In many things in life, including crafts, people talk about determination, grit and pushing through to get to your destination. Don’t give up, don’t give in.
But sometimes, it’s important to know when to stop, take a pause, and rest or review your strategy. I do not, in fact, think that doing either of these things is contrary to the advice or guiding words above. Rather, that this is an option is often overlooked.
Enter my lovely fluffy angora – I have had to remind myself that it’s ok to do it a bit at a time, especially for now. I have used my drop spindle to spin thousands of yards of yarn, and can readily spin wool on it for 45-60min with only brief pauses to stretch. The combination of the slick angora, long draw and my supported spindle though is not my norm. Thus, after about 10-15min I find things just fall apart. I overspin, and it breaks, then it drifts apart… and I have to remember it’s OK. I don’t do this as often, and while I can’t feel the fatigue, my hands are clearly tired from these just different enough movements from my usual spinning.
So then I think “yup, time for a break, I’ll just finish out this handful before I stop.” But this is wrong. I need to stop when it’s clear it’s all fallling apart, not slog my way through the rest of my handful of fiber as it breaks, drifts, and breaks again. I’m just making myself miserable while I destroy my fiber.
By taking a break now, I spare myself needless frustration (seriously, if my hands are tired, pushing it will not make it better) and it’s easier to return to it later when my memories are of how much I failed at it last time.
On a different note, my husband was sitting in the main room enjoying his coffee this morning when he exclaimed “do you know the problem with the yarn on the wall? I see empty pegs now and it makes me think you need to buy more.” Then he added, “not like I don’t support you anyway, it’s just more visible.”
Such a big problem…