Knitting Therapy

After the breakup with SI, I was a zombie. One of my mom's friends thought it would be helpful if I learned how to knit.  I didn't buy it, but I figured I had all this new time on my hands.

I met with her a few times.  I learned how to hold knitting needles and move my hands. I picked a yarn.  It was insanely frustrating that I didn't get it for a long time.  I give the lady so much credit for having so much patience with me.  I'd try to knit on my own with out her reminding me what to do - and I'd loose or add stitches and my simple scarf would be insanely crooked.  For a while she'd take the lines out so I can redo them, but the same thing kept happening.  I decide to keep going, so then when I was on my next one, I could compare and see my progress.

Knitting was an amazing kind of therapy, especially when it is new to you.  It really keeps your mind from wondering on what happened to you - and keeps you so focused on getting the stitches right.  I was shocked with how well it distracted me.  I started to absorb knitting like water - I became addicted to it for a while just to keep my mind from thinking about SI and to stop me from the constant crying. 

It took a while before I became a bit decent at knitting - with a scarf that was straight.  At some point I learned how to purl (the opposite of a knit stitch).  And I had hopes of doing the S stitch - but at that time, my knitting slowed down so much, that by not doing it regularly I couldn't remember. I had also hoped to learn with circular needles to make a hat, but I didn't and my self-teaching was horrendous.  I don't have too much desire to knit sweaters or blankets or socks - seems like a big project, but a scarf I can handle.  I don't know how to read a pattern and I don't know how to guess how many stitches to cast on for a scarf of a certain yarn thickness nor do I know what needles to use with the yarn thickness - I just wing it, and everything has come out fine.  I am doing it for my own personal use, and  they are just scarves so it is really easy - so to me it doesn't matter if the needle size is slightly wrong.

I have made scarves for a few people I know for a holiday gift.  My grandmother loved the scarf so much that she enlisted me this year to knit for the needy.  I haven't picked up knitting needles in a year and last year I just made the one scarf...but I was happy to see that the basic knitting stitch came right back to me.  I am getting a really late start of knitting for her since I have been pre-occupied with moving, but since I am a bit faster now, I hope that each scarf will take about 3-4 hours and I can do that as I watch tv.

Anyway, my advice to you this week is that if you are depressed, try to knit.  They wouldn't be publishing all those fiction books based on knitting if knitting didn't really have a therapeutic side.  [I read the knitting circle and knitting under the influence - but there are plenty more].  Give it a try, see how it takes all of your focus away from your thoughts.