How has your first half of December been? Has it been pretty focussed on others? Decorating, celebrating, probably shopping, and most likely gift knitting? These are all so wonderful, and it’s a beautiful element of this time of year that we dedicate so much of our time and energy to celebrating with and giving to others. That being said, it might be time to think about carving out a little space for yourself.
Do you have a holiday self care plan? I didn’t, until I sat down to think about it, but I’ve decided it’s a tradition I’m going to start, for myself. When you think of self care ideas, what comes to mind? For me, there’s something sort of wonderfully indulgent about peacefully working on a knitting project just for myself. Now don’t get me wrong, I carve out these moments of peace in a relative sense – the view in front of me may be of the steam gently drifting up from my tea, contrasting the frosted trees on the other side of the window, but behind me there most certainly are two bins of laundry, floors that need sweeping, and a half dozen swatches whispering ‘You have pattern proposals to finish!’ There’s definitely a component of choosing my focus, and consciously crafting a moment of peace.
If I can set this focus, though, I find knitting is a powerful meditation tool. The rhythmic movements, the tactile element, and the necessary slowdown that comes with thoughtfully working with the hands. If, like me, your day generally involves a lot of cerebral work, or a healthy dose of chaos (or both!), this knitting meditation can offer a very welcome change of pace.
Meditation aside, knitting for yourself is about focussing on what you want. Pushing past notions of what’s popular or in style, or what you feel you should make, or what’s practical, and asking yourself ‘What do I want?’ This is a question we don’t always allow ourselves to ask, or maybe we ask it but toss away the answer. If you could have any knitted item, the most beautiful, uniquely you garment or accessory, what would it be? What knitting project would make your heart smile today?
Let’s take a little self care journey together. For the next week (Until Dec 23), I’m offering one free pattern to new mailing list subscribers. Scroll through my patterns, find the one that most speaks to you, shoot me a message letting me know you’ve joined my mailing list and which pattern you’ve found that makes you smile, and I’ll send you a free copy.
Happy self care knitting!
Love and stitches,
Janice