How to knit (more); plus a free recipe
If you reached this post because you googled "how to knit," you're in luck! This post isn't about that, but this entire website IS! I teach classes, write tutorials and talk knitting all.the.time. Please let me know if I can be of any help, because knitting is awesome.
Knitting is so awesome in fact, that once you learn to knit you realize you wish you had more time to do it. Today's post is about how to find more time to knit, because really, isn't that what most of the stress in our lives is about? Stuck in traffic? Cleaning up dog hair? Fights with your spouse? All things that delay us in getting back to the knitting.
Here are some tips from me....
1. Cook less--Seriously, are the folks for whom you prepare food more appreciative of their dinners if you spend twice as long preparing them? I try to use fresh ingredients (which take more time) but I never waste time researching the newest trendy foods (in fact, my salt is still Morton's Iodized). I've lived long enough to see food styles come and go. (Remember when we put pesto on everything?) Cut corners whenever you can. I use the crock pot to speed up dinner even when dinner isn't a crock pot meal. Here's what we're having tonight, for example:
Chicken Quesadillas
Put a pound of boneless, skinless chicken in the crock pot on low first thing in the morning (it needs to cook at least 8 hours)(make sure you turn the crock pot ON)(please don't eat it raw). Top it with taco sauce or salsa before cooking. About an hour before dinnertime, shred the chicken. On a griddle or in a big skillet, warm a flour tortilla (use wheat if you prefer). Add shredded chicken, a sprinkling of shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, some diced onion, then cover with another tortilla. Cook on medium, being careful not to burn, until cheese melts slightly, then flip the Quesadilla over and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan or griddle, cut into quarters (my husband has always called this dish "triangles." He's not from Texas.) Continue making Quesadillas until your ingredients run out, even if it will make way too much for one meal. Remember, leftovers mean less cooking time! Serve with sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips, etc. Then go knit while someone else cleans up the kitchen (after all, YOU cooked, right?).
2. Let someone else drive--We Southerners aren't always proponents of public transportation. Heck, I'm from TEXAS, which is so big and so full of TEXANS (independent types) that public transport is next to impossible. We Knitters, on the other hand, fully recognize the ecological....blah, blah, blah, who am I kidding?----MORE time to knit! No public conveyance to be had where you live? Bum rides off your friends. You'll have more time to chat and save on gas (you should offer gas money though, since you're not a freeloading jerk; you just want to knit more).
3. Clean less--This is not a free pass to star on an episode of "Hoarders," but check yourself. If you're mopping the floor every day and you don't have pets or small children, you might be wasting valuable knitting time. Actually I think this only applies if you've been cleaning your house on a regular basis all along. If you haven't, then trot on over to FlyLady.net and get crackin'! If you can hire help with the cleaning, you must never, under any circumstances, clean the house before they come to clean. Also, knit while they work. That's why they are there, remember?
4. Go places you can take your knitting--This may seem obvious, but if you're really serious, you will ONLY go places you can take your knitting. Don't join a club or volunteer on a committee or attend a meeting unless you can take your knitting. Don't go out to see a movie (it's too dark to knit); wait for it to come out on iTunes or Redbox. (Extra points if you host a viewing party and invite your knitting friends.) Thinking of taking up scuba diving? Only if you can take your knitting on the boat!
5. Cut your hair--Or wear it so long you can put it up. Time spent on hair means less time to knit. If you can afford a stylist to come in every morning and do your hair for you, go for it. You can knit while they work their magic.
Your turn: What ways have you found to carve more knitting time out of your schedule?