Rest

So often I turn to stitching as a form of rest.  With young kids and a demanding job as a nurse - the chances to just sit down are few and far between.  I look forward to settling into a comfy spot with a warm blanket and a lap full of stitching.  There have been times in my life - and deep into quarantine is becoming another - when I haven’t been able to stitch for rest.  

About 12 years ago, I very suddenly developed excruciating pain in my right (dominant) arm.  I figured I would take a few days off of knitting (my main stitching love at that time) and it would be fine.  After a month of no relief, I finally had a doctor appointment.  After  6 months of treatment that was not helping, I had a second opinion and learned I would need surgery to release my ulnar nerve, which was being pinched as it passed through my elbow joint.  No wonder I hurt.  I had the surgery and after months of rehab still found I couldn’t stitch the way I did before the injury.  It had been a year without stitching.

I was an avid knitter for many years. I always had a project going…often multiple at the same time.

Just typing that paragraph takes me back to that time of my life, which was really hard.  A year after that arm surgery, I had my first babies (twins), and the following ten years were consumed with parenting.  During those ten years, I figured out that some people can knit around their children easily, but I am not one of them.  It felt laborious to knit with kids. After they went to bed, I was too tired to count and keep track of a pattern.  My arm was still recovering and knitting sometimes still caused pain.

Welcome back to my old friend embroidery.  Easy to pick up and put down without losing my place.  Forgiving.  Less expensive.  This was just the stitching I needed in my life.  

A view of my organized floss.

The pandemic and living in quarantine has at times made it difficult to stitch again. This time not from the physical pain of a pinched nerve, but from the mental and emotional exhaustion of living in a constant state of worry and fear.  I wake up feeling just as tired as when I went to sleep.  My patience is small and fragile.  There are times when stretching my arm to get the project just over there is too much.  I am turning to some old tricks to spark my creativity during this time.

One of my WIPs that I have going right now.

The first trick I learned during the year of arm pain/surgery was to consume creative ideas that sparked some excitement about making.  An armful of stitching books from the library, a virtual scroll through Instagram, Pinterest, or Ravelry can definitely help get creative juices flowing again.

The next is to be with my supplies.  Wind up yarn or floss.  Get organized.  Dig through a bag of my fabric stash.  Play with new colors or textures.  

Some of my floral prints that really help to get in the mood for spring.

My final trick is to practice patience.  I am a stitcher - it’s just part of me, and it won’t be gone forever.  I keep a few simple projects close at hand.  This might not be the time for something elaborate or a new technique.  It might be the time for mindlessly stitching the outline of a flower or randomly placing french knots.  It also could be a time for making that doesn’t have a destination - just making to make.  Let go of how it looks or what the finished object will be. 

This printed fabric is the perfect easy project. Just outlining the flower is simple and so satisfying.

I’m hoping my pandemic funk will be short lived.  Spring is arriving soon in my part of the world, and I know that will help.  Someday soon I’ll be wrapped up in my hammock with a hoop on my lap, and life will feel ok again.