How many times are you in a moment where you are waiting or sitting and your hands feel useless so you pick up your phone to check your email or scroll on social media? The act of doing something with your hands makes the time seem productive, but at the end of the time, what has truly been accomplished?

Recently, I made the decision to pick up a knitting project every time I found myself in such moments. I didn’t have any knitting projects on hand so I searched for a pattern online, ordered the yarn and started knitting two weeks ago today.

Because the yarn was on sale the weekend I ordered it and was selling out quickly, my color options were limited, but I allowed the girls to choose their preferred colors from the yarns available, which of course, included purple and pink to match their glasses.

Knitting outside on a gorgeous fall day.

Over the past two weeks, I have knitted while supervising the girls’ bath time, during my book club meeting, before bed, while sitting outside watching the girls ride their balance bicycle and tricycle, during family creative night, etc.…and L is delighted with the finished result!

As I was knitting the poncho, I realized that I had made a mistake (for you knitters out there, I had put a yarn over stitch where I should not have), but I had already knitted several rows before discovering the error. I made the decision to keep knitting and cover the mistake by embroidering a flower over it.

Free-hand embroidery to cover an accidental hole.

One other variation from the pattern is that I decided to crochet an edge around the top of it to have a row of purple at the top as well as at the bottom. Additionally, the crocheted edge gave a smoother, tighter finish than my cast on row had created.

I have one very happy, little girl, who gave me a big hug with a delighted smile on her face when I handed it to her and told her that I had finished knitting it.

“I am going to wear it all day!” (She didn’t want me to block it to give it a more finished look because she wanted to wear it immediately.)

And while knitting, I felt like women from some favorite literature of my childhood and youth: Ma in the Little House books, Marilla in Anne of Green Gables books, and even Lillian Gilbreth in Cheaper by the Dozen, who carried her knitting with her wherever she went.

And because it was so fun to actually have something to show for those moments of time that otherwise would have passed by unproductively, I am going to continue to use that time to create. You may see me out and about with a knitting bag on my arm…my two-year old has been asking me to start hers!

Knitted Poncho