I am in my element when I am being creative. Whether it’s painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, making TikToks, or even doing nail art, I love trying random, creative endeavors. I never start these projects thinking they will be any more than a way to kill time and blow off some steam, but I usually finish them having learned more about myself than I could have imagined. With that said, here are a few lessons I’ve learned from my knitting projects that I also hope my clients will take away from their time on my couch.
Three Life Lessons from Knitting
Mistakes can be Frustrating but Not the End of the World
I make mistakes all the time. When they happen, my mind frequently goes straight to, “I would hate to start this over.” And yet, I cannot think of a time where I was significantly into a project and had to start over. The pathway in my brain that tells me to jump to the worst-case scenario has been trodden down over the years, and it takes effort to stay present and fight that emotional response. I have learned that it does not help if I get down on myself and beat myself up for my mistake. That only brings me down more. Instead, I try to remain calm, take deep breaths, step away from the project if needed, and come back with a clear head and fresh perspective. If it’s not okay yet, it will be.
Expand your Growth Edge
Every knitting project I do, I try to pick a pattern with one more type of stitch than I currently know how to make. If I pick a project with many new types of stitches, I will start to feel discouraged by how much I don’t know. By contrast, if I pick patterns that slowly build my knitting muscles over time, my skills will grow at a solid rate. Another way to say this: I don’t want to go into the gym and try to bench press too much weight the first time. I have to build my muscles to endure the heavier weight! This method feels tedious at first, but as I look back over my body of work, I see that my growth edge has expanded exponentially. I was patient with the learning process, and it has helped knitting be more fun, helped me complete more projects, and helped me end up with a higher quality product than I would have if I had rushed the process.
The Final Product is Often Hidden until the End
…but that does not mean nothing is happening. You know that metaphor of looking at the back of a tapestry, and it is a complete mess? That’s kind of how knitting feels until all the stitches are off the needle and the project is over. Along the way, something is happening, but the full picture is not clear yet. Hard work is paying off, and one day it will feel like Christmas morning seeing the completed product. In the meantime, there is beauty in the details.
Knitting, like life, has a lot of mundane moments, yet the moments are also intricate and beautiful, and purposeful. My hope and prayer for my clients is that they will learn these lessons: to be kind to themselves when life is not going as planned, challenge themselves to grow, and be active yet patient when the final product is not revealed.
I work with clients from the teenage years on up, individuals and couples. I utilize a trauma-informed, multi-disciplinary approach to treat anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, grief, career-related stressors, communication struggles, and various other factors that might lead someone to seek help. You can reach me at hannah@restorationcounselingatl.com or 678-534-3824, ext. 122, where you can leave a message in my confidential email or voice mailbox.