Keeping My Hands Busy...

It’s volleyball season.  Today we were up in Richibucto for a tournament just under an hour away from our own city.  Our 15U team entered a 16U tournament for some more experience against older girls and they made the semifinals but lost to the top team at the tournament.  I was really proud that this time they didn’t give up and kept fighting right until the bitter end.

I knit by feel, so it is the perfect way to keep my hands busy on the drive to tournaments and also during the games.  I can watch the action and because the needles are in my hands, I can’t bite my nails.  I’ve even discovered that the needles make great defensive weapons... though I have yet to skewer a volleyball!

Since my youngest, Bethany was also the only grade 5 to make her school team, I will be doing a lot of knitting and driving between now and Christmas.  Today I finished up a lovely moss stitch scarf in a soft shade of green...

worked a bit more on Bethany’s scarf during the drive home since this pattern does require a tiny bit of concentration...

darned in the ends of a scarf made from a wool that creates its own patterns...

and started a new scarf of lovely blues and purples for one of the newest members of the team.

I came home with a full set  of fingernails... but I still need to learn how not to hold my breath for such a long time when the games get tense!  I sometimes forget to INHALE...

INHALE:  Keeping busy with being creative can be very therapeutic.  It can help lower our stress levels, keep our hands out of the snack foods, give us something to show for our time and create things of beauty as well.  This time of year, it never hurts to have extra crafts on hand to give away as hostess gifts, teacher presents, thank you gifts etc.  For most of us, the fun is in first creating something and then watching someone else take pleasure in what our hands and souls brought to life.

EXHALE:  The thing about being Creative is that there are weeks and days when you have to make the opportunities as plentiful as possible.  Though Nick jokes about me being a “bag lady”, I have several bags ready to go with me in the car on any given trip.  I sort knitting projects into clear bags, tuck various sizes of needles and always bring along a few options in case I finish something or get bored with a project. Think about what crafts you do that you could bring with you to doctor’s offices, meetings or on car trips and organize a few into a nice tote or bag so that the next time you race out the door, you have something to help keep your hands busy when the going gets tough or when you need to wait.