Patience and knitting

When I tell people I'm a knitter, the most common response I get is some variation of "I don't have the patience to knit." I've always found this response to be a little funny, because I don't usually think of myself as a particularly patient person. I mean, I can be patient when it counts. I'm patient with crying children and friends who need to rehash the same stories a few times. I try hard to be patient about my loved ones imperfections and with people who need to yell at someone because they're clearly having a hard day.... But if the subway gets delayed 5 minutes? Forget it. I'm the least patient person on earth.

...Enter knitting. Knitting is a craft that I don't think I ever would have picked up on my own. I sort of fell into it, but it stuck in large part because it helped me fill those little moments of impatience with something that felt pleasant and even productive. Suddenly I could throw a project in my bag, and wasted time didn't feel wasted anymore. Waiting for a very late subway, or standing in line at the post office, or sitting at an empty lunch table waiting for that friend who's always 40 minutes late - suddenly these moments weren't a hassle anymore. I could fill them with something fun, and creative, and even a little relaxing.

Now, I carry a knitting project almost everywhere I go. It's a constant companion that has made a million of the little inconveniences of living in New York disappear. It's helped me get closer to becoming the patient person I try to be, because yes, that subway delay might make me 10 minutes late for work, but that's 10 more minutes of knitting I get to do in the morning, and who could complain about that?

This particular project has already accompanied me on 1 airplane, countless subway rides, a trip to the doctor, several lunch breaks, and a few social gatherings. So far it's managed to keep me (relatively) patient the entire time.