Resting Rows

In knitting, as in life, you have to take some time to rest. Sometimes that means taking a break from stitching to keep your carpals from tunneling...but sometimes it's just letting your brain rest a bit by keeping the stitches simple. Like a pair of socks in self-striping yarn with few details...

Oh, you can keep it fun and interesting by adding in a new heel (my first, actual German Short-Row heel!),

Or a simple broken rib...

But mostly it's "just keep [knitting]," rows upon rows until you have a pair of socks. This kind of knitting brings rest to my brain and soul, because thinking through other things while knitting helps me organize my thoughts at a slower pace. As my needles draw one loop through the next stitch over and over and over, my thoughts start to organize themselves a little better. 

In fact, knitting is such a habit to me now that i often work many stitches without even looking.  This leaves me free to engage in conversation or enjoy a movie with my family, all while keeping my pulse and breathing steady, even when the movie is a thriller! 

Of course, there are some patterns and designs which require more concentration from the knitter, but even these tend to have resting rows built in...a little ribbing, seed stitch or maybe even plain knitting in between the "thinky" parts of the pattern provide a place to just knit. *(insert contented sigh here)* I think of these resting rows as a little knitting nap for my brain,  and who doesn't like a little nap here and there? 

Oh, that's right. The 4-year-old with a case of FOMO fights naptime! Most of the rest of us (and occasionally even the nap-fighters) relish a rest when we can take it.

Now that I've finished those socks, I'm working on an improvised project that involves picture knits. In this project, that means texture knit into the piece that creates an image. 

There is a LOT of counting involved, and I've already done a good amount of ripping back and re-knitting in these 56 rows, but I'm coming up to 12 resting rows very soon...which is good. Soon we expect a visit from the boys, and there will be no time for rest until bedtime with our favorite, local little hooligans!

Whatever you're up to lately, I hope you'll take the time to rest a bit between the thinky things and the "gotta-get-it-done." I promise that if you take some time to refresh your body and mind, you'll find that you are more productive in the long run! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!