Bad at me-time, great at guilt.

A typical day for me runs from about 6AM til Midnight. And that’s without school this year. Last year, when I was in school, I was lucky to see 4 hours of sleep daily. In a few short months I’ll be adding a baby to my day so I guess it’s a really good thing that Wawa has a rewards program now ’cause I expect I’ll be drinking their coffee* by the gallon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. In a typical day I teach, go down the checklist of freelance jobs that I’m involved with, design, write, dye, and work on commissions. I love my job, and I’m lucky to be able to work from home as much as I do, but I almost never do things just because I want to. It happens, but those me-time projects are pretty rare.

Just got my @skeinoyarn Miss Grace Kit in the mail! I am so into kits this year. There is something so satisfying about having all the stuff show up together :D I have other stuff I SHOULD do, but screw it. I’m casting on. I’m a rebel thay way ;) #knitstagram #knitting #christmasknitting #shawl #rebel #nofilter

A photo posted by Dr. Megan-Anne Llama (@doctor_llama) on Oct 15, 2015 at 11:11am PDT

Just today I left my cave to eat lunch at the table like a person, while reading a book for pleasure (You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felcia Day.) and Jac just about had a heart attack at the sight of it. She said she wanted to take a picture and frame it to prove that I am physically capable of not working for a few minutes. It’s easy to work all the time when you like what you do. I’m unabashedly ambitious and motivated by earning money, so really why would I do things that aren’t lucrative? I was raised Catholic, and I blame some of that on the classic Catholic guilt.

If I’m doing something that just for fun isn’t that selfish? Am I gonna need to make time in my day to go to confessional now? Better not risk it and just get back to work.

I’m telling you all of this because I KNOW I’m not the only knitter out there that has a hard time doing something because they want to, instead of knitting for someone else or for profit. As Baby: The Reckoning draws closer though, I’m trying to get better at taking a little “me-time”. I want Mabel to grow up with the example that women can work, and be moms, and also have a life. Of course, my version of having a life is finding time for knitting a shawl or playing Fallout. ;)

Even with the Holidays coming and my Christmas knitting clocking in at about a week behind where I want to be, I am trying to take some time each day to work on something that’s just for me. I’m working my way through the Miss Grace Shawl by Skeino Yarn and I am SO in love with it. It uses a technique called Tapestry Knitting, which I hadn’t tried out before, and I love the wavy, organic looking fabric it creates:

It’s actually a crazy easy technique too. It’s done with a special short row that’s worked completely in garter stitch, so it’s a great on-the-go project. Jac got some Skeino in a Yarn Box a while back and loved it, so when it was time to pick a project to treat myself with I wanted to get some of my own. Plus, Skeino is dedicated to employing people with disabilities and I love being able to support companies that are committed to making the world a better place. You can read more about their commitment to inclusion HERE.

The Holidays are coming, and I know it’s a hard time of year to budget for treating yourself, so when I told the folks at Skieno how much I was loving the kit they gave me a coupon code. Anyone else who wants to take it for a spin can do so at a discount. The kit’s a little pricey, but you get so much bang for your buck, and also a ton of “knitable hours”. I expect my entertainment dollars to stretch, so I’m way more motivated to shell out for a large kit than a small one most of the time. You get 4 large skiens, and the printed pattern, AND a nice project bag. And thanks to the kind folks at Skeino if you enter LATTES&LLAMAS at check out before December 1st you get 10% off. If you pick one up, tag me in your instagram project photos so we can have our own little impromptu KAL. :D

~Megan-Anne

*The signature blend is SO good. Get it. Add the French Vanilla creamer. You’re welcome.

The Fine Print. There’s always fine print.