Does washing sweaters make you antsy? It does that to me. Apparently hovering over the top of a sweater laid out to dry doesn’t help. I’m trying it right now and so far, it’s not any drier than it was 5 minutes ago.
That’s one project mostly done (ends to sew in so not quite finished). What I’m really trying to do is distract myself from the let down I feel once a big project is over. Does finishing a sweater give you this feeling? For me the drying sweater isn’t it, that’s just one sweater in a long line of sweaters and I’m probably going to cast on a new one soon.
The big project I set myself over the last winter was to teach more classes than I ever have before. Sometimes that was 4 knitting classes a week. I’m almost done for the season now, only one more day of teaching to go and I’m almost out of gas.
Teaching is my passion. I love to see knitters try a new technique or knit a sweater that fits but it also takes a lot of energy and I found that quite often there was no time in between to fill up the tank. That’s something I have to take a good look at for next year. I’m taking some time now to fill up by reading (and hovering over a wet sweater) so very little knitting got done this week. I want to be in good shape for my last day of classes on Saturday at Kawartha Yarn and Fibre Festival. There will be a Cabin Fever booth there too.
Since knitting is my job, I turn to reading. I gave myself the luxury of a week of reading and over the weekend I sat in the sun and read all day. Five mystery books, a romance novel and a couple of non-fiction books seem to have done the trick.
Is knitting your go-to to relax and rejuvenate? What kind of projects work the best?
I hope your knitting is filling you up with lots of wonderful energy to tackle the week. Happy knitting and reading,
Deb
Any Gauge patterns by Deb
Cabin Fever patterns and books
Deb Gemmell: Top Down, Gauge Free and more 
Hi Deb: I’d like to know what you are reading, especially the mysteries, as that is my favourite genre of book to read. My latest mystery book binge has been the Ruth Galloway novels (11 and counting) by Elly Griffiths – if you haven’t read them yet, I highly recommend them!
Anne
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I’ll try those books out. Thanks. I was reading the Sid Halley series by Dick Francis. Jockey turned investigator looks into villians in horse racing world. There are 4 books about this one character. If you like British horse racing you might enjoy them.
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Hi Deb:
Knitting and reading are two of my preferred ways to relax and rejuvenate. I’d like to know what books you are reading, particularly the mystery books, as that is my favourite genre of books. I would highly recommend the Ruth Galloway series of books (11 and counting) if you haven’t read them yet, very entertaining and likable characters.
Enjoy your column very much, always helpful.
See you in Kawartha, I’ll be there with Debbie this weekend!
Anne
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Deb, goodness me! To speed up sweater drying, try having a fan blow over it. If I didn’t do that, it would take forever this time of year for my wet-blocked projects to dry. ; )
H’mm, yes, I like to read too. Thrillers and mysteries as well as romances.
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You’re right, it’s taking forever. Good idea about the fan. I’ll give that a shot.
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I enjoy washing my hand knits, especially sweaters. It gives me permission to pet them and check them for any snags or other problems. After rolling in a towel and squeezing them thoroughly, I block them on a bed in a room with a ceiling fan.
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I like your idea of petting your knits.
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I knit most happily in the morning, but that’s when I read, too. Good for you that you love to teach knitting. I’m happy to be a student. I have always struggled when students don’t “get it”. One of my friends went back to the yarn store so many times that the woman who worked there finally said, “I can’t help you anymore. It must be just too hard for you.” That really hurt her feelings.
Happy knitting!
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I’ve been working in a yarn store for the last 3 years and helping knitters with projects has been the best part. Sometimes projects are really hard but if it’s broken down into small parts it can usually get some traction.
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