I have turned a new corner in my knitting. I say new corner because I'm not a new knitter anymore, I've knitted the heck out of anything that would sit still long enough to let me for a while now (thus able to read and produce most patterns), and what I'm doing is nothing like what I've usually done. Hubby calls it "burn out," I call it "re-prioritizing."
Everyone knows of the "Knitted Christmas" that just passed in which, thankfully, everyone appreciated what they got. Everyone knows how that carried into January and February, trying to catch up on other gifts I said I would do or just thought they were a good idea. Then there was the frogging of the sweater and baby blanket that not only liberated knitting needles and supplies, but my personal sense of accomplishment. In the past month I have been knitting on one pair of socks (that's it. No new sweater, no nothing (um, anything), and I wasn't getting any inspiration and enjoying it) and I was getting sick of it. Not just sick of the project, but sick of knitting. I was (finally) looking at the stack of books at my side of the bed thinking "those look interesting." I was gazing outside thinking "Playground. That sounds like fun." Those things have never happened. So here it is. I am actually playing outside with the kids again. I still carry a sock or knitting project to car pool and various appoinments but not to the playground. Gosh-durnit the kids are only little once and they love that Mommy goes down the slide and plays chase. I haven't quite caught up to the reading but I'm working on that. The regular schedule still isn't allowing sit-down time longer than 5-10 minutes but it should soon. Hopefully the stressors then continue to be eliminated and we aren't running everywhere hauling everyone at all times.
But I digress. To sum it all up, I discovered that I'm addicted to stress and I'm going to cut that out. I know it won't be easy, especially since I do get a sadistic thrill of piling on the projects and responsibilities, but I've decided I've had enough. I'm saying no to anything new and only sticking to the few things left that I can't get out of. Anything new isn't limited to knitting, it involves lots of parts of my life and the great thing is everyone understands, even if they are a little curious to what all really is going on. I just say it's nothing that no one hasn't been through before, no one's hurt, nothing serious, just lots of little things piled on at once and I've hit my breaking point. I don't like going into all of it because compared to most everyone else's problems, mine sound like a whiny little pig. And I'm also trying to cut out the complaining. :)
In all this, I also discovered that everything I knit I give away. I like only a few knitted things. Everyone else seems to enjoy my knitted stuff more than I do at times so, yes, I will finish my special, for-me-every-day-wear dark blue cardigan one day but the pattern hasn't shown up yet so I will wait until that prince comes. I really do love knitting and I'm reclaiming it for myself by choosing NOT to do it all times just because I felt like I should be busy at something.
I also had a laugh but a thought while reading the last of the Georgia Nicholson books. She was talking about one of the teachers she has who's single and a little out-of-touch with the "modern" life. This teacher had been the one supervising after-school detention and walked with Georgia out to the gate of the school and Georgia was not just appalled to be seen talking to a teacher, but that this teacher was wearing a knitted hat with (of all horrors) BOBBLES!!! She didn't want to be associated with "knitted people" ever! I had a good giggle, thinking of all the knitted things I have, have knitted, and people adore but then paused when I realized I hadn't worn much of anything knitted in a while. I have 2 wraps I wear on Sundays, sometimes as big scarves, and a short-sleeved cardigan I wear once in a while but the hats, the scarves, etc. only came out in the real cold we had this season because it was so darn freezing. Otherwise, Hubby and the kids wore theirs all the time but me not so much. Am I really a knitted person or do I just like making things?
Makes you think, especially with the kind of money it's easy to drop on certain hobbies. Georgia Nicholson is by no means an authority on anything (but very entertaining series to read) but here she unintentionally exposed a personal possibility. I'll keep contemplating but there's one thing I know no matter what, I love you knitted people.
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