Off my needles come little critters. They do feel like a bit of fancy---silliness, I guess---but when I see my kids carry them around in their pockets and tuck them into bed at night, they don't seem so irrelevant to our lives.
My son carries his little 'Bunny Foo Foo' around with him and he loves his newly knitted snail. He wants to knit one himself---perhaps a weekend project.
When these little projects near completion they provide me with a big smile, a spark of delight for my heart.
I don't know what the funk I've been experiencing is----perhaps another visit to that pity party I try not to participate in, although its allure seems inevitable sometimes. I think the most recent visit is over and I left the party with favors in the form of new plans and routines.
Sometimes I get too caught up in shoulds. I look around me and backtrack my life and the shoulds are not far to follow. I realize now how much of my creativity was suppressed all these years-----set aside for other things deemed more important for lack of a support system.
Now, I allow myself bits of whimsy here and there---even silly irrelevance. No, little softies sporting their own handspun and handknit sweaters won't save the world but they remind a couple sweet children that their Mom loves them; moreover, they bring a smile to the face of the Mom that made them.
***The little guy with the sweater is my own version of Margaret's Ornament Guy. The minute I saw him I knew I had to make one (or two?!) for my kids, so thank you, Margie, for sharing with me. Do check out Margie's 'Handmade by Me' Flickr set. Wonderful!
***The Snail is a pattern from Mochimochi. We'll probably have a whole "flock" of them soon...
***Have you looked at the entries for the Second Annual Softies Awards? They'll put a smile to your face...
