I am taking a class this semester called Environment and Society. It’s a lower level science class intended for non-science majors about environmental science with a bit of other basic science thrown in. It’s not my favorite class by any means, but it’s occasionally fun. The thing that really bugs me about this class is all the outside work we have to do. We have online homework, journal article reviews, a weekly lab, online discussion groups, and a 15 day nature journal project. This is all in addition to going to the lecture and taking the exams. It bugs me. Therefore, I have decided to have some fun with this class so I don’t lose my mind from all this homework.
The 15 day nature observation journal is the biggest project in this class, so that’s what I’m going to play with. My professor told us today that we should be creative with this project. She mentioned that people make power points or write poetry or devotionals or postcards to kids. I thought about the postcard idea. Then I changed my mind and decided to make my nature project a knitting project. I am going to take 15 days outside to knit a pair of socks and write a journal recording my experience knitting outside.
I have it all planned out. I have sport weight sock yarn and size 3 needles to use. I will knit the cuff of my first sock today, then take two days to knit the leg, one day for the heel, two more for the foot, and then one day for the toe. Then I’ll repeat the process for another seven days and take the last day of that project to photograph the finished product. At the end of the fifteen days I’ll have made a pair of socks, taken a photo every day to record the process, and spent time out in nature (which is the whole point of the assignment).
I don’t know how my professor is going to feel about this. I don’t know how it’s going to work out. I’m going to post this, gather my materials, and head over to the lawn at Goodman Hall to get started. I’ll post the pictures here and on Facebook. Wish me luck!
