Looking inwards

I guess it's interesting, but probably not all that surprising, that so many of us are feeling the same way in this political, global, humanitarian point in time. After my Mum proof read my blog the other day we discussed what I would do if people left aggressive or negative comments. Would I delete them, respond to them or just leave them there as part of the conversation but try not take them to heart.

I often worry about responses to my more personal posts, but thankfully this time I needn't have. Thankfully there was not one single #firstworldproblem type comment, nothing angry or bitter and nothing that I had to worry about letting into my heart. If anything it made me feel better knowing that I wasn't all alone.

So with the knowledge that we are so many of us feeling a bit off balance at the moment, I thought I might share a technique that my Chinese doctor taught me, a way to find my centre and move forward.

This practise works well when you do it several times throughout the day. For me it works to attach it to something I do regularly but not too often, I do it when I check my Fitbit.

Every time I check how many steps I've walked so far, maybe six or seven times a day, I stop where I am, close my eyes if I can, focus inwards, take a few big deep breaths, scan my body and state of mind and then I ask myself;

How am I feeling?

I give myself a quick, one word answer. Nothing complicated, just a word that describes the way I'm feeling in my body or in my state of mind. Words like peaceful, anxious, inspired, stuck, restless, sensitive, motivated, stretched, strong, teary, chaotic, concerned, powerless, loved and lucky are some of those that have come up for me over the past few months.

And then straight away I asks myself;

What do I need?

Again just a quick one or two word answer is all that I am looking inwards for. Quiet, direction, light, exercise, peace, colour, time, patience, order, acceptance, space, a house in the tropics, strength, resilience and kindness come up for me often.

I have no answers to the hardest questions, but this little practice helps give me clarity and direction. A few extra tools in my toolbox to help me move on and live a creative, soul filled life instead of falling in a heap too often.


I hope you have a colourful, love filled weekend honey bunches.

Lots-a-love

xx


Gloves (pattern and details Ravelled here) swapped for beautiful beakers by Adriana Christianson.

knits and knots and natters

The other day I went looking for a bag of green flecked wool that I knew I had but couldn't remember where I'd put. I searched high and then I searched low and found it under my bed with a bunch of other bits and pieces of the woolly persuasion including the start of a granny hottie that I hooked up last year. Fancy that! I fully remember making that red one but I wonder why I started and then stopped this green one. I'd better finish it off don't you think.


After I found the green wool I cast on some Emerald Fingerless Mittens to swap with a potter for some beakers. It feels a bit funny to be making something for someone I've never even met in real life but a bit fun all the same. I hope she likes them.


In the middle of all this I turned around in my desk chair one day and contemplated the stacks of vintage sheets that I have been collecting but neglecting for years. Piles of them all neatly folded and colour coded. I thought about cutting out and sewing a dress for someone but it's not really sundress weather. So I pulled some down, tore off some 3cm lengths, found a 10mm hook, crocheted a 26 chain stitches and started a rag rug.

The beginning was quick and fun but then it started hurting my hands and curling up at the edges so I took a break. It's so cold and there's so much knitting to be done that I can't really afford to hurt myself right now. Or ever. I think I've got a 15mm hook around here somewhere that might help  to make it looser and easier.

If you were an oversized crochet hook where would you hide from me?


The minute before I put my rag rug aside to rest it occurred to me that my time would probably be better spent making something woolly and wearable. In these crazy cold days something that protects against the chilliness must be valued higher than something pretty, every single time.

So I systematically searched through my stash, found three bandless balls of something that looked 12plyish, found a pattern on Ravelry, swatched and cast on. And despite the fact that Indi said I would never wear that colour, I knitted on.

It was a quick knit and after about two nights I found myself nearing the end of the first ball which in turn made me happy and then concerned. Happy because I could imagine myself wearing my thick, cuddly cardi by the end of the week. And then concerned because there was no way I was a third of the way into the knit and yet here I was a third of the way into my wool.

That's when I realised I had underestimated the amount of yarn I would need. And I got out the kitchen scales and weighed it all up and realised that I was right, I was way under. Oops. I'm so used to knitting 8ply that I had forgotten that the same weight of 12ply would give me less length. And being wool from the Bendigo Woollen Mills back-room I knew there wasn't much chance of getting any more. Bum!


After that I knitted up some Small Fry Fingerless gloves for Pepper. Look at her cute little meditation hands.


Next up is socks. Wish me luck.

Or maybe I'll have to put all that on hold to knit with the smooshiest yarn ever that just arrived in Jodie's Jellywares Winter yarn club. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Decisions. Decisions.

So that's me all caught up creatively.
How about you? What've you been up to?

I hope you're feeling inspired and creative. I hope you've got a fun project on the go.

Ciao!

xx