Wow. What a week!! I have to admit that I am very, very tired. I'm in the middle of obtaining TESOL/ ELL certification to add to my teaching license and I just had to go and opt for the intensive course (lol). Three more weeks to go. Needless to say, the knitting time has been severely cut into by required reading, unit planning and classroom observations. I'm looking forward to being done. That said, I would do it again. The course is fantastically run by Seattle TESL School in association with Seattle Pacific University. Not only will I add an endorsement to my teaching license, but I will cross that credit accrual line that will bump me up a teacher pay grade (which isn't saying much, but even a little bit is nice). But enough about teachery stuff! That isn't what this blog is about!! Nope. So let's check out some knitting and other fibery goodness.
Check this out. It's a queen sized, handspun, hand dyed, handwoven bed cover. It's also 100 years old. Can you believe it?? Absolutely gorgeous. Natural dyes, too. Made in Norway. Last weekend (my last weekend of freedom before I started my class) I participated in a spinning demo with my friends Tammy and Sam at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Everett. Lovely people. Lovely weekend. I found so many things that reminded me of my childhood in the artifacts people brought in for display. This item didn't remind me of anything in particular from MY childhood, but oh my goodness! What a testament to craftsmanship. Such a simple item really, in that it's purpose was to supply warmth (it was VERY thick and heavy), yet it was obvious that there was a great deal of attention to detail and care in its making. It got me thinking. . . Will anything I make last like this? I feel so motivated now to make SURE that the items I produce are well done. I did before too, but now. . . wow. I wish you could have seen it for yourselves. I know that I'll be paying much closer attention to what's actually happening on my needles and during finishing.
So what IS on my needles right now? Well. . . a vanilla sock, of course, and a sock scrap blanket. You could probably see it better if Cider wasn't sitting on it. She's so cute, it's hard to argue with her when she wants to cuddle. I hadn't knit socks for a long time, but when I discovered (recently) exactly how much sock yarn I have stashed, the time seemed right to whip up a few pairs. Now, I need more sock yarn scraps for the blanket, too. Hmmmm. . .this seems a bit cyclic. . . .
I've also got a Geology Shawl by Very Busy Monkey on the needles. This was started as part of a knit along with some local friends. I'm hoping to catch up on it over the Thanksgiving weekend. Lovely pattern although the formatting felt a bit awkward to navigate at first. I think it could have been formatted differently maybe, but overall, it's a very well done pattern. That's it for right now. Just enough to have choices but not enough to feel overwhelmed with unfinished projects. When I do finally get the chance to sit down and catch up, I will deeply enjoy it. And this brings me to the (somewhat painful) question of the day. . . .
What's up with all the people talking about Selfish Knitting Month?
What's up with all the people talking about Selfish Knitting Month?
I couldn't believe it when I first heard this phrase. Really? Why? Do we feel so guilty about taking time to do things we enjoy now that we have to call ourselves selfish when we do finally take time? Seriously, I'm a bit flabbergasted by the whole concept.
To be fair, I understand the idea behind selfish knitting month. The idea is to take the month of January and make your knitting about you after spending all that time knitting for others during the holiday season. Okay. I get it. But I don't see that as selfish. While it may just be a semantics game in the long run, I can't help but wonder if We Who Knit for Other People (yes, this includes me) aren't suffering from just a bit of martyrdom complex?
I would really like to see this term go away, and here is why: it may seem harmless and funny, but I do think it feeds into the current American cultural mindset that anything we do for ourselves makes us unworthy, or self centered. Yet when others don't seem to appreciate the things that have been made for them, the effort put into creating a handmade gift all of a sudden seems so wasted that the knitter gets his/ her feelings hurt. It does not have to be this way Knit Country Friends! There are a few things I think we should all keep in mind:
1) A gift is just that. A gift. Once you give it, let it go. You blessed the recipient with the time you spent thinking about them during the creating of the object. You blessed yourself by spending time in a creative activity. Research shows that helps protect the brain from degenerating during old age. The knitted thing is just that. . . a thing. So let it go. Knitted objects have absolutely nothing to do with how much someone loves and appreciates you.
2) If you are knitting for others because you feel obligated to.. .stop it. You aren't. Everyone will survive if you stop knitting for them. The stress isn't worth it. Artificial obligations and deadlines kill joy. Keep the joy. Ditch the fake obligation.
3) Engaging in something you enjoy is not selfish. It's rejuvenating. When you take care of yourself, you can take care of others better. It isn't selfish. It's self care. Now, if your hobby is causing you to pay bills late or go without clean laundry, that's a different story. But that's also a different problem.
I have absolutely no guilt when I knit for myself. I also have no guilt for having a stash of supplies or for claiming space in the house for those supplies and my creative work. For what I like to do, it's reasonable. I hope you will embrace the joy of knitting for yourself whenever you damn well want to, and not feel guilty or selfish anymore!!
To be fair, I understand the idea behind selfish knitting month. The idea is to take the month of January and make your knitting about you after spending all that time knitting for others during the holiday season. Okay. I get it. But I don't see that as selfish. While it may just be a semantics game in the long run, I can't help but wonder if We Who Knit for Other People (yes, this includes me) aren't suffering from just a bit of martyrdom complex?
I would really like to see this term go away, and here is why: it may seem harmless and funny, but I do think it feeds into the current American cultural mindset that anything we do for ourselves makes us unworthy, or self centered. Yet when others don't seem to appreciate the things that have been made for them, the effort put into creating a handmade gift all of a sudden seems so wasted that the knitter gets his/ her feelings hurt. It does not have to be this way Knit Country Friends! There are a few things I think we should all keep in mind:
1) A gift is just that. A gift. Once you give it, let it go. You blessed the recipient with the time you spent thinking about them during the creating of the object. You blessed yourself by spending time in a creative activity. Research shows that helps protect the brain from degenerating during old age. The knitted thing is just that. . . a thing. So let it go. Knitted objects have absolutely nothing to do with how much someone loves and appreciates you.
2) If you are knitting for others because you feel obligated to.. .stop it. You aren't. Everyone will survive if you stop knitting for them. The stress isn't worth it. Artificial obligations and deadlines kill joy. Keep the joy. Ditch the fake obligation.
3) Engaging in something you enjoy is not selfish. It's rejuvenating. When you take care of yourself, you can take care of others better. It isn't selfish. It's self care. Now, if your hobby is causing you to pay bills late or go without clean laundry, that's a different story. But that's also a different problem.
I have absolutely no guilt when I knit for myself. I also have no guilt for having a stash of supplies or for claiming space in the house for those supplies and my creative work. For what I like to do, it's reasonable. I hope you will embrace the joy of knitting for yourself whenever you damn well want to, and not feel guilty or selfish anymore!!
Having said that, it is time for me to crawl off my soap box and head off to my workroom for a little rejuviknitting before bed.
May you all have a happy holiday weekend!
Respectfully submitted,
Kimberly
P.S. - I would LOVE to see pictures of other people's work spaces/ storage. My space used to be a box. It feels so luxurious to have an actual room now. I'm looking for decorating/ storage efficiency ideas.
May you all have a happy holiday weekend!
Respectfully submitted,
Kimberly
P.S. - I would LOVE to see pictures of other people's work spaces/ storage. My space used to be a box. It feels so luxurious to have an actual room now. I'm looking for decorating/ storage efficiency ideas.
RSS Feed