Tuesday, July 31, 2012

To compete or not to compete, that is the question!

I really want to be knitting and spinning right now. “Why are you not doing what you want to do right now?” you might ask. Well, I’ve got to work and they don’t like it when I knit or spin during work hours. Don’t get me wrong, I like my work; I just would rather be creating something other than Microsoft Word documents that create more work. I want color and fiber in my hands – not the mouse and the keyboard. So . . . instead of actually feeling the yarn or creating it, I am at work. I am thinking of knitting and spinning but I am not doing it. This desire to be doing more spinning and knitting isn’t just because it is heading towards autumn (and the time to create warmth). It isn’t because I submitted my retirement papers and don’t have much longer to work (although that is a part of it). It is, though, as if I’ve got the sports bug and cannot get enough. I am not a sports person. I can take or leave sporting events; I usually watch people and not the game. But this is different; more compelling somehow. First, it was the Tour de Fleece (TDF) and now it is the Ravellenic games (this is Ravelry’s (www.ravelry.com) answer to Olympic fiber crafting). Those folks can do the diving, the gymnastics and the archery; I am doing the spinning, the knitting and the sewing. The Tour de Fleece is a spinning event that occurs at the same time as the Tour de France. The concept is that spinners process fiber during every day of the Tour de France. During the Tour de Fleece, my goal was to spin every day. I didn’t have a productivity goal in mind; it was more of a process goal. I’ve learned to spin several times and it never ‘took’. I recently tried again and I wanted spinning to be easier, to be less frightening, and to be productive. The Tour de France riders were in it for the long haul and so was I. While I didn’t spin every day, I did for ¾ of the TDF and it was good. I felt as if I was climbing the hills with the cyclists. They were straining against the steep mountain angles; I was straining against my body’s balking at new muscle use. Okay, okay . . . they were climbing the Pyrenees and the Alps and I was just climbing on to my spinning chair but you get the point. The riders were staying hydrated as they rode in the crowded pelotons while I was staying hydrated and sitting in the crowded living room where I had to move furniture to find room to spin while watching the TDF. It seems that, finally, I am a spinner. I can create yarn from the luscious wools, silks and other unspun fibers that are available.
Next, Sweetpea and I have been watching the Olympics. Years ago, someone suggested a Ravelympics event during which fiber artists set goals and participated in crafting events associated with the sports Olympics. The event name has been changed to “Ravellenics” but the concept remains the same. I am not aligned with a team, hopefully, I will be next time. Instead, I am an independent who just wants to compete. Another note is that I am not competing in an formal or specific events. Instead, whenever I can, I’ve been knitting or spinning. My goal again isn’t lofty; it is to finish some unfinished projects (UFOs) so that I can move on, guilt-free, to start new and fresh projects. To be clear, finishing might include knitting and assembling and item. It may also include ripping the project back and abandoning all ideas of that project. Training can be heartless, after all; and it takes dedication. Yesterday, I was working on a pair of socks for our niece. It was a race to finish the second sock before second sock syndrome kicked in. I thought I would beat it. I was whipping through it and then, then I fumbled. I looked back. I was distracted. I was stopped. I compared sock #2 to sock #1 and they weren’t the same. All of this training, all of the work has honed my skills, it affected my tension. Sock #2 is smaller and tighter – just as an athlete’s muscles become with regular training. Sigh. This was unexpected. This is disillusioning. I set the project down thinking that I was out of the competition. That was yesterday. Today, I am in a different place. I’ve decided that a roadblock in 1 event doesn’t prevent me from continuing in others. So, today, I am at work considering what project to pick up next. Which one will I be able to finish (or frog) as I move toward the goal line? I don’t have an answer yet but I am inspired by those athletes in London and their dedication. I will continue to work on UFOs and continue to strive for my goals. (Cue the “Chariots of Fire” music) Carry on . . .