Tag: happiness

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Knitting Myths

There are a great many knitting myths. The chief one is that we are patient.

It is something we are told all the time. Someone will see us knitting and say, I don’t have patience for it. There is no such animal as knitter patienceous. We are not patient. We demonstrate this in many ways. But we cover it in smiles and nods. But knitters can read other knitters.

If you really want to see the edge of patience, find a knitter who is close to finishing a project. It is a thing. We will start a project with great enthusiasm. We select the yarn, the needles, settle in our comfy chair and cast on with great joy. We watch as our creation comes into being. We compare it to the photo or our chart/instructions and smile when we see it happening the way it’s supposed to.

But then…There comes that point when there’s nothing left but the end. Nothing new to learn. No surprises. We are going to get what we are going after. Even the knit math works out.

We then begin.to look at our beloved project like that third cousin who has stayed one day too long. We long for another. We want the anticipation. We are cranky. Not nearly as cranky as when you interrupt our count, but cranky enough.

But as soon as we are finished, we call in love with our creation. Because we put in a lot of work. Because it is beautiful.

Because we can start.all over again. We live for new beginnings.

 

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Doesn’t Feel Like It

 I have one of those jobs that can be done – for the most part – in front of the television or while listening to music. Or outdoors, you get the idea. I am not chained to a desk. Though I am at a desk at this very moment. You don’t need a degree to do my job. Though there are Masters Degrees in knitting available if you look. I’m gonna make you look for yourself. I find some of them funny. People tend not to take your knitting career choice seriously until you show them how much of a living one can make. It doesn’t take much to impress because folks think of this as a hobby thing not a job thing.

It doesn’t feel like it to them and sometimes to me. But then I find something like you see here. I was looking for inspiration on what to write about when I saw a file on my laptop called Projects and Yarn. I do not remember making this file and when I opened it, there were several pics of this. I do remember doing this and I’ve done it since.

This is where I admit to having to look up the name of the stitch because I can’t ever remember it. For the record, it’s the Bavarian Stitch. I believe I continued with this and made a blanket that was given away at the family get together.

This was not an easy stitch for me to learn. For me, crochet stitches are harder for me to learn. Knitting is a natural love for me. I didn’t love crochet at first. Didn’t respect it at all. I have slowly come to enjoy it almost as much as knitting. Knitting will remain my love, If I had to choose, I would knit over crochet but there are times when I quite look forward to putting down the needles and picking up the hook.

What this photo reminds me is that there is work in this unusual career I have chosen for myself. I took it from just a hobby on purpose and circumstances have led me to think about it in a clinical manner because I don’t want to have a hobby business. I want a sustaining business. Should something happen to our finances, I want to be able to have a base to start over with.

To some who see me knit in public, it doesn’t feel like it, but I take it seriously – while I maintain the spiritual side that is provides me and the fun and community that comes with sharing it with folks who also knit or crochet and those who just admire our doing it.

This isn’t hard work, at least not the visible part of the business career, but I work hard at it.

 

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And Just Like That

Photo by Godisable Jacob from Pexels

And Just Like That

And Just Like That…I may have a new hobby. But it’s not a hobby; it’s a project. My new project is happiness. And I know I got it right because of how happy I felt when I thought of it. I smiled – out loud. I must be on to something.

I know I said before my body was my happiness project and that still stands. I want to improve my body as it ages and it performs way older than my spirit feels. The solution was to either age my spirit or change my body. And why would I age my spirit.

So, now I eat better (OK, I eat less) and I am putting exercise back in. It is a slow build up because I used to be an athlete. The key is not to get bogged down in the failures because that breeds pretty quickly. The other key is to constantly remember the first key.

What got me smiling out loud? The first hour of my morning has been spent on writing yarn reviews for Knitsville and placing a new pattern in my Ravelry store. This morning I realized I was finished with my yarn reviews. I don’t think I am using any new yarns with the new collection and putting up the new pattern was pretty quick. So, I had free time with that first hour. 

And I didn’t know what to do with it.

I thought of filling it with a church related activity. I am the Communication Coordinator for my church and there is much to do. But that brought me a little low more than lifted me up. My mind ran thorough a couple of other things before deciding I wanted happiness. I wanted to do something that wasn’t so work related and church and my career are work. I wanted to breathe.

And now, I have to go. I have an appointment in a half hour to get my hair cut. And I will be so happy when that’s done. But I’m not dressed. I’m gonna go have some happy moments.