Chez Hays

I have been quiet this week because I have been spending most of my free time fighting with worsening allergies (something I will hopefully know more about on Thursday) and working on a single large project. I tend to work on a series of smaller projects because I love the feeling of finishing what I have started. Most small projects can be started and finished in just a couple of hours, giving nearly instant gratification. I was forced to change things up a bit when I decided that I wanted to crochet a blanket as a Christmas gift this year.

Now, for a confession; I have never really finished a crochet project that was larger than a simple flower. My sister is the yarn whiz in the family. My craft room is a graveyard of two row scarves, chain circles, and the beginnings of granny squares. I figured out quite some time ago that I did not have the patience for crochet, or so I thought. I was determined to create this blanket, though, despite the false starts of my past. The person I am giving it to has done quite a bit for me throughout my life and there is very little I can give that could measure up to what has been given to me. The most meaningful gift I could think of was one carefully crafted by hand. I began the process with a skein of soft quick yarn and a size ten hook and in the process discovered something amazing… I didn’t hate crochet at all! It wasn’t difficult or frustrating. In fact, it was a pleasant and meditative task.

The holiday season can be stressful. Financial burdens aside, we also have to contend with crowded shops, busy work days, and increased auto traffic in commercial areas. The weather also takes a turn for the worst here in Chico. Wind, rain, and fog become more common that the sunshine California is famed for. While we don’t suffer through below zero temperatures or severe weather (for the most part) I find the constant grey and drizzle to be draining. Crochet has given me an escape from the craziness of the season. I plop down in my easy chair, turn on the projector, and go. Hulu and Netflix provides background noise and a fictional story to escape into, while the constant motion of my hands and the counting of yarn-overs and stitches gives me a focus, like prayer beads in meditation. The outside world melts away and I find myself relaxing.

I know that crafting as meditation is not a new concept. A few years ago I watched as a Buddhist monk painstakingly spent hours a day creating an elaborate mandala out of colored sand. The small platform was set up in the Bell Memorial Union, just outside of the bookstore at Chico State University, one of the busiest places on campus. He was not distracted by the crowds that surrounded him, the flashing of cameras, or the cacophony of sound in the echo prone hall. It was just him, his project, and the meaning behind it. His platform was an island of peace in a sea of students and professors dealing with the chaos of mid-terms, jobs, and more.

Perhaps that is a bit much for me to aspire to in my every day life. His sort of inner peace takes years of mindfulness and practice to achieve. It would not be too much of a stretch, however, to capture a small amount of that peace each day, even if it is just for a few minutes. I am going to make the effort to crochet a bit every night, whether it is just for a few minutes, or several hours, because I cannot think of anything greater than centering myself after a busy day while creating something beautiful and useful for someone else. Does anyone else find crafting to be meditative? Which crafts help relieve stress for you?

** For anyone who is interesting in the blanket itself, I am not actually using a pattern. I started with a chain as long as the span of my arms open wide and have been doing a straight triple crochet, creating a large ridge by crocheting in the back loop only. I am not sure what length I am going to stop at as of right now. I am using Michael’s Loops & Threads Homespun yarn in the Driftwood color.