Friday, May 15, 2009

Time On My Mind

Stephanie wrote:

Lately my thoughts have been occupied with the concept of time - there's never enough, how to get more, how to manage it more efficiently.  Between the house, my family, the odd jobs I piece together and Dye Dreams some days all I do is chase my tail.  I stay up late to work only to turn around and get up early the next morning to do more of the same.

Not too long ago Martie from Taos Sunflower wrote about time.  Her advice is to use your time wisely. Simply your life and take time for the things most important to you.  Things like gardening, spending time with a friend, reading.  And yes, knitting, spinning, weaving or any of the fiber arts that interest you.

My frustration is that my time is not my own.  I wake up and have a plan for the day only to have it shattered into a million pieces.  Kids' schedules change at a moment's notice.  We have to make a trip to the emergency room. There isn't any food in the house, everyone is starving and I have to spend half the day going to the grocery store and stocking up.  Someone has a yarn emergency and I have to dash to the post office.

The only way to keep my sanity in the midst of all of this is to go with the flow.  Often it requires a lot of deep breathing.  I remind myself that time is fluid, and our schedule is not set in stone.

What does this have to do with knitting?  In thinking about time I realized that knitting gives me time to myself.  Of course it has many other benefits, but some days the most important thing I gain from knitting is time that I can call my own.  It may not last for more than a few rows, but it's enough to give me a break from the chaos around me.  Knitting a few rows can keep me centered and sane.

Think about it and use your time wisely.

News from the shop . . . our most popular pattern these days is the Portuguese Fisherwoman's Shawl.  Designed by Shelagh Smith the shawl is very clever and practical.  It knits up nicely in Dye Dreams Celestial.  Shelagh is the designer for the summer installment of our Four Seasons Sock Club so you'll be seeing more of her work in the coming months.

Because I had to rip out much of the progress I made on my vest - I can't seem to count past 10 these days - I leave you with this picture.



Lily of the valley, courtesy of my neighbor's yard.  How sweet it is!

2 comments:

Taos Sunflower said...

I remember those years with schedules that were beyond my control. You are so right about just going with the flow and trying to stay in the moment. I wish I had (cumulative) all the time I've spent in this lifetime worrying about things that were out of my control or hadn't (and often didn't) happened yet. Just keep knitting, even if it's just a row here and there...it's sort of like having prayer beads in your hands.

Stephanie said...

Knitting as prayer beads . . . thanks for the wonderful analogy.