These neat and tidy photographs, and the skeins of newly spun or dyed wool are not exactly representative of what is going on in the bigger picture at the moment. The chaos is a little tricky to photograph - nor do I really want to look at it. I'd rather look at a pile of pretty yarn. And I suppose that's precisely what I've been doing, in many ways! I leave today for our Into the Woods Gathering that starts this week, which means that the previous few weeks have been full of lists. Lists of what I need to remember to pack, and lists of things to do before I leave, and lists for what I'm leaving behind. My studio has been turned inside out and packed up in boxes and baskets by the door, ready to be loaded into the car. I'm fairly certain I've packed 75% of this little room of mine! I'm excited to unpack it at the cottage, and get ourselves set up for the sewing fun that is to come later this week.
But in the chaos of getting out the door (oh, and getting the next issue of Taproot to the printer! And all the other things that fill our days), my hands have been full of that yarn. And I am reminded that in the busiest of days, and the most full of moments, I depend upon that simple task of knitting more than any other time. While I could technically walk and knit (and have done that, of course), the best way to knit really is to SIT DOWN. And while I could read a book or listen to one while knitting, even better is to just knit, while listening to the kids. And so I find myself pausing for a little while from the running in circles I've been doing, and notice that my breathing slows and my mind quiets, while my hands get to work. Ah, just two sticks and some string. It's really quite a gift, isn't it? I'm so very grateful for it.
