It has taken me almost 7 weeks to get this far on my crochet star blanket!
I started it on the last day of the Summer holidays, last thing at night - in a bid to carve out the tiniest bit of space to fill my own well, after a Summer spent pretty much filling everyone else's!
As the blanket gets bigger and bigger, I am able to enjoy the satisfying feeling of snuggling down under it as the days draw in, the leaves fall and the season slips into the true cosiness of Autumn... I didn't plan it that way! I didn't plan to crochet or make a blanket at all really, I just sort of jumped-in - following a You Tube video to begin with and using any wool that I had to hand...
It has been a delightful, unexpected creative journey and a discovery of something new.
I have carted my crocheting about with me to soooo many places now - the children's clubs, camp, the doctor's surgery, cafe's, the roller-disco, family gatherings... I even managed a sneaky stitch or two in the school playground whilst waiting for the children to be released, filling those 'in-between' moments and sparking so many lovely conversations with plenty of friendly people both that I already know and plenty I didn't. It's been truly joyful hearing about other people's projects, or their memories of their sister or mum crocheting, or the projects they are dreaming of starting and just chatting about life... lovely connections unfolding over some lovely threads of yarn.
There is a kind of rhythm that also unfolds as I work the wool into the blanket - each stitch echoing the beating of a thought, a word... thoughts coming and going as one stitch follows another. With busy hands, my mind wanders free, and it is easy to slip into a sort of meditation. Or watch, or chat, or just be... it is relaxing, soothing, restorative, and the vibrant colours are reviving to my senses and my soul.
I am learning patience, too! I usually like to work on creative projects that I can complete quite quickly - I have no idea how long this one will take! I know that I want it to be big enough to fit the children whilst they watch TV in the Winter, but having never crocheted before, and only fitting a few stitches in here and there... it could be a while! But the process is giving me so much satisfaction that I am learning to wait.
I'm so glad that I gave myself permission to carve out the time and try this simple craft - I feel like I've discovered a secret known to generations of mama's and grandma's before me, that somehow had managed to pass me by... I haven't joined a knitting circle but I can see why many do and feel that You Tube tutorials aside, crocheting is a kind of lost art that brings so many benefits alongside the object itself that is being created. It would be amazing to see it out in the world more; spontaneous 'knitting cirlces' springing up bringing colour, connection and ease out in the world.
I can't wait to see what else I can try, new patterns to learn, and projects to attempt however simple or complicated - in the meantime though, as my blanket grows, I will snuggle down in those in-between moments, and breathe a little patience into everything else I do. 