Back in January, I decided my focus word this year would be “Balance”. I wanted to find balance between buying yarn and fixing my house, maintain a good work/home life balance, maybe try to find a balance between being healthy and eating food I like (that one’s been a slow starter). But now I’m struggling from a lack of balance between my favorite hobbies, knitting and reading. I love both but knitting has been taking precedence for the last few years, and it seems to be getting worse. I kind of miss books.
Thankfully, I have reached a point where I am able to read while knitting, but there are caveats: it has to be an ebook, and the knitting has to be very simple. So I’ve been reading and knitting over my lunch breaks for a while, and that’s good. But it’s not the same. I miss physical books. I tried doing both yesterday.
It didn’t work. I struggled to keep the pages open and flat, and it took longer to turn the pages, disrupting the flow of my knitting. Trying to combine the two meant neither of them were satisfying. What did I do? I finished the sock, of course.
After that, I worked a little bit on a cowl, and only then did I feel like I’d gotten enough knitting to be able to take a break for some reading. It’s not even that I feel obligated to knit; I WANT to knit. If I don’t get some knitting in my day, I’m sad. But I need to work on this balance, because I’ve got three library books that I’m eager to read!
How do you balance your time when you’ve got two things you really want to do?
bonnyknits 
I have the exact same conflict every day!
Sigh. It’s a rough life.
It is! Let me know if you come up with a way to decide between them:)
I also want to read and knit at the same time, so I take my lunch breaks in my car and hold open my paper book between my knee and the steering wheel while I knit. It works for me. 🙂
Oh, that’s clever! But it would work better when the temperature is not in the teens.
Well, true. I can do that here because our temps at lunchtime are still in the 40’s at the lowest (and usually at noon in winter they’re still 50’s or 60’s).
Sighhhh…that would be delightful. I’m currently at 31, excited because our high today is supposed to be above freezing!
What we really need is a willing servant to be both bookstand and page turner! In the meantime, I flip between the two – read a couple of chapters, do a few rounds of yarnery, read, yarn and so on. It’s not perfect, but I get to do both things I love.
Oh, that would be lovely–and they could give us bites of chocolate and sips of wine or tea too! Sounds like you’ve found a good balance!
Having the same struggle. Feel somehow incomplete and stupider for not reading but feel somehow anxious and incomplete without knitting!
I’m sorry you’re struggling with it too. Hopefully we’ll both find a solution soon!
What about listening to audio books? That way your hands are free to knit while you enjoy a book.
I tried audio books and it’s just not the same for me. I don’t absorb it the same way when I’m listening as when I’m reading the words, so I don’t get as invested in the story. Wish it was the same for me!
I have the same problem. I’ve started to listen to audio books while knitting, although it’s not the same as reading. It’s pretty good though. I’d like to sew, too, but knitting has taken over and I never seem to do any sewing. Not even quick mending jobs. I read actual books while I eat. I have a heavy pair of scissors across the book to keep the pages open so that I can hold on to my fork and knife.
Oh boy, don’t even talk about adding in another hobby! I’m glad I’m a pretty one-minded crafter; if I was still into scrapbooking or making jewelry, I’d probably go crazy. Audio books aren’t the same for me either, but maybe better than no book at all! And yes, I’ve totally used heavy things to prop books open while I eat, usually my phone! 😀
I have also started resorting to audio books, but it isn’t the same. What I really want to do is be able to read, knit, and do yoga at the same time!
Whew, you’ve got lofty goals! 😉 Let me know if you ever figure out how to do that!
LOL
Talk about balance, literally.
I had a hard time with reading vs. crafting as well. What I do now is dedicate some time right before bedtime for reading. I can’t say I get as much reading done as I want to, but if I’m consistent I’m able to move through the book at a decent rate.
That’s a good idea. Maybe I should set aside that last hour before bed as reading time. Would probably be good to give my hands a rest from knitting, anyway!
I can relate! My solution is audiobooks — but I think it is cheating…
Definitely not cheating! Blending the best of both worlds, I think!