{blogtober day 10} no moment left uncrafted

“Look at you knitting away, always working on something aren’t you?” Yes yes I am. I’m so used to being the crazy craft lady at any outing that it’s always fun when I see the penny drop with someone who’s not so used to seeing me in my usual groove. For people who know me well, it’s an accepted fact that if I’m sitting around, I’m doing something. At homeschool group, it’s rolling in and being asked “what project did you bring today?”. At home, it’s getting ready to go on a trip and being asked as we head out “have you got your knitting?”.

At the beginning of August, I went to the NSW Scout State Rally as a parent helper. Not only was there two days of sometimes-helping-sometimes-sit-and-watch, but there was the trip there and back – around ten hours in the car. Each way. There was not a chance that your internet friend wouldn’t bring a project; I packed a sock snake and some basic art journaling supplies, just a couple of options since it was technically a lightweight camp.

The theory was I could knit in my downtime as I watched and waited my turn to be a helper. The reality? We were dealing with patrols of scouts, who by definition, and by virtue of the type of camp State Rally is design to be, were very self sufficient and for the most part could work with the instructions given. My job was mostly to watch and observe their progress for scoring. Not a lot of active work in that, so I ended up slinging my bag over my wrist and knitting 90% of the day away. I even managed to get one of my cards done when killing time at Maccas in Campbelltown for dinner, waiting for another troop to join us for the final drive down.

More recently, my Sydney trip last weekend was basically 24 hours of sitting around. Waiting for a flight, on the flight, on the train, at the hotel, hanging with my friend, on the train, at the airport, on the plane. So much sitting. I was travelling carry-on only since it was a short trip, and aside from one change of clothes and my toothbrush, the rest of my bulging backpack was filled with art and craft supplies. For just 24 hours, I did wonder if I was slightly overpacking, but I ended up using all of the projects I took with me.

I’ve always thought it was a sensory thing, the twitching of my brain soothing by the tactile input of a handwork project as I sat at an event or in front of the tv or in the car. And definitely that’s a big part of it; handwork is like my version of a fidget spinner. I find myself physically restless with nothing in my hands, which more often than not manifests as mindless scrolling if I’ve failed to pack a project. But then the following Tumblr post crossed my Facebook a week or so ago, and lodged in my brain as I packed all the things and spend a day knitting and chatting.

Maybe it’s not just sensory seeking after all. Maybe my compulsive need to do something, to make the most of “wasted time” is also deeply rooted in a need to be tangibly productive in a life where my “job” is filled with more of the same old same old rather than deadlines and progress milestones. The washing is never truly done, the next lesson always needs planning, the floor is a mess again five minutes after vacuuming. Stay at home life is inherently a hamster wheel of never-ending-never-changing chores, but making gives me something that says “I did a thing and it stayed done”. I can get to the end of the day and maybe have put two loads through the dishwasher and two loads through the washing machine, but gosh look at that, the kitchen is messy again, and the laundry basket still isn’t empty. But if in between all that, I’ve added a card to my album, and knitted three rows on my current project; that stuff stays done.

Ironically, as I write this, both the dishwasher and the washing machine have beeped at me, ready to be emptied, reloaded, run again. My creative projects are all staring at me reproachfully, and the floor needs picking up from Beetle’s latest project. I want to finish film a YouTube video, I need to change the sheets. I want to knit some more on the lace of my shawl, I need to pick up the groceries. The wants stay finished, the needs keep needing doing even when they’ve been done. And in the Groundhog Day of life, its the wants that keep me sane. Whether its sanity through keeping my hands busy and not “wasting time”, or whether its sanity through having a tangible touchpoint to demonstrate that I actually DID something, I’m not entirely sure. It’s an interesting point to ponder.

A point I can ponder today during the two hours the children are at the splash park, while I knit and make the most of the extra time appearing in my day.