Knitting Toward Happiness.

I wrote this story nearly 1 year ago. My heart is still healing from the death of my mother. And I’m still knitting. I hope you’ll enjoy this read.

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For the last six months, I have been living someone else’s life. That is to say, I have been the facilitator of the end of my mother’s life.

Around Christmastime, 2020, she became noticeably ill. I believe she was ill before this, but I suppose that’s another story. By March of 2021, she was home in palliative care.

Looking after a loved one who is dying is a full-time, heart-wrenching, axe to the brain, sort of job. I held her hand as she took her last breath. I felt relieved the pain was over. Then, I became executor of her will, which is also a full-time, heart-wrenching, axe to the brain, sort of job. She’s been gone three weeks, yesterday, and I’m no closer to understanding which way is up.

But, we aren’t here to talk about the sad stuff of life. No. We are here to talk about happiness, and how I find some inside a world that hasn’t made much sense in awhile.

When I’m feeling really lost and anxious, I turn to knitting. There is something soothing in the repetitive motions of the needles, and the yarn sliding through my fingers. Am I the best knitter in the world? Absolutely not! But, I can handle the basics, which makes me a happy camper.

1. I find it immensely satisfying to see a tangible item appear right before my eyes. Did you know that knitting is classified as fabric making? Isn’t that amazing? I am making a piece of fabric! And, it’s so simple. You can buy lots of cool knitting kit, but all you really need are 2 needles, 1 ball of yarn, and some scissors.

2. Sharing what I’ve made also brings happiness into my life. I’ve given hats and scarves to all my friends and family. And, I’ve donated knitted items to charity fundraisers. My favourite from that experience was a matching set of toques for parent and baby that was snagged at a silent auction by a pregnant woman. It brought a smile to my face to imagine the two in matching hats.

3. I can let my creativity run free when I knit. One of the very first projects I ever tackled was knitting myself a blanket. I did this by knitting five long scarves and sewing them together. I made the blanket to fit me. It’s been 20 years, and that blanket is still hanging on. It’s a bit ugly, and I can see many spots where I’ve made mistakes in my stitches, but it has held together. Through two dogs, who insisted I made it just for them, countless naps, washings, and even as an extra layer of warmth while my mom was ill, that blanket served its purpose.

I decided recently that I should make myself another blanket. This time I got to work with a set of round needles. These are needles connected with a string that allows for bigger projects. I let my creativity take over as I dug through my collection of yarn. I used doubled up strands of yarn, creating a wild array of stripes. I knitted, snipped, and tied. Knitted, snipped, and tied my way to a joyful blanket, perfect for napping. Three simple tools, needles, yarn, and scissors, allowed me to create a beautiful, happy, reflection of my inner self. Plus, it’s super warm for napping.

Life has been hard for all of us, lately. If you’re looking for a peaceful and comforting hobby you can use to make gifts for loved ones, yourself, or charity, give knitting a try. And don’t worry if things don’t turn out perfectly at first. An imperfect moment of happiness can turn out to be the perfect thing to snuggle up with at the end of the day.