Knitting through the big transition

This is a week of transition. The cool morning air and the shifting of the light tell us fall is coming. School is starting. Summer's relaxed lifestyle gives way to a more structured one. A million tiny transitions each move us forward. Every night to day, every row from knit to purl and back again. These are not tough. We’ve made these transitions a thousand times. We know what to expect and how to handle them. Colton, going back to school for his senior year is so unlike the freshman who worried about finding his classes in the high school labyrinth. This year is No Big Deal. It’s the big transitions, the shift from the familiar and comfortable to the new and unknown, that stress us. I'm sure Colton's transition to college next year will be another story.

As knitters, depending on our experience, we might worry about the transition from our sweater's back to the prospect of armholes. Or turning our sock's heel. Or transforming knitted pieces into a finished garment. These bigger transitions frighten us because they are new territory. We may not know the techniques, or we may lack confidence in our skills. Even experienced knitters get a little stressed at those transition spots because they require more time and attention that we've had to give the project. What had been a simple mindless knit becomes a fiddly thing at those points. 

Even if we pretty much know what we are supposed to do at the armholes or the heel, it's stressful because we know that it will need extra time and attention. Sometimes time and attention that we are loath to dedicate. Our lives are so busy that when we get that place where things are changing, we don't allow ourselves to stop and focus on this next step. We put it in a bag and start something new, or worse, we just plow through it without taking time to prepare. I am guilty of this especially. I just put my head in the sand, and think perhaps it will go away. It doesn't, of course. Better by far to just stop a moment and clear a space in our life or on the table to lay it all out. Read the pattern, count the stitches, and make sure we know what we’re supposed to be doing. That’s the actual transition‑ it’s that time and space we need to get from the familiar to the new and different. We need to recognize that a change is coming, understand that it’s going to be a challenge, and do what we need to prepare for it. It might still be stressful, but we'll be ready. Bring it on.

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here.