Routine crafting.
How craft brings structure to our lives.
INSIDE: establishing a life & craft routine, finally finishing, the final stop on my Sydney Yarn Tour + the beautiful ocean.
Doing something creative is part of my daily life. I incorporate knitting into the breaks I take between sessions of focused work online.
I use the Pomodoro technique, so I work for 25 mins and take a 5 min break (x3.) After the fourth 25 minute session, there’s a 10 minute break.
I repeat this throughout the day.
I’m not a fast knitter, so I don’t create many stitches in a 5 minute break! But they accumulate over the course of my working day and there’s always progress.
I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to my knitting breaks!
The structure I’ve established for my work and involving my creativity allows my brain to switch from being task focused in the 25 minute sessions to a gentle rhythm of grounding during my breaks.
I feel this shift in my body also, as I stand at my desk to work on the computer but sit to knit during my breaks.
I’ve been using the Headspace app for many years now.
They talk about noticing when your body moves from standing to sitting or lying to standing, and seeing if you can “clock” those movements 3 times in the day. I struggled with this in the past. Surprise, surprise, indeed!
Now the structure of my day encourages me to notice these body shifts and it’s a practice of mindfulness.
I admire people who can walk and knit! One day I’ll attempt it.
My family has been discussing how important structure is to keep oneself accountable but also purposeful.
Having a plan for the day and a list of tasks is essential.
When I’m struggling with work or something I don’t know how to do and I’m frustrated, I think how wonderful it would be simply to knit all day.
On my days off there are many hours I spend knitting, it’s joyful!
Except… perhaps the shine would wear off if I did it every day, all day.
So I’m thankful for the structure craft brings to my life and for the creativity I can express each day.
And another question for you: How does your craft bring structure to your life?
Just in case you didn’t already have enough yarns for your wishlist, there’s an exciting new yarn release from Jimmy Beans Wool!
It’s called Yarn Citizen, and it’s available in either Harmony (50% Alpaca & 50% Wool) and Unity (100% Wool), it looks so good!
The 27 nature-inspired colorways are stunning. 😊 Take a look here.
Completing my True Nature Tee was a highlight of last week!
I’m so happy with the fit and thrilled I don’t have to wear a camisole underneath. The fabric isn’t as see-through as it seemed to be when I knitted up the swatch.
With temperatures of 40°+ C during summer here, layers are just too hot!
I’ve made some progress on my new Flow knitted tee project with some rows done on the cable yoke.
The feel of the organic cotton is “harsher” on my fingers and hands than the super soft bamboo/cotton yarn I used for my previous project.
When I washed and blocked the swatch, the cotton fabric was softer.
The knitted swatch I felt in the yarn store I bought the Alba Organic Cotton yarn from was lovely and soft, hence why I chose to knit a project with it.
I’m slowly adjusting to the feel but I’m fonder of softer yarns!
One of the best parts of knitting is the design revealing itself. My excitement lasts for the entire time knitting the interesting section (like this cable yoke.)
A trip down memory lane…
My final stop on my Sydney Yarn Store tour was the delightful Skein Sisters.
Like The Granny Square, it’s located in a suburb, Dulwich.
Getting to Dulwich Hill on public transport was easy. How I love the public transport system in Sydney! Light rail, double decker trains, buses and ferries!
The layout of the shop, which takes up a corner of a street, was welcoming and they even have a couple of comfy armchairs where you can sit and craft for a bit.
When I visited, they were running their ‘Sisters’ Help Clinic.’ This is when you can take in a project (knitting or crochet) you’re working on, and get expert help.
What a wonderful idea!
The yarns on display included their brand of hand dyed yarns were lovely and colorful and felt wonderful.
I was super impressed by the knitted and crocheted items featured on their walls and racks. They were made by the owners and members of Skein Sisters.
The Amigurumi creatures adorning the large front window were adorable!
I chatted with Jane, who was looking after the store, and then I got to meet Deb and Janine who co-own the store.
I was interested to learn from Deb the trends she’d witnessed were teens taking up crocheting during their school lunch breaks. These teens are inspired by influencers on TikTok who wear crocheted fashion items like bucket hats.
I asked if they noticed a difference in their business during the pandemic.
Deb explained it was one of the busiest times for them as people took up knitting and crochet either for the first time or taking it back up again.
I always make sure to look at any yarns created by a yarn store.
Skein Sisters yarns are hand dyed by one of their staff members; Julia who has a degree in Visual Arts. The bases are either:
Fabulous Sock: 80% Australian extra fine superwash merino & 20% nylon
Romance: 80% Australian extra fine superwash merino & 20% silk.
The popularity of their Romance range meant they sold out in many of the colors much faster than they expected!
Good news is they offer a Dyed To Order service for their Romance yarns and these will be available in late Jan 2024. (They offer international shipping!)
I commented to all I met at Skein Sisters that how could you ever be unhappy in a yarn store surrounded by colorful yarns and so many possibilities!
I bought a skein of their Fabulous Sock Yarn in the Crypsis colorway for my mother in law to knit a one skein project Skein Sisters had knitted up in the store called the Venezia Shawl by Joji Locatelli.
One of the most exciting things was Skein Sisters have a Nancy’s Knit Knacks heavy duty electric yarn winder to wind up your yarn purchases.
I took a little video of it in action with a Knit Pro (Knitter’s Pride for those of you in North America) wooden swift.
Sadly, the man who created the Nancy Knit Knacks winders passed away several years ago and the business was for sale but no-one bought it.
It’s such a beautiful electric yarn winder.
Lots of customers came into the store during my visit and the class where people needed help was full. It’s always a joy to see people buying locally and connecting and learning at a yarn store.
Skein Sisters was a real treat. If you’re in Sydney, pop in and visit!
I joined their email list and learned Mary Jane Mucklestone is delivering several workshops at Skein Sisters as part of her Australian Tour next year.
How exciting is that? It looks like it’ll be fabulous!
The classes are all sold out, which doesn’t surprise me at all.
It’s so good to see a well known international designer is keen to visit Australia. And local yarn stores and crafters are supporting her visit!
Our New T-Shirt Design
My youngest’s latest design, fresh off his designer’s desk, is “I’m Okay!”
We all buy too much yarn sometimes... Oh well!
Mystery Quote Of The Week
“All knitterly creation stems from one simple element: yarn. It is the baker’s flour, the jeweler’s gold, the gardener’s soil. Yarn is creation, consolation, and chaos all spun together into one perfect ball.”
Who said it? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating!
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
Where does Fair Isle Knitting originate?
What’s the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating!
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
What I’m grateful for this week…
Keeping on keeping on with what seems like a list of never ending tasks can become overwhelming without structure. I’m grateful for the Pomodoro technique that keeps me focused and helps me get things done.
I’m also grateful for having visited the beach in Manly (a half-an-hour ferry ride from Sydney) while I was there.
It was so lovely to see the ocean! I often say I’m a saltwater woman. 😊
A thought for you to ponder this coming week…
Think about the small things you do to create structure and rhythm in your day. Notice how they bring a sense of calm in what can be a chaotic time of the year.
So, may you rest when you need to, be mindful of doing too much and treasure the times when you feel grounded.
How’s your crafting going? Leave a comment or press reply!
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you go…
Okay this seems too easy, so it can’t be right--and what does that say about something being easy!--but I always thought Fair Isle knitting started on Fair Isle in Shetland.
I knit when I can, which now is with morning coffee and about an hour before bed. Any amount of knitting time is good. And I’m a slow knitter, too. My friend reminds me it’s not about speed.
Thank you for the pictures of the yarn shops. I’m not in Australia and probably will never get there, but I love seeing all the beautiful yarn and enjoy that yarn and knitting thrive in the world.
Your blue top looks and fits so well. I’m sure your new project will be the same. My question is, how do you find that cotton tops wear? I recently found that they grow on wearing and only a run through the dryer after washing brings them back to size and shape. It’s sort of put me off cotton knitting.
I terms of fitting knitting into my day, I cannot just sit with idle hands so my knitting is always at my side