Create Rather Than Consume and Introducing Lily Rose Knitting

 Hello dear friends!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and Pentecost!  I thought I'd ease back into the blog posts by sharing a brand new project I've launched and sharing some thoughts I've been mulling over.

First, I wanted to chat with you about creating rather than consuming.  If you've ever checked your screen time on your smart phone you'll probably see how much time we lose track of on social media and video apps.  I often wonder where all the time in the day goes but when I look at the screen time tracker, I can quickly see a lot of my time is spent in consuming media.  There are lots of good, true, and beautiful accounts but there are also just lots of extra things we consume that are ultimately a waste of time.  After getting off of social media I often feel drained and empty.  So during Lent, when I stepped away from a lot of social media, I discovered a lot more time to create for myself and others rather than just mindlessly consume Instagram Reel after Reel.  I caught up on my pen-pal letters, cleaned and organized my room (more on that in a future post), studied Latin, and made a bunch of smoothies. 😅  More than anything though, I got into knitting.  I know I've mentioned it here or there before, but I figured now was as good a time as any to fangirl about it for you a bit. 😜

It all really started when I was a young girl and my now Confirmation sponsor introduced my sister and I to knitting.  She gifted us some yarns, we made our own knitting needles, and she gave me some books and knitting notions for my birthday one year.  My sister took to knitting a bit more easily than I did at that time making a small blanket that ended up looking like the Leaning Eiffel Tower. 😂  I only knitted a small wonky square at most, never casting anything off that I can remember.  I ended up using most of my yarn for my dolls and crochet bracelets.

But for some reason at the end of 2021, I decided to pick up my handmade needles and knit.   I can't remember which came first, the yarn or the urge, but however it happened, I found the perfect yarn for a comfy and warm scarf at Hobby Lobby.  The learning process was just that; a process.  I watched a bunch of videos from Sheep & Stitch over and over and over again. (If you're at all interested in knitting, her tutorials are the absolute BEST!)

Finally, I had a decent handle on the most basic stitch, the knit stitch, but my tension was a little too tight and my needles probably a bit too small.  (I didn't realize until later that there are two measurement systems for needles just like inches and centimeters.)

I slowly but surely wove together this beautiful fabric and I was so proud I was actually sticking with it.  It did take a little while, but every stitch was filled with love, care, prayers, memories, and even tears.  As soon as I thought the scarf might be long enough, I would drape it over my shoulders to test it out, the knitting needle hanging on to the live stitches.  It took 3 skeins, but eventually, I was ready to cast off.  This scarf will probably continue to be one of my favorite pieces I've made just because of the importance of a first piece and also all the memories that are woven into that fabric.

  I have found that it is so incredibly rewarding to make your own clothing and I look forward to many more projects in the future.  I knew from the start that my ultimate goal will be to knit myself a cardigan sweater.  (Of course now I know I'll make many more than just one!)  But knitting and creating in general are slow processes and you must be patient with yourself.  You must always learn new skills and practice the ones you've acquired.  

As Christmas approached, I decided to knit Christmas gifts for my mom, aunts, and Granny while practicing this new skill.  The next easy project I found were cotton dishcloths.  To date I have made 10 dishcloths!  (They're getting a little old at this point so I'm hoping to give them a rest for a bit.  Of course, if someone would like a homemade dishcloth I'd be more than happy to make one!😉)  These are a fantastic way to practice new techniques such as the yarn over, knit 2 together, and different pattern combinations.  There are more dishcloth patterns that I'm hoping to try in the future, but here are a couple of my go-to's!  Each of these are free patterns and wash dishes really well because of their tight knit and textured pattern.

Waffle Knit Dishcloth from Homespun Living 

Hand Knit Washcloth from Nourish + Nestle

The Shire Dishcloth from The Kitchen Sink Shop

Waffle Knit Dishcloth

The Shire Dishcloth

After the dishcloths came one more rectangular piece which is one of my favorites, a French press cozy. 😊  I gifted it to my mom for Easter.

It's funny because my dream from the moment I started knitting has been to knit my very own cardigan I could wear all the time.  Well, I know the general aspects of that process now but not because I knit myself a sweater, but because I knit a doll sized one!  This was a fun, challenging, and a little bit lengthy process.  I had a lot to learn but with patience and the assistance of reading glasses, I knit an 18" doll sized cardigan in black yarn.  Knitters say it's super hard to work with black yarn but I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be.  Thankfully I was working with a yarn that wasn't super fluffy.  Maybe that would make the black stitches harder to see and work.  I still have yet to find and add buttons and I am impatiently waiting to do the real reveal as to why I made this plain black cardigan, but I'm super excited to share it with you when I get that all sorted out! 😁 So stay tuned!!

Now I'm slowly working on a precious baby blanket.  The yarn is super plush and soft and has the most adorable name for the color; Piglet! 

I'm currently working on the second ball out of five for this blanket so I have a bit to go but this project is nice and easy with just enough alternating to keep you engaged while also being simple enough to memorize and knit while riding in the car or chatting with friends.  I love how this little blanket works up and just rests in my lap as it grows off my needles.  

It's been so great to put my hands to work, learn a new skill, and create many different useful items.  Since most of my knits have been dishcloths I've given most of them away but this has been a great blessing to not only create but share my new found love and talent with those I care for.  

What fun and creative skills do you enjoy that allow you to create rather than consume?  I'd love to hear about your creative pursuits in the comments below!!

I'm so glad to be back here blogging with you!!  I have started an Instagram account to share my knitting adventures but I do so miss blogging so you can be sure I'll be back here more often.  I don't care for writing blog posts on my phone so you definitely won't see long blog like posts on IG.  Please do check it out if you feel so inclined though and be sure to say hi! 😃👋  The IG account is named after my two Confirmation Saints, Mariam and Therese, the Lily of Palestine and the Little Flower who promised a shower of roses from Heaven!  

God bless you and keep you dear friends!!