Surrender to Pop Culture

Like a child who can't sleep on Christmas Eve from anxious excitement and wonder, I must confess I have become deeply engaged in something that I would have never seen coming. I feel like such a child saying it aloud, much less typing - but I am undeniably hooked on the Twilight series.


It all began last Friday, January 9th. I had to make a quick trip to Target near my office. I do have quite the knack for noticing their conspicuous, red-trimmed sales signs in my periphery. On this occasion, the one that caught my eye was announcing a price break on Stephenie Meyers' ridiculously popular series of novels. While I don't live under a rock and usually consider myself to at least be aware of current trends, I hadn't quite understood all this fuss over a few books and a movie about a forbidden teenage human/vampire love affair. Yes, I have seen the previews for the movie, and I knew books were out there that were probably a lot better than any movie based on them would ever be! But, I was certain that I was too old to ride that train. As a 25 year-old mother of three children, I couldn't possibly be interested in sapppy teenage love anymore, right?

Hmmm.....

So, I began reading Twilight on Friday evening. I was finished before the same evening hour on the next day! I realized a few moments after closing the book that I was impulsively planning a trip to town to purchase the second installment of the series. Yes, I was hooked! I was truly surprised by the feeling of immediately needing to know what happened next. I surrender!


Anyway, I'm not going to become an obsessive forum-message-poster. And I'm not certain that I'll even see the movie, though I was compelled to check a theater sign and I noticed it is still showing...


Naturally, this newfound theif of my spare time has lead me to intertwine it with another, older (perhaps jealous) theif. When I'm not reading, I'm working on these:

They are Bella's Mittens (ravelry link). An awesome knitter designed these after seeing the movie. Aside from their connection to Twilight, I think these are so cute and I'd probably want to knit them even if I wasn't eduring this current preoccupation with the trend. Besides, it is definitely nice to try something more different - I've never knit mittens before. I thought they would be challenging, but the pattern is so well-written, I'm coasting right through. Another bonus: the pattern is free!

I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease, double stranded on US 8 bamboo dpns. The pattern calls for the magic loop technique, but I didn't want to bother learning it in my haste to start them! I must add that working with bamboo dpns is so much easier than their metal counterparts.

Here they are, further along:

If I weren't so busy reading, I'd probably be done now! By the way, I'm already on Eclipse. I literally went to three stores today so I could start it. I'm pathetic! At least I'm not letting my knitting needles suffer too much senseless jealousy!