What does knitting give us, exactly? It’s so much more than a new shawl or fancy pair of socks or pretty sweater. There’s something magical in the way stitches, one by one, slip across the needles, each a tiny expression of transformation.
Renewal.
Wonder.
It compels us to slow down, to take it all in, and to savor. Our lives are such a bustle of fast-paced deadlines, rushing to complete errands and to do lists, zooming to and from destinations, scrambling to complete chores, etc, etc, etc.ย But, then we knit and it is slooooow. Sometimes mind-numbingly so, but we push on. Each rhythmic click of the needle a gentle shift into a new way of being – mindful, purposeful.
Not unlike the most amazing sight I witnessed two weeks ago – the August 2017 solar eclipse. My home was smack dab in the middle of the “totality zone,” and my entire family came together to experience it at my mom’s house (40 seconds away!). I was greatly amused by the way the children glanced at the sky through their eclipse glasses for several minutes before returning to their splashing in Nana’s pool, bored with the slow progression. In an achingly tedious crawl, the moon slid her way over to the sun, determined to join the skyline at the same time. Inch by inch, breath by breath, until the two celestial bodies could embrace.
The result, their “contact,” brought one of the most awesome experiences of my life – totality. Darkness. And in the dim glow around the moon, a glow that is completely indescribable, I could see the whisper of transformation. Renewal. Wonder. A reminder that when we slow down to take it all in, we open our hearts to a profound opportunity to awaken.
Through our knitting, or any of our fiber arts, from the colour to the tactile feel of the fiber in our hand, we awaken the senses — to possibility.ย As we near the return of fall in just a few short weeks, take the time to savor those quiet moments with your yarn. Enjoy the slowness and remember the wonder that comes from it.
