Tranquility
Reading through my Bloglines today, I came across one post by Jessica and one by Gabriella about how knitting is calming and therapeutic. How it gets you through the hard times, and quiets frazzled nerves. It made me think about why I knit (sometimes a bit obsessively) and what I my knitting gives back to me (besides a nice FO!)
My knitting time is pretty limited to a couple of hours each night while watching TV, or maybe a bit during the day on a lunch break if I can tear away from work. More often than not, my lunch is eaten at my desk! Weekends I squeeze in a bit more time with the sticks and string, but not as much as I'd sometimes like. Things like cleaning the house and laundry get in the way!
After a day at work in front of the computer, then working at the kennel, my mind is pretty full and tired. Knitting for me is an escape - a way to make my mind settle down and get back to a normal pace. I remember a time a long while back, way before knitting, where my mind would just race. I couldn't fall asleep very easily as I just kept thinking and couldn't stop. Now, for at least a little while before bed, I relax my mind and let the stresses and worries of the day fade to the back. Sometimes the intensity of following a pattern or chart is just what I need. Other times, mindless stockinette or garter stitch fits the bill. Either way, knitting can indeed calm a restless mind. That is what my knitting gives back to me.
(picture at the top of the post is of our summer 2005 trip to the Outer Banks. It is supposed to be in the mid 60's here today, (I'm excited, but it's also supposed to snow on Friday - gotta love New England!) and there is nothing like a dose of warm weather to get me thinking about the warm and sunny days of summer. We head back to the Outer Banks in August.)
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