“You’re wasted in banking”, is something I have been told on a fair few occasions during my career. Truth is I always thought I would be a career woman, a bit of a power bitch, then I hit a period in my early career that scared me. I nearly burnt myself out, became very withdrawn and spent all the time I wasn’t working sat watching telly like a zombie. A happy chance of creating some fancy dress jewellery for a night out with my friends, triggered an unexpected spark, and in that tiny bracelet I discovered a joy of productivity and achievement. Over the next few weeks this joy led to the realisation that crafting was therapy for me. I could use it as escapism (as I had films and books in the past). I took a look at my life and made a very serious choice, one that I am sure many people don’t realise is so important in lives we live today – You can live to work, or you work to live.
I was fairly young when I opted for the latter, and from my initial Eureka! I began to discover crafts in a very big way. I started trying a new craft each year until I found knitting, which for me was as effective as yoga and meditation in managing my anxieties and stress. The repetition of the stitch, the movement of the needles and the feel of the yarn created mindfulness with the added bonus of creating something tangible. My head was no longer full of spreadsheets, outlook tasks and deadlines it was buzzing with ideas for gifts, Christmas decorations and other homemade fripperies!
In 2015 my boyfriend (now husband) and I got engaged and I embarked of the biggest project of my crafting life – creating a handmade wedding. It started with a Pinterest search for crocheted bouquet and ended with making all of the decorative elements of the wedding, including and most prominently, the flowers. A year in the making, my handmade wedding was the initial inspiration for writing this blog. I have dedicated a special page to this project as it really was an undertaking of epic proportions.
Life has moved on since the wedding and we now are parents to the very vibrant, feisty, nearly toddler Small. After a wonderful pregnancy she arrived in rather traumatic circumstances which led to a tricky start to motherhood for me. I found myself adrift and unable to escape in my crafting as I have before to manage my emotional stability. Every new mum is fragile, some more than others. Now Small is older I want to talk about what happened in our first months as a new family. I want to share our experiences, and our adventures with a liberal sprinkle of crafting joy. I hope you’ll join me.
Love
BB Knitz (& Small) x
