Forced Sock March

Who in the world thought it would be a good idea for me to finish 4 pairs of socks by September 3rd? Oh, that would be me. And the pressure is on, despite the fact that the recipients don't know there is a looming deadline and only have a vague notion that they are getting socks.

Three pair are done and the fourth is still in process, with 6 days left to go. Sock #1 of the pair is past the heel and heading up toward the cuff. It's a wonderful self-striping yarn in black and blues with aloe and jojoba added for softness. In fact, I'm going to hate to see this pair go out the door and (more especially) on to someone else's feet.

This self imposed discipline is not grating, despite the fact that I generally use my knitting time for relaxation. The need for speed has led me to more time knitting than I probably would have allowed myself without the deadline. So, in a backwards sort of way, the discipline is liberating. It is re-introducing me to quiet, early morning, meditative knitting and a true regret in putting down my needles for something I must do instead. The speed that I'm working at also allows my mind to move both away from the act of knitting and, at the same time, more deeply into the act of knitting. The rhythm of throwing the yarn and sliding the stitches, sets up a corresponding rhythm within myself. I focus in on the individual stitches until they disappear into themselves. And, as they become a unified process, my thoughts also disappear into themselves.

All of which leads my mind to the question of what is our true work? Is it the thing we do in order to pay the bills? Or is it, instead, those things which we are eager to do, which speak of our connection to ourselves or to others and which we are reluctant to walk away from?