I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the restorative power of knitting (or playing music, walking in the countryside, baking bread, etc). Knitters often class themselves as either process versus product knitters, in which the former is all about the act of knitting itself as a creative/relaxing/meditative pursuit, and the latter is all about making (and completing) knitted garments and accessories to wear and gift and enjoy. We all recognize that it is not a dichotomy, but rather a continuum that we move along, sometimes tilting more to one side, and sometimes to the other. Lately, as I have been recovering from illness, I find that I have moved back towards the process side of the continuum, as I need the knitting to relax and re-center myself. Also, I am finding it hard to spend my spare time concentrating on reading patterns, getting measurements right, doing the math, etc; my focus only goes so far these days, and I need it for my day job!
However it happens and whatever the outcome, I think the important thing is to to acknowledge the importance of doing. That might be why today’s column of First Dog on the Moon in the Guardian really resonated with me. The cartoon is called “Everyone is anxious, exhausted, in a flap. How can we help ourselves to get by?” As always with First Dog on the Moon, it manages to be both charming and snarky, while making an important point. Here is the panel which fellow knitters may relate to:
Yes, it is the doing that matters. Take a deep breath.
Happy Friday, all!
Thanks for this reminder, crazy how easy it is to forget to take a breath.
Shortly after posting this, I realised that I had done something wrong and the formatting was off on the blog. I updated a half dozen times while trying to fix it, getting more and more annoyed and flustered. Then, my eye caught on the last sentence “Take a deep breath”. Indeed.
Excellent point! Thank you for sharing 🙂 It is too easy to get caught up worrying about perfection and so on. Sometimes you just need to do stuff and sort out the details later, if needed.
Your post made me think about a podcast I really enjoy called Why I Knit, done by a psychologist who interviews people and talks about how knitting impacts their emotional health. It’s helped me to notice more about what kind of knitting I go to when, and is also fun to hear about different people’s life stories. All my best as you continue your covid recovery!