I forgot something. I know, real shocker, right? But this one surprised me. Maybe I have a little bit too much on my mind.
For example, I've got a lot of knitting going on. I'm generally a fairly monogamous knitter. I prefer to work up one project at a time. That's not to say that I don't have a precariously-built pyramid of yarn balls stacked on my desk that are in the queue, but on the needles? One. Maybe two if one doesn't travel well. That's it. I'm faithful.
So please someone explain to me how I have 4 projects going right now? 4. As in 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. I've got a lace shawl that I've done up maybe 5 inches on. I've frogged it back twice and I'm about to do it again and go for Cast On #4, meanwhile switching from 10" straights to 24" circulars. Multiply that by two sizes of needles, actually: 7s and 10s.
Then I've got a beaded knitting project going (40 beads, 27 yards, on 2 size 1s), and a pair of socks (400 yards, size 1s). Plus, god help me, I just cast on for a hat (220 yards of this, 100 of that, plus size 7 straights, size 8 straights, and 2 size 7 DPNs).
And all of these projects have a stitch pattern to remember. Some are pretty straight forward ribbing. Knit 3, purl 1, repeat. Anyone can remember that. But that beading one is a 14 row long repeating pattern of 25 stitches, every row of which is different. And don't even get me started on the lace project. Yikes. Knit 1, yarn over, knit 4, slip 1, knit 2 together passing over slipped stitch, knit another 4, yarn over....
Then let's toss the knitting out the door and talk about cubes. I like a good Rubik's cube. I can do the standard 3x3 in my sleep by now (my record is 1:44), and we got this one for Christmas. That's all kinds of fun (2:44). And if you've been following me on Twitter, you'll know that I'm currently battling the 4x4. Solving a cube isn't a work of master genius. It's a question of memorizing the right algorithms and knowing when to apply them. It takes maybe 7 or 8 algorithms to solve a standard 3x3 and maybe another 5 to solve a 4x4 depending on whether the parity gods are smiling upon you. Some of them are long. Turn this plane clockwise, that plane counter clockwise twice, and that one over there clockwise again, etc., etc. The particular bane of my existence right now is 22 moves long. It's doable. It really is. It's just a lot to remember.
So this morning I set down the 4x4 and shoved my knitting in my back pocket so I could go next door and feed the neighbor's cats. Standing in front of the alarm panel with the siren blaring in my ears, the cats running for cover, and the alarm system people on phone asking for additional pass codes and phone numbers, why is it that I couldn't remember that tiny, silly, little alarm code that I've known for years? Really? The guy on the phone is starting to be less friendly and talk about police. The cats are never going to speak to me again. I'm looking at the blinking, blaring panel of numbers and getting nothing helpful coming to mind. Stitch patterns, sure. But alarm codes?
"Excuse me, sir. Would it go any way towards convincing you I'm not a thief if I told you how to solve a Rubik's Cube?"