I returned to Cranford today, and it was a lovely day for it. Gray and rainy outside, and my most important task being that of finishing a special order. So as soon as I saw the kids off to school, I took my cup of coffee and my knitting and curled up in front of the dvr.
My only regret is that I had coffee. It really should have been tea.
A few years ago, such marathon knitting as these hands have seen over this past month would not have been possible. I had a pretty tight grip on those needles, particularly with my left (and non-dominant) hand. A pain would eventually develop behind my left thumb that would linger for days, and I would be forced to set all projects aside.
And, yes, this did make we question the sagacity of starting my own knitting-based business, but what can I say. The sacrifices we make to follow our passions, eh?
But something surreal has happened lately. All of a sudden, I've loosened up!
Now, yes, I have my high-strung moments, but much fewer than I used to (a change I frequently attribute to knitting, though the good nature of my husband and the unpredictability of kids have played no small role). It's simply in my nature to hold tight so that nothing goes astray.
Particularly when knitting in the round, which I have been doing all week long. I pull tight on the yarn for the first stitch or two...or three...of each dpn to minimize the ladder-effect.
But around a month ago I decided to take on my first large-scale project in a very long time (a project to be discussed in more detail after it has been gifted), and it was a project I wanted to finish quickly. It called for a bulky yarn on size 11 needles, which appears to have been the perfect combination to force a change in my grip.
Suddenly, I could almost feel my left hand relaxing. It seemed to start guiding the needle instead of controling it and trying to force it to do what I wanted. It was as if a switch had been flipped, causing me to get a grip that was both more effective and less painful.
Huh.
Well, I can't explain it, and I certainly won't question it, but I do share this development with you in order to express my one deep thought of the day: sometimes the best way to gain control is by letting go.
Isn't it marvelous when a hobby serves as the perfect philosophical analogy?
