I think the next few weeks may be a little quieter here. Since January I have been reading slower. Similar to the first lockdown, I cannot focus for a longer time on reading.  My attention and heart just aren’t in it. This time, however, I am not obsessively reading the news. I pre-empted this slump by finding a new hobby or rather rediscovering an old one. Don’t fret it’s not sourdough. But it is equally old school. I took up knitting and crocheting again.

I did some simple knitting in high school, but now discovered I understand the mechanics of the patterns better and can also branch out to crocheting. I know, it’s not sexy. But it is sooo soothing. The repetition of the movement but also the focus it requires makes it similar to meditation. Only instead of focusing on one’s breath, we focus on seeing how our work grows under our fingers. So focus and feeling of accomplishing something that exists in a physical world! It may seem funny, but I work in a completely digital environment, my blog is digital, and pretty much anything I’ve ever written is only digital, so making something that physically exists gives me a lot of joy.

There is also added element of patience because let’s be honest I do have to unravel some of my work sometimes. It makes me more patient but also humble. A very clear proof we’re not infallible. But also the possibility of correction and learning from one’s mistakes is precious. I don’t want to turn knitting into some kind of lofty metaphor here, but I enjoy its therapeutic and calming effect.

The only downside is that it really is tough to knit the read at the same time, especially when knitting to a pattern. But given my problems with attention span, it may not be a bad thing. Also, I’m considering branching out into the world of audiobooks. I haven’t been listening much of those since I stopped driving ten years ago, but I heard there are some treasures out there. Do you have any recommendations?

Here’s what I managed to finish since the beginning of the year (only the things I have not unraveled 😉), please forgive my photography skills. My mum is the photographer in this family, but sadly because of pandemic we’re quite far away so I could not put her skills to use.