Season 2 Episode 2
Small Makes Big Wins
Aloha Friend! This week our time together includes some ideas on how to knit up some momentum. The image below is a pair of handspun socks I knit inside of two days. Fast and satisfying! I actually spent more time journalling about it than making them it seemed!
I hope you enjoy hearing some ideas and suggestions of things you can knit that are small and could take relatively little time, but still provide a meaningful knit.
If you are a brand new knitter or a seasoned veteran, there are always things you can do to inject an added dose of joy in to your creative process…and you could use up some of that stash yarn that I heard a few of you have on your Knitting New Year’s Resolution List to work through!
So have a listen to the podcast.
If you enjoy it, consider sharing the podcast with a friend or two!
Click Here To Have A Listen!
Episode Transcript below:
Aloha friend, and welcome to Encourage Better: Knitting Adventures in Alaska podcast. You may be wondering, am I in the right place? Is this kind of podcast for me? Well, if knitting is your go-to creative refuge, the place where you craft your best self, but some days stitching solo on the sofa feels a bit empty and lackluster, turn on this podcast. Encourage Better takes you to Kodiak Island, Alaska, the knitting adventure capital of the world. Okay, that is my take on it and not 100% official, but still entirely accurate. Trek up mountain peaks, stand along the shore and romp around the forest of spruce trees all through your ear buds. Tips, tricks and tales every episode. Encourage Better is the must listen to podcast to kickstart your knitting mojo and broaden your smile. Enjoy the episode. I'm so glad you're here.
Well, my friend, welcome to Season Two, Episode Two of Encourage Better. I am so excited to have you here. Thank you for taking the time to be with me. And before I hop into the bits and pieces of the podcast today, I would like to encourage you to do something that I'm going to talk about again at the end. I'm going to invite you if you were along with me through season one, and you've enjoyed this podcast and you're back for season two... How about leaving a review? When you take the time to leave a review, five stars and a coment? Not only does it help the podcast get seen in the eyes of different knitters or people who are longing to get out and adventure around Kodiak, it also... well, it encourages me! It helps me see that I'm on the right path. Today, at the end of the podcast, I'm going to share with you something special that I am planning to do as a thank you for those of you who take the time to leave a review and actually take the time to write something down. When you write something down it lets me know who you are and what you said. So you can put me on pause right now and do that and come right back. I'll be here waiting for you.
So today's episode is about Small Makes Big Wins. And before I unpack that, I want to talk about something that, though not directly knitting... it definitely touches every part of things that I make in my life. And that's living here in Alaska.
Kodiak Island is unlike any place I've ever been. And I've been a lot of a lot of places! Alaska is well, it's so rich with space, and elements and resources and people who appreciate it in ways that it just blows my mind. I'm going to read you a passage. And actually, it's a poem by Marie Rose. And it's about something that the majority of people who dwell here on Kodiak Island, are passionate about.
And it's the salmon.
We live our days and our nights and our calendar is set by the runnings of the salmon.
We watch the snow on the mountains and wonder if it's going to be enough to build up the rivers when it melts.
For the salmon.
We wrestle with the fact that we want warm sunny days throughout the summer, but that it lessens the water… for the salmon.
And not just people are dependent on salmon. The bear here are as well!
So salmon means a great deal to us.
And as I spend a lot of time reading and and learning about my island home here of Kodiak, Alaska, I come across things that sometimes just sit with me and stay with me long after I've read them. So this poem is from a book if you're interested that is called Alaska Young Fishermen's Almanac and this is Volume Two. I got it from my local bookstore, which is the Islander bookshop. And it was just something that stood out to me the book feels great. The artwork on it is so, so perfect. Just what you expect for fishermen.
And this poem is as follows before we talk knitting...
Where Wild Salmon Come From
When the man behind the food, the seafood counter tells me
his customers prefer farmed salmon because
“People want to know what their fish are eating nowadays.”
It takes everything in me to prevent myself from having a meltdown
in front of an audience of dead fish,
and the customer behind me.
The slab of farmed salmon looks enormous
next to our while, troll caught coho fillet,
But there's thick stripes of fat don't fool me.
I know it lacks authenticity. It has no story
of traveling to the coast. No scars from
battles with larger predators. It would never
be tough enough to ‘hang’, yet alone feed
Itself in the wild up in Alaska.
It is downright confusing
to live in a time in which
any consumer prefers a fish
That did not come from a fisherman,
But especially when I have seen their hands,
—and they have been my own
Pruning under wet, cold rubbery gloves.
Even the best gear can't prevent water from
finding its way down our sleeves
On rainy days when it rains sideways
—and there are many of those.
You just don't see them from the
air conditioned specialty food store
in a state that never tasted the
salt of the coast on its tongue.
For a moment, I daydream of goggles
Into my own mind, so that maybe you could see
Where wild salmon comes from.
So you could hear the stories of fishermen
who battled the same stormy seas
that have already claimed the lives of
friends and familiar names.
I want you to imagine
sea lions fighting over jumping fish,
wind whipping loose lines across the deck,
so fierce that it carries clouds from mountaintops
to the bow of the boat. Heavy raindrops in tow.
I want you to smell
the contrast of diesel fumes
and fresh ocean air.
I want you to feel the force
of a coho on the line
to feel the burn of freezing fingers
dancing in the iced bellies of a dark fish hold.
That is where wild salmon comes from.
And that was by Marie Rose. And I just loved it. So I wanted to share it with you.
The wind and the weather here has been so crazy that I couldn't get out these past few days. So I thought that would be nice to share with you before I start talking with you about knitting.
Alright, let's dive in to knitting small makes big wins. The idea for this episode title came to me in two ways, slight nuances of the same four words. Small makes, big wins… Small makes big wins.
Do you ever feel like you're stuck
or worse, overwhelmed and stuck?
We get stuck and overwhelmed enough in the non knitting area of our lives that it shouldn't be allowed into our knitting space. Well, that is unless we're going to learn from that stuck-ness but that idea is for a different episode. Today we are going to focus on on sticking ourselves and not feeling anything but joy. The big secret? It's a tiny task.
Seriously.
Make
something
small.
“Small” should have some qualifying here. I don't mean get out your smallest needles and spiderweb lace-weight your And set to work. I mean, let's do a relatively small commitment knit. And before we dig into examples of what to knit, let's consider the why to knit small things. In so many of our life practices, we hear the benefits of setting small, attainable goals, right?
Planning to run a marathon? Start with what? Yes, start with the first mile.
Want to lose 30 pounds this year? Start with the first day.
Planning to organize your home? Well begin with that one catch-all junk drawer, (which is it me, I feel like I have a few of those?)
The joy in accomplishing that first task, lifts our spirit and sets us up for success. We feel that satisfaction and it resets our mindset. When you set a small goal that can be translated into a gain or a quick when it becomes easy to see the possibilities of achievements. We can really feel and acknowledge progress and joy of accomplishing things. Now, if you signed up for the Knitters Project Bag Collective Membership, you'll be hearing me share more about the addictive power of making decisions. Make the decision and move on it. That movement is momentum. And it fills you. It fills you with so many good things. It is a sure fire remedy for the lack of knitting Mojo.
So if you're feeling stuck, or maybe you know someone who is now we knitters have friends that are some of them zipping through projects so fast, we barely see the transition from that cast on moment, to the bound off and blocked before they're wearing their newest shawl with another one now taking up space on their needles. But chances are, we also have a friend or two who doesn't know what to cast on next. Or they are bored with the things on their needles presently. You can help them build momentum to what I've found that satisfies the part of me that needs to hit a goal is this small makes big wins. worsted weight, short cuffed socks. so satisfying. Now, my shoe size is a US six. So these thick socks are done quick. I can cast them on. I started the toe I really like starting at the toe. I know I've done cuff down to and I have been learning to enjoy that. Actually, when I do a cuff down I usually do an afterthought heel. And that's how I enjoy it. I still have not felt that enjoyment that so many of you have about that heel flap. So definitely feel free to send me your mojo solutions for cuff down with a heel, not an afterthought heel. But worsted weight socks. Oh my goodness, they feel so good. On my feet. I can do one and feel a sense of accomplishment and worth and I am satisfied with one. But recently I've done a pair and it happened so quickly that I actually spent more time writing about my adventure than I did knitting.
Now, in addition to worsted weight socks, those little bears that I featured on my blog, you can make those rather quickly as well. And because of this simple but varied pieces to them, you know they have little icart icord arms and tiny ears that take minutes to knit, stuffing and all the different things that go into putting them together. You get a sense of newness throughout each step of the process.
How about these ideas:
You could knit a bookmark You can pull out your stitch glossary and work on a texture or a pattern that maybe you've never tried before you're learning something fresh, which is quite stimulating. And once complete, you can tuck it into a book that you've recently finished and maybe enjoyed, and send it to a friend. Or you can tuck it into a book that you just finished, that you wanted to throw across the room, and still send it to a friend.
Now, you can also swatch…
And I know I know, I know! For some of you, I just said a four letter word.
But seriously, swatching can be a quick win.
Maybe you have yarn that has been sitting on the shelf waiting for the perfect project. Maybe my friend, you have a lot of yarn that has been sitting on the shelf. And it's sitting there. Let's put some momentum into our yarn! You can get introduced more intentionally, to that yarn. Cozy up with it and experiment! See how it well the color of it, or the halo of it affects the fabric that you're creating in this swatch. As you're watching, you can feel the yarn. And notice all the things that you might not be mindful of, if you were knitting in a rush to apply the knitting pattern directions for the project, because sometimes when we are reading the instructions, and we're trying to keep the pattern stitch count straight, and we're working increases and decreases the mechanics of creation, take a front seat as they should. And it inhibits you noticing how the yarn is working up. Well swatching, my friend is a small but mighty win— a mighty big win. Because you can experiment, you can play, you can explore. And as you're doing that, you're making a small-ish square or try decreases on it and they will make a different shape. Swatching is a very satisfying, quick win.
Now, you can also try something small you will never use— or you think you will never use just to test that belief. For instance, a knitted headband. Or maybe you've never knit a bracelet. Friend, Laura Nelkin has some of those patterns. She has bracelets and jewelry. She does lots of things. But she has bracelet and jewelry patterns that are so incredible. And some of them can work up faster than you can say “Bob's your uncle”, which that expression, Bob's your uncle, we've been using a lot here at our home, because every single time that expression is uttered, my youngest always asks: Who is Bob? and she gets really into it. Who is Bob? And why would you say he's your uncle? Seriously, every single time she hears it.
Now, my friend, if you are stuck in a rut and starting to look at all the possibilities, stay the course.
Okay. Remember last week in our last episode, we talked about inspiration-seeking becoming an anchor… becoming overload… where we look to others to supply inspiration, rather than our own innovative, creative spirit… Well, my friend, set that timer! In fact, “Siri, set the timer for 11 minutes!” and then go!! Picking out this small make shouldn't take longer than the actual making of it. And remember, this is a small makes big win project. Small being the qualifier here. SMALL! You aren't locked in.
This is the equivalent of a pep talk knit okay? It's not a sermon. It's not a dissertation.
Pep talks are fast!
And they inject just the right thing that we are needing to nourish our spirit… what we're missing… to get us motivated and moving.
Now, if you're looking for a free small make, I mentioned the bears earlier, and you can hop on over to the blog, the links are be in the show notes.
Or you can hop over to Instagram, you'll find there's an organized guide that I've created. If you go to my profile, I'm mskiknits. And underneath these little highlights those little circle highlights, you'll see what looks like a little book, click on that. And I've created this bear guide to help you super simple, super fun, super satisfying, and it has the pattern, and it's all organized in order. And in addition to the pattern, it actually has steps and tutorials free for you to get going.
And if it's your friend that needs the knitting pep talk project, consider this: What if you picked out something small, just one of the ideas I just gave you. And then you invite your friend along! Sometimes the “small makes” is to include someone. That little step is the making. You're making a step, you're including someone, and my friend that that makes all the difference.
Now, be sure to tell me all about: how it went, what you did, how you felt before, during and afterwards. I do love a good transition story!
It's fun to see how we can start out at one place and end up somewhere completely different.
Now my friend, before we go, I have a special treat to share. I am giving away a free pattern to one of the listeners who left a review. The winner left this review:
Love these stolen moments with Mel. Such a lovely podcast where she chats about all things knitting Kodiak and more. Perfect and perfect to listen to while knitting, crafting doing dishes taking a walk.
Thank you Saskia Lee, I appreciate that! Not only will you win the pattern, which is going to be a sock pattern set by way of a sock designer I am so fond of Summer Lee Knits. Saskia if you could contact me, I would appreciate that. You're also going to be entered in the big giveaway. I'm going to select two winners the last week of February. (More details on that prize will be in your newsletter this week. So be sure to click the link in the show notes to get on that newsletter email list. Plus, when you get on that list, you get a few free patterns as soon as you sign up, which is just my way of welcoming you to this community.)
Now, if you can leave a five star review and a comment, you'll be automatically entered each week that I do this drawing for a free pattern and the big giveaway at the end of February.
And, as always, if you can't leave me a five star review, reach out to me and let me know what's keeping you from being able to do that. Seriously. I can't improve unless you share with me.
And on that note, if you have ideas or comments or questions or things that you'd like for me to explore either about knitting or about Kodiak, email me at Melissa at encourage better.com.
Now, dear knitter, do you know your worth? I sure do. You are valuable to this world. Not because of what you make or what you do, but simply being you!
Until the next podcast,
Aloha for now.
