Taexalia

wild.life

Knitting Therapy

Rainbow Feet
Socks by Taexalia for Taexalia

I'm half amused to be writing this post at all.

The idea of knitting being a liminal space, or a way to open gates to the psyche, or a path to Zen (choose your favourite or run screaming for the Old Age now...) was not something I considered when I decided I wanted to be able to knit socks. But I'm finding that it works for me.

I suppose, when I think about it, knitting is just like any other creative pursuit - the act of doing is where the magic happens and the magic can manifest in more than just the finished article.

I have noticed some things about myself as I am jumping feet first into learning about socks and knitting. One huge thing I realised in the last couple of days is my tendency to do for others and forget to do for myself. It's not a new theme in my life, it's just amusing to note it manifesting between the dpns.

Last week I made socks for a friend and ever since I have been wishing I had a pair for myself. Instead of doing that, I went off and ordered two sets of wool to make another two pairs for upcoming gifts. I love the pattern, which I have since discovered is also available online - Priscilla's Dream Socks - and I love the wool I chose to make it up in. The wool part was pure luck since I don't have much of a clue about knitting, but so far all three shades I have chosen are lovely. The wool is called Freedom Spirit Wool and I'm happy to plug Dragon Yarns as a speedy supplier

Anyway, back to the therapy... Having ordered the wool and set myself a deadline for these two new pairs of socks, I started feeling stressed out. In the interim I also started trying to make a pair of "footlets" from another pattern in Favorite Socks. My novice knitterishness showed itself up as I kept having to rip out the back of the heel - there is something fundamental and probably really easy that I am missing/misunderstanding in the pattern and I was ending rows with the wrong number of stitches. So basically for two days I made sock all and then the new wool arrived.

And my inner child was yelling "But I want a pair of socks for me!"

So I'm knitting myself a pair of "footlets", but I'm not using the pattern that frustrates me (I will return to it another day) and instead I've adapted the lovely Dream Socks pattern to make myself a pair of rainbow feet.

@ passed comment last night that he was happy to see me making myself a pair since the reason he'd bought the original sock knitting stuff was so that I could make treats for myself. In fact it was that conversation that prompted me to look a little closer at my plans to sock the feet of the world and rip out the saboteur before she knits herself into a frenzy. Just for today I will knit for me, and all that.