Some bloggers have declared September to be the month of "selfish" knitting, where they knit what they want, for themselves.

Well, most of the knitting I do would be considered "selfish." So for me, September is going to be two other things:

September is for starting what I want to start

September is for stash-appreciation

In other words: I'm going to look around in the stash of yarn and pull stuff out and start on the project it's designated for if I want to. And I'm not going to feel bad about having a million projects going.

So - I started "Bloom" from last fall's Knitty:



It just took getting over the "activation energy" of doing a crochet cast-on (which is not hard. I do not know why I balk at those. But I do.) And the "activation energy" of re-remembering how to do wrap and turns.

Once you're past that, it's kind of like potato chips - you want to keep knitting more rows to see the next color change and what happens with the shaping. And it's on big needles.

(It's not farther along because this has been a tough week timewise).

I also have had in progress for quite a while, a pair of simple socks:



They are my waiting-room socks, which is probably why more's not done on them. It's Megaboots Stretch which is a fun yarn (subtle color changes). And I just like saying the name, "Megaboots."



This is not a very good shot - I was trying not to use flash because of the way it washes everything out - but this is the start of the first (of many) Kool Wool hats for Dulaan. (Or, if a 50/50 wool/acryl blend isn't warm enough for there, the hats will go to Pine Ridge or someplace else). Good simple knitting, also good "I have five minutes before I have to run out the door so I can do one round on this hat" knitting since I don't really have to consult a pattern or anything.



I am also working on the longer-term projects. This is how far I am on the first of the Barley Sugar Column socks. These are better weekend-knitting (or at least weeknight-when-I-don't-have-any-meetings knitting) because they require greater concentration and also one row out of the 34 of the pattern requires wielding a cable needle.

I alluded to this having not been a good week for knitting. Last night was a meeting of a - well, let's just say civic group, to be not too specific - that I am president of. One thing I am learning about leadership - you do a lot of thankless tasks and then you wind up getting the manure blown back at you when people don't like the way you did those tasks, even though they either never volunteered (or in some cases, actively declined when asked) to do it. All my growing up years, people praised me on my leadership skills. And you know what? I never want to run for office. I never want to be a college administrator. I don't care if I've got the skills, I don't have the inclination.

I also have said from time to time that I planned on becoming a Cranky Old Lady when I get old. I've rethought that. After last night, after having two Cranky Old Ladies yelling at me (in front of a state leader for this civic group no less) because I did two separate thankless tasks and how I performed those tasks were not to their liking. They hadn't offered input on how to do the tasks earlier, and I do NOT have mindreader skills, so I don't know how people want things done unless they tell me.

At any rate - one thing I was always always taught: if you have criticism to deliver, do it in private as much as possible. Don't humiliate the person by chewing them out in front of others.

At one point I almost set down my meeting agenda and said, "That's it. Someone else can be president now. In fact, I don't think I'm even going to rejoin this group for this coming year." But I decided that was even MORE unprofessional. And probably the reason one of the ladies sounded so cranky was that she left her hearing aid at home (on purpose; she talks about how she hates using it and then she complains about not being able to hear people when she leaves it at home).

But I get awfully tired of sucking it up, especially when I've done something on a volunteer basis.

But - back to the cranky old lady thing. Cranky Old Ladies are good to have in your corner when they're on your side. But being on the receiving end of Crank is not fun, especially when it feels like Undeserved Crank. And I don't think I could do that to other people, even when I'm old and don't care any more. So: I'm not going to be a Cranky Old Lady, I've decided. I'd rather be a Sweet Old Lady (which probably fits my basic personality better). I want to be like one of the neighbors I had when we were growing up, who baked cookies and asked my mom to come over for tea (and bring my brother and me, and let us run around in her big backyard) because she knew my mom was stuck at home with two little kids and was probably dying for some grown-up conversation. And she was the person my parents sent us to stay with when some emergency came up (like when my mom started to go into anaphlyaxis after taking tetracycline) and she was good at keeping us kids from freaking out. And she used to buy us little presents from the Christmas bazaar where she worked (I can't remember if it was through her church, or the Hospital Auxiliary where she volunteered or what - but I remember the presents).

Or I'd like to be like my friend J. at church (who really isn't officially an Old Lady, she's still too young for that) but who always has a kind word and a smile for people, and who will pitch in and help where it's needed without complaining or even asking if she's needed. And who babysits the wee ones during church so their parents can attend the service without worrying that the baby is going to start crying.

I think that kind of thing - the behind-the-scenes worker, the smiling person who bakes cookies for people because baking cookies is fun and sharing is fun - suits me a lot more than being the firebrand-in-Keds who shows up to City Council meetings and voices loud opinions and makes the meetings drag on (sometimes when they really don't have to) and makes people a little uncomfortable.

Oh, I know the saying: well-behaved women seldom make history. But whatever. There are an awful lot of "well-behaved women" from my past that I remember fondly. And I think I'd rather be remembered fondly - 100 years from now when I'm gone - than be remembered for making some kind of history.