Knit Sisters

I lead a fairly quiet, safe (not to say staid) life, all things considered.  I never really have to worry about where my next meal will be coming from, I have a lovely little house that is warm in winter and cool in summer, and my life is full of people who love and care about me.  In fact, perversely, the lack of exciting danger in my life at times weighs heavily on me.  (I suppose that is a comment on my character, if not the human condition, but that must be another post.)

So, in the interest of creating excitement and upping my adrenaline, I have declared this year to be “The Year of Knitting Dangerously.”  I am inordinately in love with that phrase, but I had to ask myself (quite seriously, actually), exactly what that would look like.  What creates excitement and danger in a largely comfortable life?  The short answer–change and challenge.   In fact, the very things that also create anxiety and discomfort, and promote personal growth.  (Huh.  There you go–another perfect example of “Be careful what you wish for.”)

Nevertheless, and without further ado, here are my “Knitting Dangerously” goals for 2010, designed to produce the maximum amount of excitement, danger, change, challenge, anxiety, and (dare I say?) growth in my knitting and personal life.

1.  Learn something new.
I am not trying to puff myself up when I say that, knitting-wise, there really aren’t that many things I haven’t tried.  The usual suspects (cables without a cable needle, lace with thread-like yarn on tiny needles, socks and more socks, stranded knitting) are all things that I do on a regular basis.  However, there are a couple of techniques that I’d like to tackle this year:  entrelac and twined knitting.  These seem worthy goals.  (Please do not unkindly point out that I have not included intarsia in this list; I feel that intarsia should not be asked of anyone.)

2.  Finish it off.
Like many prolific knitters, I adore starting projects.  Not so much finishing projects, though.  I think this has somehow to do with the difference between creative energy (start energy) and stamina energy (finish energy).  I tend to have lots of the first, and not so much of the second.  This is especially ridiculous when I consider how many projects I have lying about that are within a few hours of finish.  This seems not just a lack of stamina on my part, but ultimately a sad lack of conclusive energy.  So, the goal is to finish some of those almost-there projects lying forlornly in bags.

3.  Use what you’ve got.
Really, there’s not that much to say here, except that I’m not yet 40, and I believe I’ve already achieved SABLE.  (Oh, and that I never put all the stash in one room so that I can maintain the comforting illusion that there really isn’t all that much.)  For the love of God, use some of it up, Sarah!

4.  Create something of your own.
This is the hard one.  For some time, I’ve been wanting to branch out, design my own stuff, dye my own yarn and rovings, open my own etsy shop, market my own line of patterns.  So why don’t I?  When I’m feeling self-pitying or self-indulgent, the answer that I give myself is that I’m too busy, I have too many other commitments, I have so many other things that I do.  But when I can manage to look at myself even a tad bit truthfully, (ah, the anxiety!), the answer has everything to do with fear and inertia.  Fear of failing.  Fear of making changes.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of working a little harder than I really want to.  After all, I may not be challenged or fulfilled (or even very happy) in my professional life, but I’m pretty comfortable.  I know exactly what to expect, and I usually get it. 

Change and challenge. 

The goals:  Design, design, design.  Build an etsy shop.  Play with dyes.  Develop patterns. 

Knit dangerously.