I hike or run almost as often as I knit. Almost every single day, I find the time to either run or hike in the mountains with my dog. It is even more rare for a day to go by without me finding the time to knit for at least an hour. Even though I think of myself more as a knitter than a hiker, and often profess that I have to knit every day just to stay sane, I think the same is true about me getting out on the foothills in the fresh air, putting one foot in front of the other.
While hiking today with my pup, I was thinking a lot about this, especially since today is the day that was supposed to be the day before I was to run my fourth half marathon. Until recently, I was still waffling on whether or not I was ready to run it this year, but when my IT band seized up one mile into my run yesterday, I knew I was out. I’m a little sad to miss the run down the beautiful Ogden Canyon, but I would be more sad to hurt myself too badly to even walk or hike or run at all. I love the act of putting one step in front of the other more than crossing the finish line of a big race.
And that is when I started to think about how much I love knitting, not just for the majestic things I finish, but for the simplicity of each stitch. I get a lot of attention for my knitted shawls, and I definitely like my shawls, but I like the act of knitting–the rhythm of my needles and the feel of the yarn, learning new techniques, the miracle of turning string into something beautiful one stitch at a time–even more. It is less important to me what I knit or whether I knit the best, most difficult shawls in the world than just the act of knitting one stitch after another.
Just like running or hiking, nothing about knitting is particularly hard. But, just like climbing up a mountain or finishing a marathon, knitting a lace shawl is about focusing on each stitch, each pattern repeat, each row at a time until you reach the end. It’s about trusting yourself to keep going. It’s about having the support you need in case you get lost and can’t find your way. It’s about believing that even though the finish seems really far away and insurmountable, if you take it one stitch at a time, you’ll get there. And then you’ll have something beautiful.
Everyone else will notice the finished shawl, like a finisher’s medal around your neck. You’ll remember and appreciate the journey of the knit, which makes that shawl that much more beautiful.