~yarnalong: Some weeks can just seem dark and long for no reason whatsoever, and somehow I found myself starting off with one of those weeks. There wasn't anything particularly wrong, or out of the ordinary, there weren't any big changes happening, or life shattering decisions that need to be made right now (we are evaluating and staying open to changes, new opportunities and adventures, but none of that because it HAS to happen stress, worry, or general ickiness). I think that it's just been a mixture of the weather (it's HOT, it's stormy, the air quality is bad, and the dust storms have everyone suffering), becoming settled with school (it's a different routine, rhythm and even though it can be good and fun, it has it's own set of stresses and work load), and just in general having days filled with to do's. I think it finally all caught up to me and I just need a bit of breathing space for a day or two (or, as I decided on Monday, to just stop, go exercise, take control of something I could change and see if my mindset shifted, that worked!) I had a few projects where my gauge decided to go wonky, after all my swatching was done, my grading was complete, and in some instances, I had even started working on the project (maybe the fact that my gauge has become significantly tighter should have clued me into my subconscious stress......) so, I decided it was best to set some things aside, take some breathing space and pick up yarn that just made my heart leap for joy- and boy am I glad I did! I was overjoyed that Ginny still had this colorway available in her shop when I finally remembered that it was her stocking day a few weeks ago! And this skein has not disappointed. The fact that she packaged it so sweetly, and included seeds a la Miss miss Rumphius (which we have been reading during school the past few weeks and is just one of my favorite stories). I felt encouraged to make something beautiful to share, and that's just what I am planning on doing! I cast on this new design last night and every stitch is warming my heart and bringing me joy. I also started a new book, The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood last night and it is such a delight. As I am reading the character's stories as to how knitting stitched healing into their lives, I'm becoming more aware of the gifts that knitting has brought to me and even more filled to the brim to share that with you all.
Whatever you are going through today, or this week, no matter what, I encourage to take a moment to find the beauty somewhere. If your knitting isn't bringing you joy, set it aside for a moment, and find something that does bring you joy. Maybe you feel pulled to trying something completely out of your comfort zone (I just pulled out some embroidery, a tiny weaving loom and a bit of sewing to have projects handy to give me a new creative outlet), or maybe it is just the yarn color in the project that you keep slogging through to finish, take a moment to find colors that might your heart sing, and play with them for a bit. Let yourselves feel the stitches and sit in the moment, even for just a moment! It will be ok, I promise! And those other projects? I just picked up one of the yarns to re-swatch and already I feel so much better about it. I can't wait to make some adjustments and try some new things that I just thought of and I'm glad I took some time to make it even better. I hope you'll agree, even if it doesn't happen quite as quickly as I had hoped!
Happy Knitting!
~Jessica