Everyone has a pandemic story. Mine was a roller coaster. Not good for the girl who was perfectly happy holding everyone’s stuff while the rest of my family went on The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Orlando.
I have been knitting lots of simple things and reading many books. I have ignored designing and stepped away from posting vlogs. I really do not know what I add to the vast expanse that is the internet. What I post is posted by others who are much better at production and lighting. I enjoyed vlogging but am not sure about going back to it. Only time will tell.
I have learned so much about myself. Realizing that:
- I was never going to really get rid of much yarn from my craft room or organize it (when I had time I did neither of these things). I stopped planning, stopped doing, but kept knitting.
- Knitting kept me as sane . Well as I can be. I did many simple projects. Lots of baby hats, dishcloths, and afghans. Some I never want to see again because I associated them with the time in the hospital sitting by different family members’ beds that I knit them. I got something warm and useful out of my meditation practice.
- When I get overwhelmed, I use social media to zone out. Generally, it is fine but too much zoning out makes me numb to life. I had to step back from trying to keep track of everything and politely respond. Sometimes I need to be rude to protect myself. Maybe this means I miss out on something. That is ok. It is better to be present with the people around me, that gives me energy to go on. Social media sucks my energy and it is good to take a break from it for days at a time.
Knitting is the best way for me to zone, absorb and process everything that has happened. I continued knitting through the darkness. I have knit a bunch of dishcloths in various stripes and mixes of colours that are a must when you are using years of ends of cotton yarn. Here are a few of my projects of 2022:
I stopped reading for a bit, but am back into it again. I have read 23 books so far this year.
- I found a new to me author that I like Harlan Coben. He is everywhere on Netflix. I do not know how I managed to miss his work for so long. We, my husband and I, read Win. It was a quick engaging who done it. We learn so much about the main character Win. A rich white man with immense wealth. It is a unique point of view for a character in a fast paced investigation story. I liked it and plan to read more from this author.
- I was disturbed by The Wasp Factory by Iain M. Banks. I listened to the audio book. I had to be careful where I was listening to it, or make sure I had my earphones. This is a compelling story of a child psychopath. There is grotesque animal torture scenes and matter of fact discussions of murders. The child’s/young adult voice disturbed me even more. I have read many books by Banks. This one has really stuck with me and continues to unsettle.
- One of our book club reads was A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson. I loved Crow Lake rereading that book numerous times most recently for book club last year. Lawson is so good at writing rural Canadian locations as key characters in her books, but that was missing in A Town Called Solace. This story could have happened in any small town anywhere. I feel it loses a bit by not taking in the location a bit more, especially when I know Lawson does it so well. The descriptions of the lake and the town are there but miss the depth I loved in Crow Lake. A Town Called Solace has three viewpoint characters: Clara, Liam, and Elizabeth. Each from a different season of life, and going through upheaval and change. Each of them influences the lives of the others. I really enjoyed this book, but it was introspective. You really need to give it time. The story has a pace of its own. I think I would have enjoyed it more, if I had not rushed through it to have it finished for our book club meeting.
CAWcreations 