Log Cabin (fever) Blanket



Hello friends.  It's been a while, eh.  (That's my best fake Wisconsin accent.)  Even as I sit down to type this, I'm having trouble finding the right words to express myself.

The truth is I've been out of sorts.  Not quite depression, but more than usual cabin fever or the seasonal blues.  The gray area in between where I just didn't feel like myself.  Tired and sullen all the time.  Too tired even to knit.  For two days, I didn't talk to anyone.  It started a few days before New Years and has lingered much longer than I would've liked.  I couldn't seem to overcome it with the usual remedies of visiting friends, funny movies, or good food.

Then one day last week, it clicked.  I needed to stop fighting it and just give in.  To listen to what my body was trying to tell me.  To follow my instincts and heal.

I went to the woods.

I feel so much better now.  I realized I haven't spent any time outside this winter, and I need it.  Every day.  The fresh air clears my head and lets my thoughts flow freely.  I've finally begun to feel my usual excitement of the new year begin to stir inside me.  Plans for the homestead, new projects, new places to visit.  All the possibilities ahead of us.

I'm knitting again, too.  A friend and I started the Log Cabin Blanket last summer as a kal.  She has 12 squares done, and I have well, one.  I'm not very good at knitting things for myself (non business related), and decided this needs to change too.  With it's small size, bright colors, and square corners, this makes for a very gratifying project.  Maybe by next year, I'll have it finished.  To wrap me in warmth and remind me of how to heal.

(Joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.)

10 comments

  1. I've found it is so essential to continue a habit of getting outdoors each and every day during the winter (and getting extra sleep). It really helps to keep the blues away. Glad you were able to reconnect with the outdoors to help lift your spirits!

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    1. Thanks, Christine. Sleep really does help tremendously!

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  2. Oh, and PS....what a beautiful blanket!!!!

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  3. I'm with you on that. Not quite depression, but just a general sense of blah. The snow today helped since it covered all the dead brown with beautiful white.

    I love the log cabin squares!

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  4. i'm sorry you have been feeling so blue. that SAD can be such a killer. finding time for yourself and going outside is a must. take care of yourself.
    and i love the blanket square. did you do each color and then sew them all together?

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    1. Thank you. For the blanket, I knit the middle square and then turned it clockwise to pick up sts along the edge. Continue around with nine colors total. It leaves lots of ends to darn, but much better than the madness of sewing them all together. ;)

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  5. There is nothing a trip to the woods can't heal. I too need nature connection each and every day, it is my best medicine.

    Beautiful blanket, I might have to knit one up for me :)

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  6. I am so glad you took the time to listen to your body and realized what you needed to do. I often find myself hybernating and feeling down and I know I need to get outside every single day to feel normal.
    It's also nice to hear that you are doing a blanket for yourself, you deserve it!

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  7. Hi Liz,
    Keeping you in my thoughts. I, too, have been going through a down time which I just find myself coming out of a bit at a time. I really like what you wrote about letting yourself heal - we sometimes need to go through these times.

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    1. Thank you, Tonya. It seems to be a general feeling from everyone I talk to lately, so it's nice to not feel alone.

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