Happiness is a knitting project

Having just finished last month’s large project, the Faith Jacket, I’ve been a little bit edgy – unfocused. Not unhappy, mind you, just not really happy. And there’s a difference. So, what’s wrong with me? I don’t really know. Then my husband forwarded me an article from the Wall Street Journal about happiness. The article says it’s what we do and not what we have that really makes us happy. Okay, so what do we do to make ourselves happy? First, spending time with friends makes us happy. That’s certainly true. Probably part of the reason I’m nearly always happy when I’m at the shop. Friends old and new are always in for help, a new project, or for just a quick knit and chat. The article’s author cites research showing that there are parts of your brain stimulated only by the presence of other people, thus making you more active, energetic, and engaged. Absolutely true.

I read on about how we need to count our blessings, enjoy a good meal, commute less, focus less on salaries, and set goals and challenge ourselves. To be happy, the author opines, we should spend our leisure time engaged in activities we enjoy, setting challenging but achievable goals. And I realized that’s it! I don’t have any knitting goals. The Horndal scarf is in progress, but I haven’t established a goal for any big new project. So, as I ponder this fact, I consider the various knitting projects available. I could finish my Crayon Box Jacket. I could start the Collar Closing Cardigan. Or I could start one of two beautiful projects in various Noro books. The bottom line is, that it doesn’t matter which project I pick; I just need to get moving and focus on something.

In case anyone's interested, here are photos of the projects under consideration:

Collar Closing Cardigan

Silk Garden pullover by Jane Ellison



Kolsva by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton