So… this week didn’t exactly go to plan. In fact, I didn’t touch the Max Waistcoat at all until the very end of the week! I spent the days between Sunday and Friday finishing the second sock I cast on last week – and while I didn’t take a photo of the finished pair, I did snap a quick pic of my crochet blanket, which came along with me to the hairdressers. A few calming rows while waiting – what could be better?
So yes, socks complete! That’s the big yay moment this week. And now I just need to double-check the pattern so it’s ready for testing (and sharing with you soon – I can’t wait!).
Looking back, I realised I hadn’t picked up the Max Waistcoat for a whole week – but I think that’s ok. The sock was just what I needed. A little refresher knit. Something small and soothing to clear my head before jumping back into the left front of the design.
You see, I’m a process knitter. That means I knit for the joy of it. For the rhythm. For the way it quietens the noise. I have so many WIPs (works in progress – or unfinished projects, if you’re not familiar with the lingo!). That’s one reason I started this #newdesignjourney – to share the journey with you, yes, but also to gently encourage myself to finish a design in a timely way. The only problem is…I’m addicted to knitting. And to casting on new things!
I honestly don’t know why I cast on that sock. Maybe it was all the lovely knitters who pop into the Skipton studio with their finished socks or who pick up a new ball to start another pair. Maybe it’s just that feeling – you only need 100g, and suddenly you’ve got a perfect pop of colour for your outfit.
Socks are joyful. They’re small, easy to pick up and do a few rows here and there. And before you know it, you’ve got a finished pair! A whole, finished project. There’s a lot of joy in that. Knitting a garment, on the other hand, feels like more – there are separate pieces, and it can feel like a bigger commitment. A little overwhelming, sometimes. But I still love knitting garments. I just find that adding in a smaller, satisfying knit – like a sock – brings balance.
Perhaps that’s why I cast it on. For joy. For the lovely, quiet joy of finishing something.
Ironically, that meant the Max Waistcoat took a back seat this week. But that’s ok. Because I knit for calm, for peace, for the soothing rhythm of stitches. I’m in no rush. The waistcoat will be finished when it’s finished.
I did pick it back up again on Monday and got started on the left front – so that’s progress! And I crocheted a bit more too. Always stitching. Always making. And if the only finished thing I have to show this week is a calm mind… well, that’s a pretty good outcome, don’t you think?
Next week I’ll be working on getting the sock pattern ready to share – and hopefully getting back into the flow of the waistcoat too. But if something new gets cast on in the meantime, that’s ok as well.
