Heeding EZ's Sage Advice

"Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises."

- Elizabeth Zimmermann

I don't know about you, but to me, everything is a bit surreal right now. Things are being cancelled left and right, and preparations are being made should we all need to stay home for an extended period of time. I tend to be an anxious person in general, and I am really thankful right now that I'm already taking medication for my anxiety, which I'm pretty sure is keeping me from having a full-fledged panic attack right now. I'm also thankful that if we need to self-isolate, I am able to work from home; I know not everyone has that privilege. Some of you may know that I work for a public university, and yesterday it was announced that the resumption of classes is being pushed back a week and all classes are being moved online for the remainder of the semester. My office is remaining open for the time being, but we've been making preparations in case we need to work from home. The Mister is likely to be working from home for the foreseeable future as well, and Rainbow is on spring break for two weeks starting Monday.

While the near future remains very much uncertain, I am continuing to turn to my knitting as a source of comfort. It can be hard at times like this when you feel like you have no control over things, especially as someone who gets anxious due to a perceived lack of control, so I am grateful to be able to be the boss of my knitting. Lately it seems to be all about the colorwork -- and on that note, I have to start by saying thank you for all your lovely comments on my Darkwater sweater!

In the evenings this week, I've been working up some samples of my Yofi Hat and Yofi Cowl for my friend Lisa so she can have them to display in her booth. I'm using two colors in her Mountain Tweed DK base, Eggplant and Mist.

And my lunchtime knitting has been very productive in the past week or so -- I'm on the home stretch on my second mitten! Looks like I won't be scrambling at the last minute to get these done for the end of the Woolly Thistle Mitten KAL after all.

I have a conference call later this afternoon that should yield me some additional knitting time (one of the benefits of having an office with a door that can be closed!)

Tomorrow I have the day off from work, as it's the Friday of spring break week and a regular annual holiday for staff. Lisa is actually going to be coming over tomorrow afternoon so we can seam up the squares people have made for a comfort blanket for Amy of Ross Farm. I don't remember if I ever shared my finished square, so here it is:

This is all Ross Farm Shetland, which seemed appropriate. I am actually supposed to have lunch with Amy on Sunday (though of course those plans could change given the public health situation), and if it goes ahead, I may be delivering the blanket to her then.

In times of heartache and helplessness, it can make you feel a little better to do some good. For me, that means following the recommendations to slow the spread of disease (because while I would likely be fine if I caught COVID-19, there are plenty of people who I care about who might not). But it's also nice to be able to do something more tangible to help others. One thing that's happening now in the fiber arts world is an effort spearheaded by Angie of Gamer Crafting to support marginalized communities, especially in response to some truly heinous actions by White Supremacists (I won't link to give those voices any extra amplification, but if you're clueless about what I'm referring to, you can email me). This all came together so quickly that I didn't have time to design something specifically for it, so instead I'm going to be donating 20% of all my pattern sales from this Sunday, March 15, through the end of the month to Keshet, an organization that promotes the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in Jewish life. If you've read this blog for the last year and a half or so, then you know that the Jewish community locally has recently experienced extreme anti-Semitism, and while the congregation I belong to has fully embraced the LGBTQ+ community for quite some time, that's not the case with every congregation or every stream of Judaism. While I'm not a very religious person, my faith is a large part of my life and my identity, and it's important to me that everyone who identifies similarly be able to participate in Jewish life to the extent of their wishes. If social justice is important to you, then I hope you'll take a look at all the participating businesses and consider making purchases to aid in this effort (and in light of the public health crisis and the cancellation of shows and festivals, those small businesses would also appreciate your help!).

With that note, I'm signing off until later in the weekend. Be well, check in on your loved ones, and wash your hands!