without a list telling him it's okay too. He's gonna shoot me for sharing that one with the world.

When I've brought a new hobby home to learn, you wouldn't believe the comments and questions that I get. Does your new hobby have a practical application? Is it something you can use? Does it cost a much? (That just might be the most important, in his mind, question in the whole lot.) But what are you going to do with it when it's finished?

It's the creative versus practicality war. It's a constant thing at my house.

He wasn't real enthused when I brought knitting home and announced that I was going to teach myself to learn this craft. It's just another one of her crazy hobbies was his thought. That was two years ago. I'm still going at it full tilt.

It may be the first time that I've been able to answer most of the questions up above to his almost full satisfaction. The only real complaint that I get from him is that he has to compete with the yarn and needles for my attention. Practical? Can you get more practical than hand creating a garment to be worn for years?

The only question that I have to tiptoe over is the "but does it cost much?" question.

The "But Honey, It was on SALE" methodology has not been particularly successful. So instead I came up with my Knitter's Math to answer the question. It kind of goes like this:

Step 1. See yummy must have yarn at LYS.
Step 2. Check price tag of the one skein.
Step 3. Panic and then begin division. $40.00/2 = $20.00. Still too much to explain for a 100g. tiny hank. That doesn't mean I'm not going to buy it, just that I don't want to explain the price.
Step 4. Subtract $10.oo. That $10.00 becomes my so-called "lunch." (not really, that's just what I tell him.)
Step 5. Purchase Yarn.
Step 6. Decide that he still wouldn't understand and subtract $5.00 from that. That $5.00 becomes the "I needed a milk shake on the way home" piece of fiction.

See? It's simple really. Actual purchase price/2=first total. First total-$10.00=Second total. Second total-$5.00=Just right total.


It's okay. My Mother-In-Law told me to do this on my Wedding Day. I have full and total approval for lying to my husband about shopping expenditures. Have I told you how much I love my MIL?