Easy Does It
I always have the simplest of projects in my daily craft basket – the one that sits by my chair in the lounge (and woe betide anyone who sits in ‘my chair’).
When my head is completely full and my brain has had enough for the day, all I want to do when I sit down in the evening is to pick up my knitting or crochet and be creative without even having to:
think about it;
fathom out where I’m up to in a pattern;
read a complicated stitch pattern.
I just want to knit or crochet, take a breath and de-stress.
Are you the same?
And whilst I may have more complicated projects on the go, I always make sure that I have a couple of simple makes to help me to knit or crochet myself calm.
It really works too, and not only does it help me relax, it also helps me to switch off from all the things that need doing, and as a result I can get a better night’s sleep and feel more energised to tackle the next day’s ‘to-do’ list.
Using my favourite colours in my knit and crochet projects
My current daily helpers are a pair of striped socks, from stash yarn. I’m really enjoying the colour combination that was inspired by a jumper that I spotted in an advert on Instagram. I immediately loved the colours of the stripes and I thought to myself that I probably have those colours in my stash. After a little mooch, I freed the potential stripes from my stash, cast on with my favourite sock needles, and my relaxing socks were born. These socks are proving to have even more benefits, as the colours really make me smile. The wellbeing benefits of using your favourite colours are known to lift your mood and make you feel inspired and positive, so I’d definitely recommend using your favourite colours in your daily go-to project.
In my next post I will talk about happy colours and how to find yours, so that you can knit and feel happy too.
Are knitted socks worth it?
This is a common 'googled' questions, and I can say with hand on heart that I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't knit socks. Not only do I love knitting them, they also keep my feet warm and cosy. I knit so many socks that I can knit both a toe-up or a cuff down socks without need a pattern. The rounds are quick to knit and once you’ve knitted the toe or the cuff, off you go, round and round, just knit, knit, knitting. They have such a calming effect, and I can’t imagine never not having a simple sock in my daily craft basket, waiting for me like a supportive friend.
Granny Square Blankets
I also have a pretty granny square crochet blanket that only needs a few rounds to finish it off. Like socks, the repetitive nature of a granny square blanket is perfect for switching off and absorbing your immediate surroundings. For this project, I focussed on:
the groups of 3 treble crochet stitches that create the pattern;
the feel of the fabric I'm making;
the colour scheme I’m creating.
I’m also using up oddments of yarn in beautiful spring-like colours of greens, yellows and a pop of lilac. It never ceases to amaze me how we can create something lovely out of nothing by using our yarn stash.
For this blanket, even the smallest scraps have been used and because I followed the 6-round colour sequence of the pattern itself (albeit it my own colours), it doesn’t look anything like a scrappy blanket. It looks really fresh and pretty. The blanket is from Sue Rawlinson’s new book called Sweet Pea Crochet (by Search Press). It’s full of fabulous and cute projects for new babies, all of which could be made with stash yarn, which makes it a really useful book.
So that’s how I use the simplest of projects to help manage daily stress, so that I can get a decent night’s sleep.
I hope it gives you some ideas too on how to use your knitting or crochet as a wellbeing tool.
Don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your tips with me too; I always love hearing about your stories too.
Have a good week,
Lynne xx
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