Not Knitting...

Today marks the 4th day of not knitting.
I find myself desperately searching for something to replace it with.
I bought 2 yards of fabric, then remembered that I have no time to plan, mark or cut the fabric. Not to mention the fact that I don't know how to use a sewing machine. Also, I am always afraid to "waste" fabric.

Then I bought a few little scrapbooking accessories and was really psyched about continuing the scrapbook I started a few weeks after my son was born. Then I realized that all my pictures are on the computer or on Facebook and that sorting through them was a job for someone with extreme patience and a ton of time. I put a bunch of them in a folder on my desktop to send to CVS and then went to the website and found that they "recommend uploading only 40 at a time." That combined with the knowledge that the 150 I put in the folder were nowhere near "all" of the photos I wanted, and that all of these prints will cost money just turned me off to the whole idea.

So then I thought about things "like" knitting. Things related to knitting. I already decided crochet is out because my right hand has been hurting as well and I don't want to exacerbate it, but there are other things I could do. Hand sewing? Embroidery? Tatting? Friendship bracelets? Hemp jewelry? Beading?

So I found an old piece of knitting I worked up years ago. I had just bound off for my son's baby blanket but the episode of Doctor Who wasn't over yet and my hands didn't want to stop. I had just cast on a few stitches and knitted a square, which I folded over and sewed up as a sort of purse. I found it yesterday and decided if I can't knit I can at least sew in a zipper, lining, and embellish it.

The two stripes are me practicing duplicate stitch: the first stripe ran right to left, the second left to right. (I'm better at right to left)
Then I made the very first lazy daisy I have ever made. I realize it is quite imperfect, but it took me more than 6 tries to get it this pretty!! Embroidery is hard!

I practiced chain stitch for the stem, which I think is a very fun little stitch! It took me a few tries to get the hang of it but I'm glad I didn't give up.
Then the leaf was done with satin stitch: I definitely need more practice with that one! And then I outlined the leaf with backstitch.
The lining is a pretty little fabric I bought from JoAnn ages ago. I don't know why I bought it; I know I don't sew.

I sewed it by hand so the stitches are horribly uneven. And on one side the fabric was sewn much closer to the edge, so it sits inside kind of wonky. Also I left some thread hanging out on one side.

Oh and also?
I didn't finish sewing in the zipper.
Basically sewing is my enemy and I poked my thumb so many times I cursed in front of my 2 year old and bled all over my bedsheets and decided to put the whole thing aside. I told myself "This way when I want to knit tomorrow I can work on it again," But you know what?
It's not knitting. At all.
The embroidery bit was OK because at least it's yarn, and the darning needle can't make you bleed, but yeah. Basically sewing is still my enemy... I wish it weren't so. I would love to have a fall-back hobby, just to switch off so I don't get carpal tunnel or something, but sewing by hand definitely isn't it!
Jewelry is out, because I don't want to have beads around my small child. Also, I know from experience that I am not a creative beader. Also I have no beads.
...
It occurred to me, as I wandered around the kitchen looking for something to eat even though I wasn't hungry because normally at this time I would be knitting, that I am a one-trick pony. And that's all there is to it.