Crafting your way to calm.
This is why we do what we do…
Inside: knitting disasters, lessons learned, adorable alpacas, fiber history, fantasy novels, patterns, gardens + finding solace.
The hustle and bustle of daily life sometimes leads to stress. I know when I’m experiencing stress, having the repetitive motions of knitting or crocheting is like meditating or doing yoga.
In my research I’ve done about the health benefits of crafting, any fiber art can lower the heart rate and blood pressure.
With knitting, the rhythmic repetitive movements can lead us into a flow state. In that state, your worries lessen and you just keep going with those stitches.
In my knitting statistics post, I’ve mentioned 45 million Americans know how to knit or crochet, which is extraordinary. And 85% of knitters and crocheters experience reduced stress when they’re practicing their craft.
So something must be working! Until it doesn’t.
I was celebrating the completion of my lace yoke and stockinette rows where I was up to dividing the sleeves and the body stitches for my True Nature Tee.
I got to the last stitches only to find I was missing two. I’d thought after fixing my mistakes in the lace yoke; I had the correct amount of stitches, which was 352, but I only had 350.
That’s a reminder I should count the stitches every few rows.
I frogged back to see if I could find the mistake where I dropped those two stitches. And row after row after row, I was still counting 350 and I couldn’t see where I’d dropped those two stitches.
I pulled the needles out and I could unravel the yarn faster. But I missed where the marker was in relation to the pattern. That was important because the marker moved in different rows!
I thought, I can’t get this back! In the past, I would’ve burst into tears and been furious at my lack of ability.
But this time, I was calm, and I decided I’d frog it all and begin again. No tears or anger. I put that down to the fact I’m meditating every day and I’m practicing kindness towards myself.
Taking breaks also helps. I’m going to (as
said) “put it in the naughty corner and ask it to think about what it’s done.”So I left the project alone.
I know being unwell is affecting my knitting mojo, but to keep things moving, I thought I’d swatch for my next project, Flow by Trin Annelie, using Alba organic cotton yarn.
What I’m doing is using the method for swatching I found by Laura Nelkin, where you have the shorter floats at one end.
With this cotton, I could do that successfully. When I tried that method with the bamboo cotton yarn, it was too fiddly.
I’ve completed the gauge swatch and read the pattern. The amount of rows within the gauge swatch is important because that affects how deep your yoke will be. I’m blocking it, and it looks like I don’t have enough rows.
In the gauge, I’m up to 35 and the pattern requires 38 rows for the 4x4 inch swatch. My stitches are fine, but the row gauge isn’t.
So I’ll have to work that out.
The mistakes I’ve made in the True Nature Tee are frustrating and I wish they didn’t happen, but that’s how it is.
I’m reminding myself I can do better next time. As the wonderful
often says when signing off : “onwards!”With the experiences I’ve had this week, I was thinking about some ideas for when I need to make my practice calmer. I’ve got a few tips to share.
One is to start mindfully. Before I begin, I set a simple intention of what I’ll spend my time doing.
I always make the experience pleasant wherever I can. I choose the knitting needles I enjoy working with. If I have a beautiful yarn, that makes my knitting experience more enjoyable. Choosing a pattern you’re going to get a lot from is also a great idea.
Instead of fixating on the finished project, I’m mindful of each stitch I’m creating. I think that helps ground you and brings you back to a state of calm.
When you’re immersed in the yarn’s feel and you’re listening to your needles clack, you’re concentrating.
If I can synchronize my knitting rhythm with my breath, I’m brought into a state of calm and it’s a meditative experience.
Also, crafting your sanctuary. Have you got a special place where you can sit and knit? Do you have your favorite music or podcast playing? If you’re able to not look at your needles as you knit, you could watch a favorite series or a movie. That makes for a calming experience.
What does fiber art mean to you? Do you find the craft you do is a relief from the stress of your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.
Another question for you: do you have a favorite pattern or project type you go to for relaxation?
A trip down memory lane…
In 2021, I was living in Canberra, which is a beautiful part of Australia. It’s an amazing city, and it has lots of bushlands, which is something I love.
We traveled on Christmas Eve to Blackwattle Alpaca Farm. I’d seen this business on Instagram. I thought, those yarns look gorgeous, and how cool would it be to go there someday? Because I was in Canberra, I could!
They have alpacas and llamas and use the wool in their blends. They hand dye their yarns and they have this farm shop where you can look at the yarns. They’re truly magnificent and the colorways are extraordinary.
How Angela (the owner) names her yarns is unique. She has a book of ideas from things she’s read, and she names the colorways based on those.
That was interesting!
I got a kit of mini skeins and one larger hank for a lace crochet shawl design by an Australian designer, Deanne Ramsey, the Intermission Shawl.
I’d never crocheted lace before and I thought it looked like a lovely project. I was keen to try something new with my crochet.
Having the yarn already selected for me in a pack was easy! I loved the soft pinks and purples and how the cream highlighted those colors.
I also fell in love with turquoise and red yarns, but I didn’t know what I was going to make with it. So I asked the staff how much I needed to create a sweater. I figured I’d do stripes and later, I created my Caramel Cardigan.
The most gorgeous thing was I got to meet a baby llama called BB.
He was just adorable! Feeding him was lots of fun, and he was super hungry.
What I’ve loved this week: reads, listens, visuals and gratitudes…
I finished listening to the audiobook: Over Sea and Stone by Susan Cooper, the first book in “The Dark Is Rising” series. Kelsey recommended that on Working On. I thought it was fantastic! I’m now listening to the second book.
It reminds me of a book I read as a kid that belonged to my Mum: Diana Of Cliff-End School, published in 1946.
In both books, the main characters are kids and they learn to face adversity, their fears and challenges they wouldn’t experience in normally.
It’s exciting, and it has you on your toes because there’s lots of intrigue and pretty scary things the kids have to negotiate with dark magic.
That’s been great.
Other things I’ve been reading, was a lovely read from
of . She talked about how she creates a fair and inclusive business practice for her yarn store.Anne has collaborated with pattern designer Tina Tse. Tina has created a textured garden cardigan which is gorgeous! It use Anne’s yarn and the pattern uses color and texture which has the look of patchwork.
One of the best things is there’s no seaming required!
Speaking of pattern releases,
from has released a beautiful lace design called the Shirin Shawl.I love the subtlety of the lacework and how beautifully it shows up in the fine yarn she’s chosen for that pattern.
Given the topic I covered last week, celebrating the history of crafting,
from suggested two podcasts. They sounded fascinating, so I had to share them with you.Thanks to Ana for the recommendation!
The first is Haptic & Hue, and it’s hosted by Jo Andrews. She’s a former journalist and handweaver and she lives in the UK.
She conducts monthly interviews with makers on their process and the history of textiles and techniques they use, which is so cool. She also has fabulous book recommendations.
The second podcast from Interweave is Fiber Nation, and it’s hosted by Allison Korleski. It doesn’t seem to be active any longer.
But the backlist of the episodes looked intriguing, and she discusses everything from crochet coral reefs, the history of lycra to sheep shearing and how ox influenced the history of World War One. You’re bound to learn something new!
I’d love to know what your favorite fiber arts podcasts are.
If you’re like me (a visual learner,) and you enjoy keeping track of your knitting progress, the lovely
from has a pack of 10 printable knitting trackers.They’ve got fun designs and different lengths of time to choose from. It’s perfect for keeping yourself motivated.
After living in Chiang Mai Thailand for a year, I’ve come back to Australia to visit family. While I’ve been in Melbourne, I took time to visit lovely yarn shops.
I also went to the Botanic Gardens. If you live in Melbourne, Australia or you’re planning to visit and haven’t been, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
It’s such a beautiful place away from the hustle and bustle of the city and it’s spring now in Australia. I visited just at the right time to see beautiful spring blooms and deciduous trees come into leaf.
The favorite sections of my visit to the botanical gardens were the sensory garden (it’s full of scented herbs, flowers and shrubs) and also the fern grove. It’s so lovely and cool, and the tropical trees and plants are magnificent.
Do you have a garden you’ve visited? What’s it like? I’d love to hear about it.
I’m grateful for the lovely online fiber arts community for sharing your stories about how crafting provides solace.
A thought for you to ponder this coming week…
Take a deep breath and let it out. As you exhale, imagine letting go of a tangled skein, unraveling it until you’re left with a smooth manageable thread.
So, may you find calm through one stitch at a time.
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…
Lovely post, Jodie. Apart from the known physical and mental health benefits, I also believes crafting teaches me to be patient, fills me with gratitude and joy, enables me to connect to people. Also, thank you for your kind words about Shirin Shawl pattern.
Thanks for the mention! I loved this post. Especially the ending meditation because that’s one of my favourite ways to find calm through fibre, untangling yarn is soothing and satisfying to me. I know, weird huh? 🤷♀️