My little corner of the world

Since my wedding-induced meltdown a couple of weeks ago, I have been trying to cultivate a little serenity in my life. I've started buying fresh flowers again, something that makes me oh-so happy that I rarely remember to do. The serene-green desktop image on my computer is new and also adds to my feeling of calm. And of course - there's yarn! My order from Webs arrived, and I started swatching with the Cascade Cloud 9 I ordered. I felt a few angora wisps tickling my nose as I knit, but they weren't major. The colors are Valentine's Day-appropriate, but that wasn't my intention - they just felt spring-y to me. I probably won't finish the sweater by V-day anyway.

I'm also enjoying reading Zen and the Art of Knitting. It has a lot of wonderful stories about the many ways that knitting can enrich one's life - bringing peace after suffering a loss, building up one's confidence and ability to take risks, gaining patience, making connections with others in the community...the list goes on and on. I have experienced many of these changes in my own life as a result of knitting. But the book also talks about the meditative side of knitting, how some people experience a trance-like state or a sort of 'natural high.' I can't say that I've ever experienced this, and I wonder - why not? It got me thinking about how much I focus on knitting when I'm knitting, and how much I focus on any one thing while I am doing it. I am a consummate multi-tasker, which is helpful in many ways but may limit my ability to 'be in the moment.' Not sure.

This book offers lots of gems for introspection. The following passage was an especially poignant one for me:

Though Cecile doesn't view her handcraft as anything particularly spiritual, still, she said she has gained great wisdom from the practice. "Steadiness is important," she wrote. "Just being steady about one thing when the rest of your life is in chaos can keep it all in balance."

Peace be with you all...