Holiday stress~ keep your knitting close...

 

Hello there and happy Sunday to you!

 

Tea~ Yogi Tea Kombucha Green Tea.

With Autumn months come the holidays. While the holidays are something I look forward to, there is an underlying stress about them. The gatherings, the gifts, the possible making of gifts (unless your are like me and way behind in this area), the preparation of foods, all while the regular day to day events like jobs are still happening.

 

Pattern~ Vanilla sock pattern  Yarn~ Peepaloo Field in the color Wishing Well

It has been said over and over again about the health benefits of knitting. It just seems a little harder to fit in during these times, at least it is for me.

 

Pattern~ Vive shawl  yarn ~ Neighborhood Fiber Co. in the color Charles Centre

Although I do make sure that even if it is only a row a day, the tension seems to be held at arms length.

 

Andi Panda Crafts sock yarn in the color Elliot

Of course there is something to be said about the benefits of retail therapy as well.

 

Opal Little Prince Series in the color The Lamp lighter.

Who wouldn't rather open the mailbox and find yarny goodness as opposed to bills? But then again, I love Christmas cards. :) Do you find it hard to fit in your knitting during the holiday months?

 

Hopefully you are remembering to squeeze in a wee bit of knitting time today. Oh, and thank you ever so much for all the loves books recommendations from the last post. You guys are truly the best.  Enjoy a video about the knitting therapy and have the best day today!

 

 

 

XO,

Andi

Comments

[Tahnee]

I tend to do all my gift knitting throughout the year, rather than dealing with holiday stress. So I'm cheating a little and only indulging in the therapy side of knitting at the moment.

[Baclancy]

Like you, I love the holidays and love Christmas cards (it makes me sad that fewer people are sending them). But it's true there are some stresses. Knitting and tea make me happy and help me relax a bit.

Enjoy!

[Gleanne Marie]

This is perfect! I just told my husband that I had finished two of my nine Statistics problems and really felt like I could take a break and knit...he said perhaps I shouldn't as it is early and the longer I put off finishing my homework, the less I'll feel like doing it. I see his point, BUT if I tell him the knitting is actually therapy....

Have a wonderful day and no telling anyone about my 'break' to read your blog! LOL!

[Tracey]

I am only giving two knitted items as gifts this year and I knit those months ago so there is no stress knitting. But no matter what else is happening in my world, there is knitting every day, always!

[Alina]

It's a little bit embarrassing, but I decided not to knit gifts for awhile. So, I am devoting several months to pure selfish knitting :)

[Angela]

I just read a few days ago that just a few people still send Christmas card. How sad I thought to myself. I love to send Christmas cards. I love to display the ones I get as well. Wish I could tell the whole world, please continue with Christmas cards.
I do crochet for gifts and I love doing that!!I shall not stop till my fingers can't do it anymore for it gives me joy! Oh Andi that yarn (little prince series) has such a pretty color that one wants to eat it! :)

[DIane]

I adore the Wishing Well colour way your knitting the Vanilla socks in. Last year, my first year knitting, I wasn't stressed doing my Christmas knitting. But that's because I started early enough and had each one planned. This year, because of the unexpected trip to Hawaii and then a week visit with my son, I've missed out on 3 weeks knitting. I've picked up my Antler again and must finish it (being the monogamous knitter I am) before the Christmas knitting. I can already see I won't be making everything I had planned -- there won't be time. So to avoid the added stress I'll be buying most of the gifts and only making one or two this year. Better luck next year I hope. :)

[Stefanie]

I like making Christmas gifts but sometimes it seems to take away from my own personal knitting. I really need to start earlier so the timeframe won't be lopsided. But I am glad that I'm making small projects, these cowls so it's manageable. There is an underlying stress of the holidays. Trying to figure out what to buy ppl can be a headache and a chore.

[karen]

I try to knit all year for the holidays except for the quick knits, which I'm doing right now. I prioritize what I want to get done and if it does then that's great if it doesn't the receiver never knew about it :) Lovely knits you got on your needles!!

[wendy]

All that yarny goodness ☺☺ hooking up some mittens for xmas pressies but summer for us so not loved till winter lol

[Dee]

I guess we are really lucky. Our holidays are VERY low key and will be even moreso this year. Our son moved from Florida to Virginia and probably will not be home for the holidays.

Steve and I are thinking that maybe we will just take a little vacation instead of all the preps.

Hope you have wonderful holidays in spite of the busyness.

[Louise]

Great new yarn! I'll take yarn over bills any day!

[Becki]

I'm having a hard time thinking about holiday time this year - and I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner! I don't tend to stress until the moment is upon me (or nearly so). And then it feels almost too late to stress too much. BTW, I love that Opal The Little Prince yarn. I can't quite decide if it's the color of the yarn, the name of the yarn or the label I love most. :^)

[steph]

Daughter and I committed to do an art bazaar in our arts district for small business saturday; the knitting needles have been flying. BUT, I'm secretly hoping that nothing sells....which will mean that holiday knitting is fini!!!

[Julie]

I don't do a lot of christmas knitting, because I find that as much as I love doing it, there's only a handful of people that are excited to receive it, so I'd rather be a selfish knitter and knit for myself! I find that knitting around the holidays, provided it's easy and I can still do eye contact and converse with others, keeps me from eating too many sweets.

[Laura]

Commenting for the first time cause, a bunch of years ago, I couldn't travel for the holidays and special friends were away. I spent the loveliest Christmas day quietly by myself knitting and listening to an audiobook, and making a nice little meal. I felt so rejuvenated, even as it was great to see everyone for New Year's when they got back. Ever since then I have purposefully spent a holiday alone every several years, quietly knitting, thinking and relaxing. It's hard to explain sometimes, but it is so worth it!

[Donna@Allthingsming]

I completely understand this feeling!!! I bought a table at a craft fair this year and have been busy making and sewing for it and i am craving my knitting time. I always want to make a million things for Christmas and never start early enough! Yes retail therapy always helps! I adore that Andi Pandi sock yarn!
xoxo
donna

[Andrea @ This Knitted Life]

Ack! Holiday knitting! I am already so behind! What is a Knitter to do?!?

What I tersting yarn you have come up with. So many brands I haven't hard of or tried. A world of possibilities.

[Kiwiyarns]

you find the greatest stuff - thank you for sharing the video. I love all your yummy purchases. Great retail therapy! Good luck with your holiday knitting. I normally do not have time to knit holiday gifts, but this year may be different. We shall see!

[ellen]

I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and I'm unsure what it is that is flitting behind my eye sockets. I close my eyes and imagine myself knitting -- focusing on seeing the needle go behind the other stitch and the yarn wrap itself and pull through, then on to the next...

I opened a ball of yarn I don't know if I'll be able to knit this year, but I needed to visit with my new stash acquisitions. It all brings some kind of calm. Those few seconds and minutes, they mean a lot don't they?

[Marcie]

Is that a gray heel on those socks? Love them!

[Marcie]

I also wanted to say that yes...fitting in the time to knit during my favorite season to knit is difficult. I try my best by carrying it with me every where and I knit while I'm standing around. But life marches on and maybe someday when my kids aren't babies and running around like hooligans I'll be able to sit together with my 10 year old (or adult) daughters and we'll be drinking tea and discussing important things as we knit. :) Just thinking about that day as I type it makes me happy. I hope they end up loving to knit because I'll be sad if that never happens now that I've imagined it. :)

[Tina]

Such a lovely post and knitting is always wonderful to keep close during the holidays. I plan to only knit a couple of small gifts this year, both for my mom. Enjoy your time and I hope things will not be too stressful for you during this season :)

[Cimorine]

I MAKE time because I knit so much. At least, that's what's been happening this year. In fact I've been waking up earlier and going to bed later, just to work on knitting. Yeah, I'm not doing socks for everyone next year. Unless I start in June. Or maybe even January. Most of my stress relief does come with knitting while listening to knitting podcasts, watching TV, or, especially, listening to Christmas music. It gets me pumped up to work on my knitting, and excited to see my siblings' and parents' faces as they open their gifts and try them on.

I actually don't have too much stress over the holidays. There's just so much to do. I don't feel overwhealmed, though, because I'm not the only one who works. My family has the mentality of "we're all in this together, and don't THINK for a moment you can get out of work." But it's a lot of fun, too. We enjoy prepping for, hosting, and attending parties. But Christmas day is so relaxing afterwards too that we don't feel the Christmas slump. We have game night, wake up leisurely, and to be honest opening presents really isn't the highlight anymore. Nor is the prep. It's the spending time together. Anyone who doesn't value spending time with family over hosting, partying, or prepping is doing Christmas wrong. Every job we do just lets us spend even more time together.

I know I always do long posts, but PS I love your blog! I wish it was a book that I could buy and put on my table and flip through it. I LOVE YOUR PICTURES! could you do a post about setting up pics?