Your full time and attention

Good communication is essential to a successful relationship.  Of course it's important to have pleasant  everyday chit chat, but it's crucial to have honest and loving conversations about important things.  In our busy lives, it's hard to do it well.  There's always so much going on, and sadly, when we're  distracted it's easy to say the wrong thing or accidentally hurt the other.  Not out of meanness, but out of carelessness.  The more challenging or delicate the topic matter, the more it needs our full time and attention.  My husband and I have taken to setting up a kind of appointment to talk about a particular topic of concern.  It seems strange, I know, but I've found that is really works.  When we set that time aside we know that we won't be interrupted.  Our words are more deliberate because we're not in a rush or otherwise distracted.  We are both fully present and focused on addressing the topic at hand in a careful and loving way.  It's not always easy, but it is always productive. 

A knitting project is much like a relationship.  Sometimes it's easy chit chat and smooth sailing.  You can pick it up and everything's great.  Other times not so much.  I have been struggling with this lace edged sweater for weeks.  Two steps forward and three steps back, both of us needing a lot of timeout.  Not one, but two rows of highlighter tape (thank you for that, Susan Skow) and still I was messing it up.  Finally, I realized that the problem was not the sweater, but me.  I was not giving this beautiful garment the time and attention it needed.  This was not a project that could be squeezed into my busy schedule and worked on while I did other things.  The mindless approach is fine for lots of the knitting I do, but not for this challenging and delicate project.  Last week I decided to make an appointment to sit down with it in a quiet place.  I committed to focus exclusively on the pattern and each and every stitch for at least half an hour.  If I finished just one round, that would be okay.  At least it would be forward progress.  And you know what? It worked.  Yesterday morning I finished all the lace, worked the garter rows and bound off.  I rewarded myself with the pleasure of blocking the lace out to its full glory.  I think this sweater and I might just live happily ever after. 

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

~Ellen

p.s. If you're working on a super challenging project that needs your full time and attention, let us know, and we'll try not to talk to you ;)

Back to 4 September 2018 Newsletter