Posted under meanderings
There hasn’t been much progress on any of my projects this week so far. Sure, I’m about done with Chart 8 on the Hidcote Garden Shawl. I’m almost to the heel of the second Pomatomus sock and all I have to do for the We Call Them Pirates hat is sew the lining to the body of that hat.
But none of this is really any type of progress that I’d like to show off and take pretty picures of. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t feeling some pressure. I mean this is a knit blog and I’ve been spitting out some finished objects at a pretty rapid pace for awhile now.
“Produce! Produce! Produce!”, cried this voice inside my head.
“Whoa there. Slow down,” said another voice inside my busy head.
Slow down. Now those are words that I’m pretty sure I’ve read that on some kind of motivational poster somewhere with a cute little puppy on it or something. Yet, they’re pretty much on target. Sometimes you have got to listen to those silly voices! Maybe a little soul searching is in order.
So I’m not knitting like a fiend these days. Who says I have to? (Well, besides one of the annoying voice in my head.) What do I really need right now? What is really satisfying me right now?
The answer to that is simple. It’s the process of knitting. Right now all I really want to do is knit and not think of the finished product. Yes, the Hidocte will be lovely when it’s completed. So the Pomatomus socks will be great on the feet when they’re done. In the here and now, it’s each stitch that is making me really happy.
When I work on the shawl, the feel of the Zephyr is divine. The lace is challenging and relaxing all at the very same time. That in itself is wondrous. Another wonder is the way the stitches align themselves like pieces of a puzzle and turn themselves into a beautiful design.
When I work on the sock, I find that I love the way the metal needles glide together. I love the way the wool is a little sticky and springy at the same time. I love that I know the stitch pattern backwards and forwards. I love the colours of the yarn and how it makes the gorgeous geometric pattern just pop out.
So right now is the time for me to just sit back and enjoy the process and not let the lack of progress bother me too much. In fact, I’m enjoying the process so much that I’m resenting any little chore that takes me away from it. My spinning has taken a backseat to the knitting. The sewing of the lining has been put off time and time again. The winding of the skeins into usable balls has even been relegated to the rear of things to do.
As for the housework? Bah. Who needs a clean house when you have knitting to focus the spotlight on?
