Knitting mantra
I discovered something quite interesting yesterday that I bet we knitterly types all do. Maybe you are aware of doing this but I was not.
I was on the phone with the trucking company. The trucking company that was suppose to pick up the 411 kilos of yarns all boxed, palletted (hmm, is this a word?), shrink-wrapped and was currently residing in the driveway. It needed to leave yesterday because today we are expecting snow and we’re up high and I know they won’t show in the snow and it needs to get to Vogue Live and there is a shipping deadline that if you don’t meet they charge you a flippin’ fortune and…well, you get the picture.
Long story short, they dropped the ball. They really messed up and of course their mess-up meant more work for us. I can NOT express how much I hate it when someone else’s error makes more work for me. Seriously, I hate it. I make enough of my own errors that I really don’t need any help in this area.
So now, we had a whole lot of yarn sitting outside that we needed to deal with for the night. We then need get the aforementioned truck here early in the morning before the snow hits.
I was on the phone with this guy who obviously was not getting what a huge deal this was. It had to be that he just wasn’t getting it that their “error” was making such a problem for us otherwise he would apologize or at the very least sound like he gave a @#!*. At the least, this was aggravating and as I was trying so hard (I think my tongue was bleeding) to communicate this in a clear rational way. In the most tense moment when I had to pull on all my resources not to yell at this guy, I realized I was repeating over and over to myself the knit pattern I was currently working on. It’s an easy-peasy knit 2, purl 3 rib scarf out of handspun that I love.
Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Knit 2,Purl 3. Knit 2, Purl 3. Turn and…
Over and over and over.
I tuned into it once I realized I was doing it, got my point across without losing my temper.
I got off the phone, vented pretty loudly to a friend and then Debra and I set to problem solving the trucking company’s error.
Thank you, Knit 2, Purl 3. You saved the day.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about personal comfort levels, stress tolerance and coping skills. Anything fiber-related is most certainly a coping tool for me.
What I wonder just how long I have been quietly knitting in my head in situations where I could not really knit? I marvel at the brain’s ability to cope, to take what it finds comforting and assuring and plug it into a stressful situation. I did not consciously choose to do this. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “Hey, how about I try an internal knit mantra for stressful situations?” It just evolved, grew was I guess a natural step for my knit brain to take.
I bet yours does it too.
Off to call trucking company to make sure they are showing today. Knit 2…
I wonder if my brain in all it’s wisdom (hehe) has been subconsciously spinning also? I know it dyes.
Update: It’s 4:17 and still no truck. Been on hold with trucking company for 5 minutes. Mantra now: K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. K1,P1. !
And we have lift off. Yarn on it’s merry way to Vogue.
