Simple Gifts

Today I woke up thinking my toes were going to fall off because they were so cold. When I checked the temp outside it read....25 degrees....That's right, 25. now I know what most of you are thinking, "Turn on the fucking heat, why didn't you turn it on before you went to bed?" and your are right But I live in San Francisco, this is the coldest its been in a VERY long time. Lets just say when I was getting my morning coffee I was talking to a girl in line who's lived here for ten years, longer than my 3 which means she has more knowledge on these things, and she said that she's never seen it this bad in the years she's been here. Returning to my knitting I stopped and thought about it, days like this back home meant staying in doors with family, born into or chosen, and enjoying their company.

I remember when I was younger and we would have our wood stove on and be sitting in the family room watching my mother with her cross stitch, my sister with her dolls, and I would be reading yet another book. Nothing fancy just enjoying the day off from school.

Picking up my knitting I realized that through my knitting I have taken a part of that feeling with me. You don't have to knit huge lace pieces or sweaters, but by finding joy in the feeling of fiber running through your fingers and watching your needles twist it into the corresponding knit or purl stitch and knowing that the thing your making is going to keep a loved one warm or go to someone that needs the comfort of knowing that someone is thinking about them, even if they have no idea who made it.

It's not just knitting but any crafting that takes you away and silences your mind for a few minutes and lets you just be. Spinning, crafting. crochet, or what ever your craft is remember to enjoy it. I have been knitting for some charity projects lately and the enjoyment I'm getting out of it has more to do with the families that are going to be receiving my craft more than the knitting itself. If you are on Ravelry then I'm sure you might have seen a quick call out for scrap yarn from KnitsWithBalls...That's me...I'm making baby sweaters. Baby Surprise Jackets to be precise. I wanted to knit them up and give them to a local hospital here in The City so mothers would have something warm to take their babies home in...that baby sweater is something I can make in two nights and gives a world of warmth to a family that is having hard times....

So guys please find the simple things this season and enjoy the company you keep and know that even if you are alone I'll be thinking of you...:-)