“Knitting is the saving of life.” ~ Virginia Woolf
I came across this quote in one of the varied knitting “e-newsletters” I get over the course of the week. The quote spoke volumes to me and caused me to look back over my span of “Knitting Days” which now number some two thousand two hundred six days or roughly there about. Back in September of 2004, I picked up some pointy sticks, taught myself to cast on and the rest is history.
I began with what I thought would be a simple scarf and rapidly progressed to knitting socks that adorned the feet of my children. In looking back on those days, knitting did indeed save a life – or lives, as the case may be! You see, when I knit I could keep my mouth shut and it saved my sanity as I lived with house full of hormonal teenagers! It worked just perfectly, I had something in my hands that soothed me, it slowed the quick and unthinking response that would take a debate and escalate it into an argument, and my hands being busy also kept me from tearing my hair out. Overall, it was a win-win situation, I was a much calmer mother, and my children had lovely socks for their feet.
It worked wonders, but I have come to learn small levels of stress, small knitting projects…big levels of stress however require a much larger knitting project.
This might explain how in a short month I have cast on and knit two sweaters to completion and have begun a third one that I am about a third of the way done with it…and no, I have not recently taken a “Speed Knitting” class. I knit the “old fashioned way” one stitch at a time and I do so at a moderate pace!
I hope that the Days of Stress and Tension are fading into the sunset…at least that is my fervent plea, however if I begin casting on blankets, I will be sure to let you know.
Oh, and I posted some “glam” shots (not!! LOL) of one sweater on Flickr, I will try and get photos of the other sweater up soon – if it stops raining this week!
