In Which I Demonstrate the Awesome Force of My Will

This afternoon, I stopped at one of those big box craft stores and bought a knitting mag for the flight tomorrow. The new Interweave Knits, in fact. One of my favorite magazines.

On any other day, I would have flipped through the magazine while waiting in the checkout line. A sneak peek at the designs, a taste of things to come. A little foreplay, you might say.

But not today. Because this is meant to be for the airplane tomorrow. Today, I just ogled the wild tank on the front cover and the ad for Stitches Midwest on the back, and almost quivered out of my skin with the effort it took not to crack the cover.

It's been Seven!! Whole!! Entire!! Hours!! since I became the owner of this issue. I left it in the plastic bag on my car's front seat -- usually I would decline the bag because it's not environmentally sound, plus it's awfully hard to read charts through the white plastic. And even harder to turn the pages.

But today, that bag helped me resist the temptation to sneak glances at the article headlines while stalled by traffic.

When I finally made it home from work, I carried that magazine into the house and set it on the bed next to my open suitcase. I took it out of the plastic. I brushed my fingers along the glossy photo on the cover. I wondered, not for the first time, what kind of yarn they used for that tank.

And I didn't open the magazine.

I finished packing. My suitcase closed on the first try, which is a sure sign I've forgotten half of what I need. I unpacked, checked everything again, and repacked, this time with my shoes. Every now and then I glanced at the magazine and tried to decide what we might call that precise shade of green in the vertical stripe on that tank top.

And I didn't even touch the magazine.

I packed my carryon, a roomy purse-tote thingie. It's just big enough for that magazine,

which I still haven't read,

and a few essentials like a granola bar, gum, notebook, yarn and needles. The Cascade 220 is flying in the cabin with me. So are the Country Garden socks. I know I don't need to take both projects on board with me, but I will, and by the time I get into my seat, I will most likely forget they exist.

Because that is when I will finally get to read the magazine.