Feeling Sentimental with Knitting

In less than two weeks I will be attending my son's wedding.  These are happy times for our family and I am looking forward to it very much.

Each time I pick up my knitting it has become a quiet time of reflection.  Knitting gives us such a place of contentment, reflection, harmony and rest.  I honestly feel that whenever I have my needles in my hand.

This is truly an art of love and time.  Those who do not knit honestly can't appreciate the amount of time that goes into a knitted piece, maybe some do, but not many!!  Only fellow knitters understand the gift of  love and time that surrounds a knitted piece.  That is not why I knit.  I love spending time creating something for myself or a loved one.  I love the fact that when I get the rare opportunity of time to sit, knit and not be disturbed,  I will be going off into a quiet zone that no one else can join me!  The piece before me begins to grow and I am learning all the time.  My first Ishbel lace scarf has certainly taught me patience.  It is coming along now and with each new knitted row, I can see the lace design popping through.  When I am creating a piece for someone else, I love praying over that piece for that individual; their life and their family.  It is part of the gift they receive when the piece is completed.  It is especially wonderful when I am knitting little baby booties.  I love praying for that little life that is ready to come into the world;  that to me  is a very special feeling.

So as I pour through pictures to scan for my son's wedding and stumble across the cable knitted sweaters I made for my boys, I have become extremely sentimental about knitting today.  Knitting has been a part of my life as long as I can remember!  It isn't until recently that I have fallen in love with it the way I have.  I know that it has gotten me through some very rough times sitting with two very ill parents in the past few years.  It has given me much joy sitting with girlfriends in a knitting group or taken me to some wonderful shops and festivals and it brought me to the wonderful online community of Ravelry.

I will continue to knit and continue to love my quiet place where I go to knit when everything else is happening around me.  While I am knitting, I will keep reflecting on all the good things in this life;  the blessings of children and family and friends.  Each day is truly a gift, it is up to us as to what we do with it....I know for me somewhere in my day a pair of knitting needles and of course my yoga mat are trailing closely!

Falling Backwards in what you create...

Ever have a bad time with something that you are creating?  Ever feel like all the hours spent on creating something and then having to start over can be frustrating?  Well I believe that has been me this week, I was humming along with my Ishbel knitting, got up to finishing the first section A and realized my spine center stitch was off by 1 stitch, way down in the stockinette section!   OOPS!  I thought of every which way to leave it, justify leaving it there and my sister (The Ishbel expertise) said to me that I couldn't leave it, that lace knitting was all a part of the learning process.  She encouraged me to find and correct the mistake and I did.  I wound up pulling it all out and beginning again three days ago.  I must say,  now that I started over, I  am knitting with more confidence and without mistakes.  It is a joyful experience!

Anything in which we create and spend our precious efforts and energy toward, whether  it is weaving, knitting, spinning, painting, or our exercise routine;  is worth our 100% energy toward it.  I learn that every time I step onto my yoga mat.  I want to do my very best with the routine I have before me.  That is how I feel toward any of my creative efforts.  Right now, knitting has my complete focus, I want a completed Ishbel shawl for myself.  My goal is to knit my two daughter n laws one for Christmas.  Each one will be in the colors of their wedding.  That is what I love about knitting so much, we can personalize each thing we knit.  As I am creating a knitted piece for someone, I pray over that piece and who I am knitting for.  I consider it a gift of love.

Yes, I fell extremely backwards this week in my knitting journey.  I was frustrated, tired and disappointed in myself as an experienced knitter.  How could just one little stitch create such havoc in my knitting world?  Come on and admit it, you have been there too!

Blessings to you and Namaste!

Day 15 on my Ishbel

I have been working on my Ishbel pretty steadily now and finally have gotten to the Lace part A.  I am AMAZED when I go to the Ravelry website and find knitters who have completed their shawls in two days!  I have let other things get in my way;  but now that I am at the lace section and it is getting exciting!  I have spent way too many hours with the Ravelry site and have seen everyone else's accomplishments with this Ishbel pattern.  I am so inspired!  Coming to the lace knitting now is starting to show the beauty of this pattern.  Right now, I am knitting and watching Oprah with Julia Roberts discussing Eat Pray Love movie.  How fun is that in the middle of the afternoon!

Creativity is about reaching down deep and doing what we love.  Spending time with knitting needles is relaxing and very grounding for me.  Right now it is definitely what I love and need to do.  Life is about expression.  Expression through words, art, fiber, paint and so much more.  There is a huge community of knitters, each finding their own forms of self expression.  Through patterns, designing, fibers, color choices and knitting styles we are seeing the community of knitting continue to grow.  Knitting stores are popping up all over, knitting blogs are the norm and I am so excited to see the renewal of knitting again.

I look forward to watching my Ishbel grow and hopefully soon I can add my picture to my Ravelry site as completed...along with  the many talented knitters I have been following. I thank them for  inspiring me to be a better knitter.   The pressure is on :)

Having fun knitting on my Ishbel scarf!

I have been working on my first Ishbel lace scarf for a few days now and I can't explain it, I am so relaxed and at ease with it, I don't want to put it down!  Unfortunately life gets in the way, work, chores, etc.  I find myself not wanting to do anything but knit on my scarf.

I have been working on my Ishbel scarf since I started it on Mother's day, grabbing a row here and there when I can.   I have totally loved the Ishbel group on Ravelry and I am amazed when I see some knitters start and finish in two days time! How do they do that?  I sure wish I had that kind of time.  Ravelry is a gift to knitters and it joins us together with a common bond; the sincere love of knitting.  I thank everyone who willingly shares there talents with others, I am learning a lot.

Knitting is a joy for me.  Every time I get to sit in my special place and relax with my knitting,  I feel like everything is okay in my world.  My thoughts calm down, I feel a sense of ease with my needles and the rhythm of knitting is better than anything else that is soothing to the spirit.  Add a candle and some quiet music and I am in heaven!

I am finding lace knitting a bit challenging;  I have to concentrate on the pattern.  If I add just one stitch or yarn over in the wrong place then everything is off.  I found that to be especially true in knitting this scarf;  the center yo, k, yo shifted and I had to start back to where I needed to be!!!

The yarn from Miss Babs is wonderful.  The Sandi's Red colorway is beautiful and I can't wait to see the finished product.  I will continue to keep you posted.  I want to give myself one day off, to stay in my jammies and knit all day long!!!  Wonder how far I will get on my Ishbel then?

Thinking about what to create next!

It has been over a week since I returned from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  It has been two years since I attended this festival last and I had high expectations about renewing my creative juices.  Attending such an incredible fiber festival was overwhelming and exhilarating!

Trying to decide what I wanted to bring home with me wasn't an easy task either.  Looking through booth after booth of handyed yarns, spinning fibers, patterns and knitted samples was uplifting to me.  I was also experiencing  a condition called Fiber Overload, so I spent quality time in the sheep barns as well.  Somehow petting a gentle lamb always makes me feel special and puts me in the right frame of mind.  They are such gentle creatures and very loving animals.

What I decided to get started on first was my very first attempt at the Ishbel lace shawl that everyone is loving on my Ravelry site.  I purchased the most beautiful hand-dyed Merino wool (Sandi's Red) at the Miss Babs booth,  some Addi Turbo lace needles and off I started.

I have been knitting socks for quite awhile and my loom is sitting half warped with a beautiful goldenrod mohair textured scarf;  but somehow the Ishbel shawl was calling me.  I have begun knitting this afternoon on Mother's day, while remembering my precious mom. This was my first Mother's Day without her and I was feeling emptiness.  I found the rhythm of the knitting needles calming and comforting today.  I look forward to seeing the work progress and wearing the finished piece in honor of my mama.

Knitting is my friend, it can make everything alright when my world is turned upside down.  It is something that you can take with you, something that is soothing and something that has been around for centuries.  Just the sound of two needles clicking together, row after row creating something wonderful is really magical.  It just doesn't get any better than that!  I am still saying thank you to the little older ladies that taught me to knit when I was just a little girl, they gave me a gift that I am still opening up today!

Woven Thoughts...A Life that is Woven

I have always compared my weaving life to that of my spiritual walk.  It is hard to put into words, but let me try to explain why I feel the two are interwoven.  Not many people are able to own a weaving loom and create the beautiful pieces that I am able to create, I know that and I am grateful for the artistic path that I chose for my life.

I can remember when my son was just one year old I began taking weaving lessons from a wonderful teacher in her home.  Once a week my mom would watch my little guy so that I could go and spend three hours learning to weave.  It was a wonderful time in my life and I knew that I was beginning something that was extraordinary!  I wanted to own a loom and one day I did.  I was able to rent to own a beautiful new solid cherry weaving loom for just $35.00 a month.  At the time that was a financial strain, but it was so worth it!  My loom was the first piece of furniture I had in the living room of my new home and the rest of the furnishings were built around it.  My son will turn thirty this summer and I have been weaving and designing all that time.  What a creative journey it has been.  I have been in art shows, been featured in art galleries, became part owner in Blue Skies Gallery for several years, taught weaving to others in the quietness of my home and at the Contemporary Art Center in Virginia Beach, became a weaving loom dealer and created my own weaving business called The Gentle Thread. My artwork was even featured in Portfolio Magazine.   All these steps were part of my personal creative journey.

The loom is amazing and the woven fabric it creates is even more amazing.  The warp of the loom, which creates the strength of the woven piece I compare to the foundation of my life.  My spiritual foundation, God which gives me strength in all things. Now a warp does not become the woven piece of cloth until it crosses with the weft.  The weft is the beautiful yarns, the colors and textures that are woven over the warp.  Here is where creation a one of a kind piece of cloth begins, the beauty begins to unfold. This is what I compare to the experiences we go through in life. The people we meet (many colorful in personality), the heartaches, the joys, the dreams,  the ups and downs that are all  a part of one's life journey... they are all interwoven. Without the warp (that which gives us our strength and foundation in our lives) it could never become the woven piece.

I am grateful to have realized that and have been able to intermingle my passion for weaving with my own metaphor for life.  I will continue to weave and recognize it as a gift of creative expression.  How lucky I am to sit at my loom and relax and take this all in!

Woven Thoughts...The Time to Create

Each day is a new beginning. Time to do all the things we must do, yet it is also a chance to carve out time to do what we love. Our creative self needs time to come out and play. Yet it does seem that we put everything else ahead of our creative time, when that is just what we really need. Why is that? Is it that we do not honor the artist that lives within? Do we feel it as a guilty pleasure to have time to sit and give into our creative urges?

I used to have the philosophy that I could sit and spend time with my art, when everything else was right in my world. The house was cleaned, the laundry done, email checked, phone calls out of the way, etc. Whatever speck of time was left perhaps, then and only then could I run into my studio and create something in a few short minutes. I did that for a long time. I did accomplish creative things, but it took me longer to complete them. Then I was frustrated because I wasn't finishing when I wanted too. Goodness knows if I was creating something that was commission work, I had a deadline to contend with also. That was added pressure on myself. The cycle of frustration continued. It continued because I allowed it to.

I view my art work totally different now. I look forward to spending time with my creative self. I make it a priority; not an afterthought. What a difference it has made for me! Try actually setting a creative time for yourself, it can work. A time where even your family and friends know and expect you to be working in your studio. Make it something you look forward to and that you anticipate. It took me awhile to find just the right time for me that also worked with my job outside of the home and family responsibilities. I only know what has worked for me. When I am in balance with life, family, spiritual and mental health; then I know my art will flourish.

For me the time is early morning. I love that time especially. Time well spent in my studio, with my soft music, my candlelight and my creative self. Whether painting, or weaving..the time I am able to express myself is worth so much. It also adds to my day at work, because I have fed my creative self first! I am actually getting more things done at a better pace and my quality of work is better.

Woven Thoughts...Renewal of Spirit

Life can throw us many curves, more than we want sometimes. For the past three years of my life I have been care taking my parents from illness and then death. First my precious daddy from the dreaded disease Lung Cancer and then soon after my mother with a two year battle with Dementia. I only bring this up because while in the process of care taking; I realized that I lost a part of myself. My creative spirit was crushed. Spending time at my loom or knitting delicious socks or even holding a watercolor brush in my hand was put aside. Put aside for a worthy reason, loving my parents because the needed me so much.

I believe with my whole heart that as an artist; a fiber artist first and foremost, the need to create comes from within. When creative times are put aside or stripped from us, we become restless, hollow and dry. I truly didn't realize what was happening to my inner creative self while I was going through it. I kept pressing on each day doing what I had to do; never dreaming my artistic self was drying up. The desire to create anything was gone; it was a slow process, but it was there.

It has been five months now since my mother has passed and the yearning to create again is slowly returning. To have the time to sit at my loom and hold the fibers within my fingers and actually thread the loom is an amazing sensation! I had forgotten or put it aside to deal with what was before me . I now had the time, but needed to figure out how to get back into time alone with my art. Trying not to judge myself or be critical of the process. I have a long way to go!!

When an artist is able to create and I believe in any medium; it is a renewal of the creative spirit. The inner feeling of WOW is refreshing. I am just starting to enjoy the process of creating again. I ask myself, "Donna, where did you go"? I look forward to each new day, what will I create, what will I learn and what will I be able to share?

Woven Thoughts...Beginnings

Blogging Day One!
I have wanted to create a blog ever since I saw Julie and Julia! Of course, so has everyone else. But I wanted mine to be where my creative thoughts roll out of my head and onto the screen. The name Gentlethreads came from my weaving business The Gentle Thread. It took me months to come up with a name that I loved and that represented me the best. I consider myself a gentle spirit and weaving has been my passion for thirty years. Mixing different threads and fibers into woven creations, most of them planned out and some of my best pieces were those created by accident. My precious friend Holly always wanted me to put my thoughts down on paper, this is the closest I have come.

The loom is where I collect my thoughts...woven ideas on life, spirituality and friendship. This will be my forum and I am excited to see how my blog develops. The loom is significant to me, as are the thoughts and feelings that come from sitting at my loom. The quiet rhythm of the shuttle creates a soft space for me, I like that.

So join me won't you...let's see what comes out of this.