Knitting and Breathing...

 

Hello and happy Sunday!

 

 

Today I find myself craving bit of quiet and squishy yarn for company. I've talked about it before, but silent time is a sort of fuel for me.  Do you ever feel that the world get's too loud?

 

Pattern~ Simply Ginny socks  Yarn~ Wee Chickadee Woolery Smooshy sock in Rose Moss

I would love to hear what you do in order to quiet the noisy world around you. For me, soft music playing the background, a cup of chamomile and my knitting serve up the most beneficial regrouping medicine.  Sometimes I will mix it up and read a bit and when I do read and knit for me it is almost always...Harry Potter.

 

 

For many our lives consist of getting things done right away, multitasking and not taking a moment to really breath until the job is done. We are focused so much on getting from point A to Z in the quickest way possible. All this caused noise in my mind as well as a baby head on my right shoulder ( baby head is what I call the knot that happens on my right shoulder). While I am sure a massage could rub out that stress but for me it is a temporary solution. Listening to my breathing and concentrating on the flow of the beautiful yarn between my fingers, proves to be a cheaper and reminds me to think about my breathing. 

On Sundays I take the focus away from "deadline" knitting projects and dedicate my day to an easy knit that allows me to not think. During cooler months it was my scrappy blanket and now while the heat it on it is all about the Fade. :)

Do you use your knitting to help you to "just be"?  If so, I would love to hear what works for you. Is it about setting a stage (like total silence and some tea) or do you take your knitting with you on a walk, or something else?

Enjoy a video about being in a Knititative state and have the best day today!

 

 

 

XO,

Andi

Comments

[Lisa]

I try to use my knitting time as a way to relax, but so often I pop in a loud movie or music. that I don't really find it as relaxing as it could be. I just can't seem to surround myself with pure quiet. I have music on almost all the time if the TV isn't. Who knows. I do know that I tend to pick out which project to work on based off of my mood or if I feel like knitting slow or fast. Hmmmm interesting topics today Andi, a lot to think about.

[Gretchen]

You and I are very kindred spirits. I value my quiet time more than anything else, especially being a part of a family full of extroverts. Sunday is my favorite day of the week. Sit quietly, read or knit, and drink tea.

[Linda]

I've started keeping the tv off in the mornings for a couple hours or more. I used to put it on right away - as background sounds. But found it was hyping me up for some reason. So now I wait until the show comes on that I want to watch and turn it on - watch it and then the tv goes off again. I'm having such anxiety attacks at night (various reasons). The only way I can calm myself is to start thinking about a knitting project - going over the pattern in my head or choosing colors. My quiet time escape is the shower. Seems like the only peace I get lately!

Linda in VA

[Dee]

The world is definitely too loud, too obnoxious and getting meaner by the minute. Knitting surely helps .....when it's too hectic I try to really focus in on making every stitch perfectly and TRY to block out the extraneous noise.

(It seems like where I live in the inner-city, it is NEVER totally quiet. Some of the noises are calming -- like the train whistle, but most are jarring with lots of car alarms, people being loud, etc...)

If it gets REALLY noisy, I'll pop in my earbuds and listen to music or a podcast on my computer while I knit. That usually brings me back to center.

[Jeannine]

Hi Andi,
I love to knit and read as well, and a quiet walk with nature, or baking something in my kitchen, getting down to earth and back to basics, helps me forget the noise of the world around me. Lovely post as always:)

[karen]

Oh I hope that knot goes away. Gentle stretches, some yoga, sitting with GOOD posture. As for stress, I do jigsaw puzzles on my ipad.....my mind becomes a blank and I get all zen finding a puzzle piece.

[Vicki]

I like to knit while I am sitting outside on my lounge swing. Of course when it isn't too hot. It is never too cold here so I can sit outside in the Winter. If I am not knitting I am reading. I just love a cool breeze and to listen to the birds and children playing. Our dog usually joins me.

[jane]

I too need quiet time to restore my equilibrium. I like to knit and listen to either an audio book or a podcast. However sometimes I just make a cup of tea in the evening and knit into the silence. In good weather, I like to sit on the deck and listen to the birdsong or watch the sun go down. An outdoor walk is another balm for me. I also try to keep Sundays for just being - church, or reading, or knitting, or gardening or some combination of these activities. Yoga is another way for me to destress too. Lovely post with food for thought. Thank you.

[Lisa]

I also like to knit and watch something on Netflix or a podcast or vlogger video to quiet the world around me. I use blogging and reading other people's blogs as a way to relax. I love your sock, the cable is really nice!

[Corina]

Being in nature and knitting are two of my most powerful strategies to stay sane. At least I think I'm sane. I could be wrong.
Often, I take knitting out into nature, and then it's a double whammy therapy session, like getting two for one!
And then you throw some dark chocolate in there, and it's all just pure heaven.

[Ramona]

I love this notion! This had me see that my love for knitting is being crushed by my stash and my queue. I have so many project with yarn and pattern matched that it is weighing me down. I'm using KALs to up my productivity but it often takes away the joy. I'm looking forward to knitting through some of my early stash so I can concentrate on buying nicer yarn for the projects that will be this kind of soothing relaxing knit time for me.

[Nadja]

I love to knit while listening to an audiobook or watching some anime or something on youtube, Netflix or some other streaming website. That's very relaxing to me and something that I can still do to relax without falling asleep right away (reading is hard these days). Sleep-deprived mind, yay. I need that time to myself to recharge and be a good mom to my kids.

[Tahnee]

This sounds super familiar, the world gets too loud for me all the time. For me knitting is definitely a remedy, with no particular setting though. I'm just happy on the couch, while my boyfriend watches something on tv that I'm not particularly interested in anyway.

[marla]

I'm a fairly new knitter and obsessed. But I can't do anything else and knit! Walk and knit? Talk and knit? Breathe and knit? Not even close. How long has it taken others to get to that point? I'll put something on tv and just repeat it 10 times and still not know what's happening on the screen! Knitting takes my full attention (I guess that's OK). I just hear women at my local knit shop say "I was standing in line at the bank, knitting..." I want to take my knitting Zen wherever I go!

[marla]

And I love Jane's comment "knit into the silence"...beautiful.

[Megan]

I love hearing about others' knitting rituals. As a mom of a two-year old, I use my knitting time to cultivate a sense of calm so lately I've been avoiding knitting that requires me to pay much attention so I can also read. I'm new to the knitting while reading thing, though, and I'd love some pointers! At this point, I can really only do it if I'm reading on my kindle but I do miss the tactile joy of an actual book. I also love to watch knitting podcasts while I knit for the sense of community and inspriation they offer. And I always pair my knitting with tea - green in the afternoon and peppermint in the evening.

[Andrea @ This Knitted Life]

Quiet or chaos, I will take them both as long as I have my knitting. As always, you have the best yarn colorways this week. May peace and tranquility be abundant in your week!

[wendy]

Good old crochet with a Granny blanket helps me relax.....in our crazy world it can be very hard to escape the noise and what is happening but music is something I love to listen too and going to the movies and losing myself in that moment of time ☺☺

[steph]

no doubt...my knitting is my 'zen' time...and i need it every day!!! love your spring colours!!!

[Maryse]

I wish I could knit for days :) To me, it would be complete silence and knitting on the couch. Doesn't happen often enough :)

[Angela]

Hand work does calms us down. For me it helps me to stay quiet and not talk so much. Sending hugs and peaceful thoughts to quiet the mind!!

[Mimi]

I just discovered your blog. What a lovely post for my first visit! Reading all the comments about finding quiet tells me I'm in good company here.

[Julie]

ha! love that video on the knittative state. Your sock is looking gorgeous, I love that yarn you chose. I love knitting while watching tv or a movie, I feel like I seldom get to watch anything that isn't suitable for a 5 year old (what with my 5 year old often being in the room), so it feels like a treat to switch to my own profiteer on netflix and knit!

[Barb]

I am late to the party on this one Andi, but had some time and decided to chime in. I enjoy knitting in the early afternoon on the weekend, when the daylight is good and I sit in quite. When the evening rolls around I feel rested and relaxed and realize I had entered a knititative state. And keeping with quiet, I'm realizing there's a lot of comfort in the quiet.