Tomorrow it begins.

Tomorrow at 2 PM MDT, I can cast on for my Ravellenic projects.

I am... woefully underprepared.

I've been eagerly awaiting the beads and the tiny crochet hook that I ordered for the Jo's Pride knit-along. (I've also been eagerly awaiting the ear dragon that Bandit ordered me, but that's slightly less relevant.) In the meantime, to free up my size 5 circs, I've been knitting as fast as I can on Radiance without abjectly neglecting my social life and relationship. According to the handy pattern percentages, I'm barely half done.

So... I don't think I'll be able to start in on the knit-along anytime soon. Maybe not even after the Ravellenics are over.

Instead, tomorrow I begin socks - easy, portable, materials all prepared. Although even those are not exactly all ready to go yet. I've been meaning to get a gauge swatch of the Alpaca Sox. Yup, still haven't done that either.

I have discovered, though, a tiny miracle that will help keep me knitting longer. You see, when I knit, I use my eyes and hands, while my mind starts to wander. I can concentrate solely on knitting for a while - even a long while, if it's lace - but eventually, after an hour or three, I get bored. To really do marathon knitting, I need something that engages my mind, but not my eyes or hands. Sadly, this rules out many of my other favorite activities. I can't knit and play video games. I can't knit and chat online. And for a long time, I've lamented my inability to knit and read, simply because I need my hands to keep a book open and turn the pages.

However, I can knit and listen to an audiobook.

This changes everything.

My local library allows 4 audiobooks checked out at once, for 7-day or 14-day terms. They only have a few titles from my favorite authors. My friends Tony and Rebecca have graciously allowed me use of their library account, from a library with a much, much more substantial selection and a checkout limit of 20. I'm three days in to one of my favorite books, The Name of the Wind, and my daily knitting rate has increased considerably as I can concentrate for longer and longer stretches before I get bored.

I haven't watched TV regularly since I was fourteen. I'm ashamed to say I have only the most tenuous grasp of how to operate one now. So I won't be watching the Olympics during most of my Ravellenic work; it would just tear my eyes away from my knitting anyway. Instead, you'll find me by my laptop, or with my mp3 player. I'll be revisiting all my favorite books.