The comfort of knitting

I'm feeling pretty tired today. I've been working hard job-wise, and also preparing for my trip this weekend. I leave for Kansas City early Thursday morning and get back in the wee hours Sunday night. Happily, I'll be seeing some friends there at a professional conference. I mostly go to these conferences to see colleagues from up north who inspire me in my work. I'm expectantly awaiting some good-feelin' inspiration and connection with other professionals.

I've hardly knit at all this week, which is pretty surprising. Whenever I think of knitting, I get very mental about what projects I'm bringing on the plane, what I should check, how much yarn I need, etc.

And then I ask myself WHY in the world I'm stressing myself out about my knitting. I think the reason is that when I travel, I have difficulty feeling any sense of control about my environment. I have a fairly strict diet and can't find the food I need. I'm chemically sensitive and have reactions to my hotel room. I have a wonderful relationship with my husband, but he's not with me :( And so, all in all, even if the trip itself is truly wonderful (and I expect it to be rewarding, don't get me wrong), I still feel the need to grasp for comfort.

Knitting = Comfort

I feel the need to have the perfect knitting for my trip as an attempt to provide the comfort, security, and normalization that I crave on these trips. Maybe those beautiful colors will provide a sense of warmth under the airport's florescent lighting. Maybe the texture of that bamboo yarn will soothe my nerves. Maybe that fuzzy wool will calm my digestion.

So, I'll be bringing my Simple Knitted Bodice, a half-finished Opal sock, a surprise sock, another surprise gift, and some extra sock yarn (just in case). That should hold me... If not, I can take a cab half an hour to the yarn store in town (yes, I looked it up).

In the meantime, here is a picture of the gorgeous...GORGEOUS handspun yarn Steff gave me (she did the spinning and Navajo-plied it). I'm so touched by the gift, and am lucky to be able to look at this yarn each day. Thanks Steff.