I took my first yoga class over 25 years ago when my life was vastly different than it is today. At that time, I lived in a tiny (i.e. sub 300 sq. ft) apartment in a moderately large city and the class was held in the gym of a nearby hotel with 3 other participants. Try finding a yoga class with only 3 people these days. I was a full time server at a very busy restaurant and feeling sore was a constant state. (PSA to tip your servers well!) The stretching helped me immensely. Since that time, I have more or less practiced some form of yoga regularly. However it is only within the last couple of years with a home yoga practice that I have really understood what I believe is the most important part — the breath.
Yoga now is definitely a whole thing and it has strayed a bit from its origins. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good, comfy pair of yoga pants and a cushy thick mat, but yoga is more than just a look and accessories. And yoga being a popular endeavor is truly a positive thing. Yoga being more accessible is an extra positive bonus. However once I started doing yoga at home, on my own terms and schedule, I really started to better appreciate the psychological benefits, as opposed to just the physiological aspects. Learning how to breathe better and more mindfully has changed my life immensely. It has gotten me out of some tough situations and helps me every day manage, well, life. I still consider myself a beginner plus meditator and yogi. I know that despite practicing daily, this is something that will take me a lifetime to learn. Which is the point. Yoga/mindfulness is about the journey, not the destination.
Speaking of breathing, I am deep in the midst of a months long knitting streak right now. Knitting feels like an exhale for me. It is really all that I want to do right now. I think about it when I wake up and when I’m stuck with some tedious task. (Oops, there goes my mindfulness.) Knitting is so soothing and therapeutic to me. It is the antidote to the franticness of the world. The go-go-go mentality that is just exhausting. If I can spend some time knitting, especially in the morning with my coffee, I am a calmer, steadier woman. And a shout-out to all of the knitting Olympians! Seeing athletes knit between their races is pure badass. They showcase just how meditative and beautiful the craft is.
My recent makes range from a protest hat to a soft throw to replacement washcloths. First off the needles was another Emotional Support Chicken, this time as Wonder WomHEN. (Pattern and kit by the Knitting Tree.) The ESC is a super fun make that I highly recommend. Next I finished up another Tumbling Blocks blanket for myself in a gorgeous mustard yellow. (Pattern by Purl SoHo.) This was my second blanket made entirely out of final sale Joann’s yarn that in total cost less than a cup of brewed coffee. I absolutely love this color! It reminds me of fall, of larch trees changing color amongst their pine cousins. Also I made part of this blanket on a beautiful, restorative river trip, so it will forever remind me of that place. Next up are a couple of hats: the Wide Rib hat (Purl SoHo) and the Melt the ICE hat (pattern by Paul Neary). The Melt the ICE hat is a current knitting hit and is fashioned after Norwegian resistance hats of the 1940’s. All proceeds from the pattern go directly to folks in Minnesota impacted by the horrendous incursion. Because all of the liberal knitters bought up all of the red yarn for this pattern, I used some Manos del Uruguay I’d had for years. Currently on the needles is my birthday gift to myself, the Arc Shawl (yep, Purl SoHo again) that uses two yarns knit together for an extra bit of softness and fuzz. Lastly, since you can once again fly with knitting needles, I brought along all of my scrap cotton yarn to make washcloths. Because sponges are gross, y’all!
After the list of all of my “accomplishments”, I want to clarify that knitting is a slow activity. The blanket was started in September 2025 and even with daily stitches, it took me almost 6 months to complete. Knitting cannot be hacked, it cannot be optimized. That is why it is so restorative and mindful, because you spend time with it. Also my knitting is not perfect. Especially on the blanket, there are purls where there should be knits, and vice versa. You know what these bumps remind me of? They remind me of when I was knitting. They take me back to watching the antics of the wild turkeys from a porch cabin. They are evidence that my friend Black Mold played a raucous tune on the radio that really got me. They are not mistakes that I am embarrassed by or want to fix. It shows that I, a human being, made something with my two hands, with life happening around me.
Long time readers may remember that I own a vintage iPod, lovingly named Claude. Claude is stuck somewhere around 2006 musically. It is a total time capsule of my tastes and there are songs on the device that are very specific to my age at the time. And brace yourself because you truly never know what kind of mix you’re going to get when you select Shuffle Songs on Claude. One minute you’re listening to De La Soul, then onto The Clash and then Wings. Really, why is there Wings on my iPod?! Anywho, Claude is now my adventure buddy — perfect for road trips and airplane rides. On a recent journey, shuffle brought up the song “Breathe Me” by Sia. This song was a giant hit on indie radio back in 2004 and I haven’t heard it in easily a decade. Although the song is not remotely about breathing of the yogic variety, it got me thinking about the importance of breath and my “discovery” of its importance in my life. That for nearly half of my life I have been practicing yoga, and knitting, and how the convergence of the two is exactly what I need at this moment.
Quiltunes 