Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Knitting To Reduce Stress and Get Centered

 


This morning I got comfortable on the couch with a cup of coffee, two delicious smelling pillar beeswax candles, and my knitting.  I found this beanie pattern online, and decided to plough through it.  I had a skein of soft alpaca chunky yarn in my stash.  I thought it would be perfect.

It is a simple ribbed pattern, and I did the straight needle version.  It brought me back to my early knitting days.  I knit many dishcloths on these secondhand vintage needles that I purchased at a local church thrift shop.  I had it completed and on my head by early afternoon.  Yesterday I finished a pair of wool socks that I began over a year ago!  

To my delight, it fits perfectly!  I love how the light-colored caramel yarn shows off the ribbing.  The older I get, the more I prefer neutrals, in natural colors from the sheep and alpacas.  Mother Nature knows what she's doing.  

This will get a lot of use.  I think these would make great gifts, as well.  My kind of project: easy, fun and practical!


18 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Nil. I love the feel of the fit. It's snug and warm. Like you said, perfect for this weather and the mountain snow.

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  2. It looks great, Stephenie! I went through my yarn stash the other day and it looks like I've used up most of it! I just have a couple of full balls of leftover wool and some odds and ends of novelty yarn! I am wondering if I have enough wool for a pair of socks.

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    1. Hi Bless, I should give you some of mine. A lady in my knitting group gave me tons of yarn that she didn't plan to use. It's so nice to have all of that sitting in the bins, ready to use. Knitting is so therapeutic, especially during this pandemic. Hope you have enough wool for your socks.

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  3. Sweet! And you did it in one day- wow! I like neutrals also especially in wools.

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    1. Yes, LL. Thanks. It knit up really quickly, being chunky yarn on US 10n needles. Neutrals calm me, and they mix and match so well.

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  4. It's lovely and it will keep you nice and warm! I dearly love a knitting project and I gather it is very good for your brain - all the finger/eye coordination and reading codes. An added bonus.
    xx

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    1. I agree, Joy. It's also healing for the soul. Knitting something warm and useful to wear always makes me feel happy.

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  5. That looks lovely and cosy and I bet it gets a lot of use. Knitting is such a lovely pass time and a useful thing to learn.

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    1. Thanks, Cherie. It really is. The hours pass so quickly. I love listening to the rain and a podcast as I knit. The dogs curl up and sleep at my feet.

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  6. That's a great hat and so quick to knit! I love it...

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    1. Thanks, PP. Yes, it's fun to knit with chunky yarn. You can finish projects so quickly.

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  7. Isn't it amazing when your knitting mojo returns? I love the hat and the style looks great on you. Still working on my lace shawl. That 35 stitch lace pattern edge makes for slow going.

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    1. Thanks, Anita. I was thinking about you and your shawl. Lace can be very challenging. It will be wonderful once you complete it. I just ordered yarn for the Nicole Shawl. It's got some lace, too. I am eager for the yarn to arrive. Can't wait to get started!

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  8. I have such beautiful memories of my mother knitting every night. Beautiful clothes for babies, jumpers for her children. All perfectly knitted. She was amazing. Unfortunately, I am useless at it and find it stressful.... but I do so want to be like Mum, smiling quietly whilst I relax and knit. It's such a beautiful thing to do, I really admire knitters.

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    1. I love hand knit items. ratnamurti. They are so lovely. I used to struggle with knitting and crocheting, too. Once I found a good teacher, and worked the basics, it made all the difference. When you first begin, you make a lot of mistakes. It takes time and experience to learn how to correct them. Simple projects are best. Even just practicing the stitch, over and over...

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  9. Looks warm. I need one! We just got snow. 😊

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    1. Hi Sandi, Welcome. Thanks for reading and for commenting. It is warm, and very comfortable. Sometimes I forget that I have it on, like when I went kayaking last week. Enjoy your snow...

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