Around the Block
I don't suppose it's often that knitting a cowl makes you re-think your life but that's what this cowl has done for me.
Ok, that might be a slight overstatement but I've been thinking a lot lately about why I always feel so rushed and under pressure lately. Why it is that I never seem to find a moment to write up my patterns, to work through my inbox, or take pictures of projects? I'm always rushing from one thing to the next, always behind, always playing catch up.
This big heap of knitting has been little a pool of calm in amongst the madness though. It's been a slow and calm project. A few rows here, a few rows there. Left for a few days and then picked up when the mood struck. I haven't rushed to the end, frantically knitting as soon as the end was in sight. In fact, I positively savoured the end, eking it out and trying to make it last. The way you do with a great book that you've loved reading.
Maybe it's because it's such a simple knit. The most basic of patterns, no increasing, decreasing, counting or thinking required. Just row after row of moss stitch creating joyful fluffy bumps. Super thick yarn giving satisfactory inches of progress for small amounts of work done.
That's why I went for blocks of colour too. Colour blocks are kind of 'in' aren't they? I keep seeing them everywhere anyway. That's great but it also means no stripes to keep track of, no changing colours, just knit till the yarn runs out, join a new ball and knit some more. Perfect.
I was so swept up in the simplicity and ease of the project that I couldn't even be bothered to think up some fancy pants way of joining the two ends of the scarf together. I just used whip stitch in the end. Super simple, super easy.
It doesn't look exactly the same as the other seams, but who cares? It's going to be wrapped up around me and no-one will see. It doesn't matter even if they do. It's an easy going cowl and I feel very easy going about it. Heck, I'm surprised I even bothered to seam the ends together. I could have just left it as a plain and simple scarf and I think it still would have looked great.
So, if this project can be a leisurely and unhurried joy, then what is going on the rest of the time? Something is going wrong, I've lost balance and I need to find a new way.
I think I need to slow down, take a little more pleasure in the process again and not leap from one idea to the next like a woman possessed. I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about the way I'm approaching things.... just as soon as I'm not so busy.
♥♥♥
In the meantime, do you fancy making a lovely, cuddly cowl for yourself and having a go at a super simple relaxing project?*
If you do, I've made up this little easy peasy set of instructions for you to follow:
COLOUR INFO: -
(Thought you might want to know)
0100 - Off white 3145 - Powder pink
4300 - Old Pink (Looks mauve to me)
5610 - Brown (purplish dark grey)
7120 - Light Grey Green (Duck egg blue)
The names of these colours seem a bit off to me,
so the brackets are what I would say the colours really look like
S x
♥