when I’m not knitting

My knitting time has been steadily decreasing to a point where it’s pretty much non-existent.  So many other things (ie work!) get in the way.  I know that lots of knitters are able to use any spare scraps of time to fit in a few rows here and there, but I just don’t seem to be able to do that.  For me, knitting is a creative process, and I find that I just can’t be creative when my head is full with so much other stuff. 

I may not be knitting, but I’m still doing knitting-related things.

I’m involved in one rather large project in particular:  I’ve just recently started as the co-ordinator for p/hop!

For those who aren’t familiar with p/hop, it stands for “pennies per hour or pleasure”.  It’s an amazing fundraising project that raises money for Medecins Sans Frontieres, and its success is entirely down to donations from within the knitting and crochet community.  Everything element of the project is community driven:  designers donate patterns, and knitters then “purchase” a pattern, making a donation of what they feel the pattern is worth.   We have stalls at knitting and fibre events across the country to help spread the word.  Knitters also offer their time and skills to whip up samples of the patterns to help promote the designs.  And then someone volunteers to co-ordinate it all and keep it ticking over.  And now that someone is me!

P/hop is such a unique project, and to date has raised over £47 000 for MSF’s work.  There are now 60 amazing patterns available, so if you’re looking for a new project to cast on, be sure to head over and take a look.

Oh, and if you see me at knit night or at a festival still carrying around the same half-finished sock from months ago, I promise that I’m still very much involved in knitting, even if I’m not actually doing it much anymore.