1 Stitch At A Time

Well just when you thought that the world could not be any worse - we just found our selves facing the reality of hatred & racism. Ooohh gosh! any surprises there? not really. The cracks in our society have been showing for quite some time, and as we are all put under the pressure of a pandemic sometimes we just can not take things any more. Black lives matter - is not a question, it's not a debate, it is an absolute given. The question is how we as individuals can make a difference. Take a knee? post a slogan on social media? Join a protest? Yes, but its so much more than that too... because this is not quite as black and white as we may first think. Racism & hatred go hand in hand. The key to racism and discrimination is hatred. Why do we hate so much? Hate is taught, hate is learnt, and most of all hate is addictive. Hate comes up in every corner of our day... apologies to all you Coronation fans but even our daily dose of soap opera peddles hate, why? because we love the drama of hate!

So how do we stop it? On a large scale I have no idea, but we can, each one of us, just become more aware of our own involvement in hate. Start with yourself, be the giver of love not hate to yourself first! It is amazing how a bit of love spreads so fast. When I teach people to spin, it's quite an intense experience because it's frustrating... Iike learning to ride a bike, it seems impossible. And how much do we beat ourselves up because of our own imperfections? lumpy yarn, when it should be perfect... I am constantly blown away by how badly we treat ourselves. If you want to make a difference, start by listening to yourself, hear what you have to say to yourself. Crafting is an amazing way to listen, it gives us so many opportunities to forgive and allow. So start today in the name of those who have suffered from crimes of racism & hatred, one drop of love at a time, one stitch at a time can and will make a huge difference.

I found myself returning to my knitting this week... to feed my soul one stitch at a time, to take respite and joy in sitting still with a basket of scrumptious natural dyed Wensleydale in front of me. I design knit wear on the hoof, with a general plan lurking around my head, but not everything is clear to begin with how it will come together. My current inspiration is a beautiful jacket I purchased at a show, it's from China, based on Boro textiles. It was actually a very naughty splurged that I justified with the promise of using it to design a new knitting kit. 2 or 3 years later, better late than never, I am loving the process. I have actually had a huge amount of wear out of it too... those of you who have travelled with me will know the one! Any way, It is coming together - I am blocking each section carefully before I sew it together, something I don't usually do as I am usually too excited to get passed the finishing line, but it is worth the extra wait, and work. I thought I was almost done last night, finishing off the cuffs... But I just knew the cuffs didn't work, well they did, but they were bothering me. Although knitting is a slow process it does have the benefit of being able to undo and start again... to forgive and allow. Was I irritated? yes a bit, so I put an episode of the Vicar of Dibley on while I unpicked, rewound the ball of yarn and cast on the stitches again. Hahaha... check out the opening of Season 2, episode 1!