I have wanted to learn how to knit for years. The beauty of colorful, soft, hand-knitted scarves, mittens, socks, and such have held my affection for as long as I can remember. Once I became a cloth diapering mama and was introduced to the splendor of woolies and longies, that was it… I had to learn to knit!

But you know how life can be…busy, right? So you end up putting things such as “learn to knit” on the “to-do-someday” list. There’s always a reason why NOW isn’t the right time for things in life. Too much responsibility, limited resources, lack of time, and of course the grand prize excuse “not enough money”. However if we save up our heart’s desires for someday, then what are we doing with our lives in the meantime?

After about three years of saying ‘gee I wish I knew how to knit”, I decided to become more intentional about my desire to learn. I asked around trying to find someone who knew how to knit. I checked for classes at my local craft store.  I stalked an old lady knitting group at a local coffee shop. I checked out books from the library. I watched youtube videos. None of these resulted in knowing how to knit…instead I got a nice coffee buzz and an overdue library book fine.

Sometimes, perhaps most of the time, this is why items on our “to-do someday” list never get crossed off; it’s difficult to know where or how to start. Whether it’s to lose weight, start a new career, learn a new skill, develop a new hobby….whatever it may be, those first few baby steps are often the hardest. However I do believe there is value in making our desires known. Simply putting them out there into the great, vast universe is a powerful first step. So I said ‘hey world, listen up! I really want to gift a hand knitted item to a loved one this Christmas” Or actually maybe I just mentioned it to my mom? But either way I said it out loud in hopes someone was listening.

I guess someone was beacuse a few short days later while browsing facebook a friend of mine (that lives less than a mile away and I see on a frequent basis) posted a picture of an adorable little animal she knitted as a baby gift for a friend of ours. Wait, what?!? How is it possible I did not know this friend is a knitter? Of course I immediately contacted her and asked her to teach me her jedi knitting skills. Thankfully she is a patient teacher, because I am a s-l-o-w learner.

Now I know I have a LONG way to go before I can legitimately call myself a knitter. And I’m well aware that accomplished knitters are laughing at the above picture showcasing my crooked, unevenly knit-stitched rows that are full of mistakes. That’s okay. I’m laughing with you! 🙂 Although truth be told I am pretty happy about my amateur knitting project. Because no longer do I want to learn to knit…I AM learning to knit! And lovin’ it! I actually get giddy inside when I pull out my needles and ball of yarn to knit.

What is on your “to-do someday” list? What’s holding you back from making TODAY your someday? Or do you have an inspirational tale to share of crossing an item off of your “to-do-someday” list? I would love to hear your thoughts/experiences! 🙂

-Sarah