Building Blocks

This wedding is a funny thing. With less than three weeks to go now, I'm starting to feel slightly overwhelmed. I know it's coming soon, and I know it's coming fast. I also know that everyone that's coming will leave well fed and that no one will notice if my shoes don't match my nail polish perfectly. I know that details like whether or not we opt for square dishes or round dishes will be lost on every single person in the room. I know that if I have mascara running down my face, or fake eyelashes stuck to my cheeks, someone there will let me know. And most importantly, I know that by the end of the day, I will be married to the one guy I want to spend the rest of my life with- which I realize is really the only thing that anyone at my wedding will remember.

We are down to that point in the planning process however where it's all about the details- the little bits and pieces. All the fun stuff like colour scheme, dress shopping and flowers are behind us. Those decisions have been made (thank God!). Now it's all about the "Who is going to sit with who? Who needs a vegetarian meal? Are there any allergies? What time should people show up to the reception? What order should the speeches be in? What am I going to do with my 1" long hair-do once I take off my veil? What shoes am I going to dance in? Should the groomsmen have little pieces of fabric that poke out of their suit pocket to match their tie?" It's all about the details. And as soon as one detail gets nailed down, there seems to be a sea of more details just waiting for us to sort them out. While I have never made so many rapid fire decisions in all my life, it still feels as though nothing is actually getting done.

Amongst all of these details, I often find myself loosing sight of the bigger picture- the reason why we're going through with all of this. Which brings me to... my knitting.

It's a vicious circle, isn't it? When one finds themself too busy to sit down and knit, that's exactly when they need it most. Knitting's soft rhythm soothes the soul and calms the nerves, which is precisely what I find myself craving these days. Right now, I feel as though all I what is a good three week vacation full of nothing but... knit time. Nuts to this wedding! We can make a pit-stop at City Hall when we get back (Er...just kidding Mom and Dad!).

Last week at the shop I taught a class to a group of lovely ladies on 'Entrelac'. This particular technique is achieved by knitting little squares that build on one another resulting in a fabric that looks like woven strips. So tricky! So clever! Right? I have knit entrelac in the past, but it had been a while since I had played with the technique much.

Yarn- James C. Brett "Passion" in shade P3
Pattern- Danica by Jesse Loesberg

Turns out, entrelac is exactly what the knitting doctor should have ordered this bride-to-be long ago. Nothing is more satisfying than building blocks- ask any child out there. You can knit up a 'little block' in no time and when you finish one, you end up feeling like you've accomplished something- like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you intend to knit a 40 foot scarf, you can still see that light. You can pat yourself on the back and say 'Good job Lynn! Look at what you did! You made something!'

A friend once told me that no matter how big or small your wedding is, there is drama and stress that goes along with it. While my wedding is certainly no Kate Middleton/ Price William affair, it's enough for me.
Perhaps if I think of all of these little tasks that I have left to do as if they are tiny knitted blocks, it won't seem quite so daunting.

Besides, I work best when knitting is involved, so I'm just going to stick to my entrelac. Chipping away at it bit by bit.

And if my scarf ends up being a few feet shy of 40 feet, I'm pretty sure that no one is going to notice.

Happy knitting dear knitters!

It's November now... only 53 more days until Christmas.

 So you'd better get your knit on.