You Know the Mantra

To reiterate...It's the process.

But just what is the process?  Remember when you knit your first project and the way you felt when it was finished? Was it a hat, a scarf, or a baby blanket? Would you have finished it at all if you hadn't enjoyed the process of knitting? When it was done, didn't you feel rewarded for the time you put in and love the end product, too? 

If the process was JUST knitting we would all be happy knitting miles and miles of garter stitch. But the process IS about every step of the journey...knitting towards an end.  You pick a pattern because you love it and the yarn because it speaks to you.  Would you start it if you didn't want to see the project finished?  The end product is the drive, one of the many reason you knit.  The process is the enjoyment of each step along the way. 

While Marcia was here for SOAR, she introduced me to her husband as the person who always says, 'It's the process'.  He had wondered how she could spin for hours and hours with little to show, and her answer was that it isn't about how much you produce, it was about the 'doing', the enjoyment of the process. As an aside, Susan said that my mantra may be 'It's the process', but there was quite a bit of 'product' when I knit.

This isn't process versus product. It is all of a piece.  The choice of what to knit, the yarn and pattern, the knitting of each stitch, each step along the way, is the process. There may be several things on the needles around here, but the reason is beyond just starting something new.  I usually have a sweater on the needles, a lace project when something more complicated is desired, and a small project like a sock or glove.  The needle sizes and yarns are different, mostly to save my hands and, to offer a variety.  It is difficult for me to knit lace when visiting with others, or if I'm  too tired.  A small project is nice for travel or when only  a few minutes to knit are available.  The point is that I'm always knitting (and I'm good at rationalization).  Because of the process, there is little jumping from sweater to sweater, or sock to sock.

(DFS is back on track and she loves me, as I do her, again.)

The process matters most, in the end, but the product is the bonus.  Even when a problem crops up, a new project isn't started, as frogging is part of the process. Forward and backward is sometimes the way we make it through life. It's the way we make it though our knitting, too.

Brier is now in the seaming process. It is like putting a puzzle together, as the sleeves and back were each knit in two pieces, and the collar is separate, too. But, as I sit with her in my lap and carefully work, I know she will be a beautiful end product and the process if her creation enhanced my daily life.

The end of the journey will be the joy of showing her off during a photo shoot this weekend (and wearing her for a long, long time). 

Thank you to Carole for the beautiful banner and button for the Knit Unto Others project. We have many willing participants.  Thank you all for your generous gift of time.

Enjoy knitting this weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Comments

[Carole]

Hey grrly, I'm off to Gettysburg. Have fun with DFS and Brier this weekend.

[Janine]

I seem to be more like you than I realised! I too have a sweater, a pair of socks or gloves and a lacy shawl on the go at any given time and yes they are all on vastly different sized needles. At the moment of course I also have things on the go for Knit unto others - but they don't count in my book. I had forgotten how quick things grow in chunky wool. I tend not to knit with anything larger than aran weight these days as I don't look good in chunky - too chunky myself :-)

[Lolly]

As always, I love the process posts. Thanks! In a post the other day, I mentioned that I thought the process continued even after the bind off... about how the garment wears, etc. I think your reknitting of your recent sweater (Chamomile, was it?) proves that point.

Have a good weekend, Margene.

[Cassie]

I see. I see now how far from the process I actually am. Edifying.

[Norma]

"Forward and backward is sometimes the way we make it through life."

I love that sentiment.

Brier is done?! I can't wait to see it. I am anxious to get back to the THREE sweaters I have on the needles. Very anxious.

[Rachel H]

Um, after reading this great process post, I have to admit I'm more Harlot than Process in my approach to things...

[Linda M]

Margene, I've read this post three times so far. It just keeps resonating with me at more and more levels. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful considerations of the craft.

[Jennifer]

Your post reminds me of a comment that my LYS owner made the last time I visited her shop. She said that knitting is a little like life. You start with a lot of material, and then as you knit, stitch by stitch, you make something wonderful, undiscovered, and new. You knit a life. Beautiful thought, really.

[julia fc]

Uh-huh. I'm still a product knitter, but I'm learning. Kind of. Looking forward to the model shot. (see, I did it again)

[Cara]

Ahhh! DFS! I knew the love was there.

[Chelle]

Margene - as always, your post touched me, but this one is especially powerful. And it hits me at a time when I most needed to hear it. Thanks for reminding us of the importance of process in our daily lives, not just in knitting, but in everything. Chelle

[karen]

margene, i love this post! it says it all. and i'm looking forward to seeing you in that brier - that's gonna look great on you.

[regina]

Thank you for this wonderful post. It's so easy to lose perspective in the crazy hustle & bustle of everyday life. It is absolutely about the process, and about enhancing our daily lives. Good stuff to ponder as Thanskgiving approaches. Have a wonderful weekend!

[Teresa C]

It has to be all process for me, as there seems to be so little product. I love the whole thing, the falling hard, planning, learning new things in each project, trying new techniques. It's important to remember that each person's process is their own and if it works for them and gives them what they want physically and spiritually, then that is the Zen.

[Katherine]

Margene, thanks for the compelling post. The process really is what it's all about. That's why I hate deadline knitting, but even that is gratifying when I'm done, even if I don't finish on deadline (whatever that is). I really needed the lift that your ruminations gave me, especially right now before holiday craziness begins.

[Snow]

I'm not as fond of the seaming part of the process, which is why I tend to knit things that require little finishing.

Have a happy weekend, Margene!

[Beth S.]

You almost manage to make finishing sound pleasurable. ;-) But I still hate all the non-mattress-seamy bits. Mattress stitch is like magic to me, but the rest of it is just a huge danger zone in which well-executed knitting can morph into a handmade horror in the merest blink of an eye.

[Sneaksleep]

I think you and Buddha would agree on a lot. Thanks for the gentle reminder that I am not simply a FO factory (a slow one, but still). Both DFS and Brier are looking happy!

[Birdsong]

This is so "from the heart"! I agree, a certain part of the process is bound to be the transformation, from yarn to finished item. We all do different types of tasks throughout the day, week and year, and knitting is no different. I carry around small, mindless projects for meetings and visiting, and leave the larger projects and the ones that require concentration for alone time at home. I am looking forward to seeing a photo of you in Brier - a special part of the process is being able to create something of lasting value instead of relying on disposable, shoddily-made fashion items that fill the big box stores.

[caroline]

Beautifully said! as always...
so, grrrlie, what would you like me to send from paradise with the return of your own personal carrier pidgeon? (neena) Tree-picked avocados? coconut patties? Key lime pie? do tell.
hugs,
caroline

[Kim]

What a super post! I can't wait to see Briar in all her glory!

[Debi]

DFS looks lovely M! I think maybe she's next in my queue too! My mom wants a cotton shawl and I have some lovely Blue Heron Cotton in "Flax" that I think will be perfect! Or maybe a Ribby for me....gotta finish the &*%$^ ocean lace stole fisrt!! This thing is 100% product, nothing more and the LAST time I knit with Boucle (gimme back my process!!)

I love your process posts too (timely!)...they help me step back and look at the big picture and ground me when I'm a little fractured (see above, LOL!)

[ann]

gosh Margene, reading your thoughtful well written post makes me re-think my scratch & sniff entry....

[claudia]

Ah, the achievement of Zen-like balance between the wanting of the product and the engagement in the process....