Mantra Knitting

This week, we hosted a sweet friend as an overnight guest. The time together included wine, deep thoughts, aspirations in various passions, and bursts of laughter. As we chatted together, we discussed an important aspect of creativity – experimentation.

Throughout my life, I have tried many different things.

• I’ve attempted to play the ukulele (and ended up just becoming a collector of the cute instruments instead).
• I got certified as a spin instructor (and never taught a class).
• I have made polymer clay beads and tried spinning yarn with a drop spindle (neither of which stuck).
• I have written personal essays to submit to competitions (but never written the book I dreamed of).
• I blogged and podcasted about knitting in my late 20s (only to give it up for a while and find myself happily here again)
• …and many many more.

As I explored each short-term interest, I refined my passions and cultivated the determination to learn new things. The lesson? Experimentation refines interests and ideas.

At the same time, my early IT career was a quick education in scrappy technology. Working for a small, mission-oriented organization, I learned to use the tools we had and make things work without a fuss. It was entrepreneurial in spirit, guided by a desire to put a mission first. I loved scouring our available tools for the right combination of features and making someone smile when it worked, hopefully making their day easier.

All in all, I learned the possibilities of our systems, while building confidence in using technology to bring a vision to life. The lesson? Experimentation leads to creative problem solving.

In technology, I learned new things on the fly, often figuring out how to do something the same day that I launched it.

Knitting, and most other crafts or hobbies, are no different. I pick up a pattern and learn the necessary skill, with the yarn already on the needles and a video tutorial paused at just the right spot. I get feedback from how it feels, and whether or not it looks like the example on my screen. I’m fearless in starting, and confident that I can make the adjustments that I need to, even mid-progress.

I learn through the act of doing, and trying new things motivates me to stretch beyond my current skills. The lesson? Experimentation fuels growth, if you take action.

My time with my friend felt inspired. I anticipate that big things are on the horizon for her, and I left with a small seed of an idea that took root quickly in my mind.

During our conversation, I had the idea for a knitting-life inspired sticker. After meticulous prompting, I successfully created an illustration in AI to bring my idea to life. The first idea inspired a second, and suddenly I found that I had developed two images.

A Froggy Reminder to “Let It Go, Stitch by Stitch”: The first idea was spurred by the universal feeling of having to frog a project. Undoing our work requires deep breaths, but there is a beauty in letting go, learning, and trying again.

(Frogging is the term used for undoing knitting because “rip it rip it” sounds like a frog’s “ribbit ribbit.” )

A Sheepy Reminder to “Stay Baa-lanced”: The second idea was a fast follow to the first. At peace, this knitting sheep represents the flow state we seek through slow crafting and working with our hands.

I have wanted to write a children’s book in the past, so I was inspired by storybook illustrations. I was quite pleased with how both images turned out.

(Also, “Baa-lanced” like a sheep’s “baa.”)

So, I decided to put them on some products to see how it went. After all, what’s a better experiment than to make something that I wanted to order anyway! I just ordered my own set of products, and I launched it as a store in case anyone else thinks they are cute.

Introducing the Knitting Mantra Sticker Shop:

P.S. In knitting news, I’m still working on the smocking stitch headband. This sticker idea converted my creative energy into a different space temporarily. I’ll be back on track in my next post! Hopefully with a finished project to report! 😊