In my non-knitting world I am a therapist. I often encourage people to find things to do or engage in that energizes them, and is separate from work. An escape…in a good way. When people ask me what I do to care for myself, especially after a particularly difficult client day, I say I knit…and now I design. There is something about knitting that brings peace to my life. What I am realizing is that throughout my day I need to balance my right and left brain. I need to stay calm and focus amidst the chaos of life and I need to tap into my creative brain to help bring solutions to a family in need. This means I need to keep both my right, creative brain and my left, thinking brain well exercised in addition to my body and soul. Knitting exercises my creativity and the beauty I see in the world…and sometimes the pain that often emerges into the beauty. Knitting is a way I nurture my soul too…no I don’t worship knitting although to an untrained “eye” it may seems so 😉 I often knit when I pray, meditate and worship. While I learn and engage in my faith community I knit and as I look back on the things I knit it reminds me of the stories of worship I was engaging in…also for a mind that wanders knitting helps me stay focused on the here and now moments of life! For instance, a good chunk of the knitting done on Branching Off was done at Convergence, a gathering of women leaders in the Jesus followers faith. Every time I wear these socks I am reminded of the fabulous women of Convergence, the pain of the female journey in Christendom, and the hope of change and energy from women who abide in Him. Knitting is more than a craft, more than a product produced or gift given…knitting is therapeutic!
Mar21
Knotty Art 
I love this! I just started getting back into knitting after finding a bundle of gorgeous, super soft merino wool yarn for really really cheap at Goodwill. I thought it would make a perfect gift for Violet because it’s in her favorite colors. I’ve only knit a few things before but hated it at the time because it takes so much patience! But I’m seeing that maybe that was only because I was trying to knit during a time in my life when I wasn’t able to slow down enough to really focus on the craft. Now, after two+ years of being sober, knitting is a bit easier — and even fun! And yes, therapeutic. It’s my quiet time, even if it’s only for a few minutes here or there. And it’s the perfect time to pray. I’ve found that knitting and prayer seem to go hand in hand. I’m VERY happy to have found knitting again! 🙂