Knitting as a security blanket with LJ of Rusty Ferret Yarn

Mia Hobbs:
00:00:04
Hello, and welcome to the Why I Knit podcast. My name
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:06
is Dr. Mia Hobbs and I'm a clinical psychologist who's
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:09
passionate about knitting and its benefits for our mental well
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:12
being. Each week I interview a different knitter about why they
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:15
knit and how it benefits their mental health. This week on the
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:19
podcast I'm talking to LJ who is a yarn Dyer who owns rusty
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:24
ferret yard. Hi, LJ, welcome to the podcast.
LJ:
00:00:31
Hi, Mia. How are you doing?
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:32
Yeah, I'm good. Thank you. I always start by asking
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:36
where your story with knitting began. So I'd be really
Mia Hobbs:
00:00:38
interested to hear where yours started.
LJ:
00:00:42
I suppose really, my grandma was a beginner. And she tried to
LJ:
00:00:47
teach me. But she always got really annoyed with me. So she
LJ:
00:00:53
never really properly taught me. But she was always knitting,
LJ:
00:00:57
around me. It wasn't until I went to university. And I don't
LJ:
00:01:03
know if I like blocked out these memories or whatever. But I just
LJ:
00:01:06
remember picking up the knitting. And when I was really
LJ:
00:01:08
struggling mentally, it was mentally. And I needed something
LJ:
00:01:12
to do with my hands. I thought oh knitting looks cool. And at
LJ:
00:01:17
the time, Pinterest wasn't really a thing, but like Tumblr,
LJ:
00:01:21
and that and there was a lot of really cool little, little
LJ:
00:01:25
things. I could do that. So kind of picked up then and ever
LJ:
00:01:32
since. It's kind of been my, I suppose coping mechanism for
LJ:
00:01:36
just being in the world. Like a security blanket. So yeah, that
LJ:
00:01:42
was kind of what it started. And it's just escalated from there.
LJ:
00:01:45
Really? Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:01:46
So you think it was Do you think maybe your
Mia Hobbs:
00:01:48
grandma's seeing her knitting had kind of planted the seed
Mia Hobbs:
00:01:50
that you had a concept of That could be something you did when
Mia Hobbs:
00:01:53
you felt like you needed to do something with your hands?
LJ:
00:01:56
Yeah, I just my family is all quite creative with the
LJ:
00:02:01
hands. My mum's my mum's was a chef and my dad's an
LJ:
00:02:06
electrician, but he tinkered with everything. So we were
LJ:
00:02:11
always kind of promoted that we are encouraged to use our hands.
LJ:
00:02:15
And yeah, so we were always encouraged to do stuff like
LJ:
00:02:18
that. And I, I don't know why none. I honestly don't know. I
LJ:
00:02:25
don't know if it was the sway of the internet. Or if it was, like
LJ:
00:02:30
some deeper memory of like, oh, yeah, I kinda know how to do
LJ:
00:02:33
that. Because my gran kinda showed me I honestly don't know.
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:36
It's interesting that you had this idea that you felt
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:39
like you were struggling mentally, and you felt doing
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:41
something with your hands might help. I think sometimes people
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:45
fall into it by accident. And then they realised doing
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:48
something with my hands helps. And I think yeah, totally. That
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:50
was true for me. I don't think I ever did it at the beginning
Mia Hobbs:
00:02:53
intentionally, but I really noticed it did help.
LJ:
00:02:56
Yeah, that's weird. Isn't that I've never thought about it
LJ:
00:02:58
like that. Um, I think I was struggling to focus in lectures
LJ:
00:03:02
as well. So I found that phones weren't what phones are now.
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:07
Do you think it helped a bit to focus in
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:09
lectures knitting? Yeah. You were struggling to focus in
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:13
lectures?
Unknown:
00:03:13
Yeah, I was struggling to focus in lectures, I was also
Unknown:
00:03:15
struggling to like, like, now, what I know is anxiety to
Unknown:
00:03:20
actually go to uni. So it kind of gives me something to focus
Unknown:
00:03:27
on. And kind of looking back, I feel that I've got this thing
Unknown:
00:03:33
with people looking at me and judging me. And I thought, well,
Unknown:
00:03:38
if I'm doing something my hands or like, if I'm knitting in
Unknown:
00:03:40
that. Well, they will be looking at me, but not because of bad
Unknown:
00:03:45
reasons. Because I'm knitting. Yeah. So
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:48
yeah, so it was a different focus, maybe a focus
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:51
for you, and also a focus for other people.
LJ:
00:03:54
Yeah, I think so.
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:55
Yeah, that's really interesting. And I think it in a
Mia Hobbs:
00:03:58
way it also, I find it, it's a kind of focal point. So you
Mia Hobbs:
00:04:02
don't have to give eye contact necessarily to people. You can
Mia Hobbs:
00:04:05
be busy doing a thing, but also still listening. So if you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:04:09
getting in lectures,
LJ:
00:04:11
yeah, I was. Yeah. I mean, for a while I was playing my
LJ:
00:04:13
Nintendo DS time. But yeah, I was knitting in lectures. And I
LJ:
00:04:21
don't know when you did your degree, but the psychology
LJ:
00:04:24
degree that I did, there was like, 400 people. I mean, there
LJ:
00:04:28
was smaller. As time went on, there was smaller, like
LJ:
00:04:32
tutorials and stuff, but like were main lectures, there was a
LJ:
00:04:34
lot of people there nobody, like the lecturers didn't see you, or
LJ:
00:04:40
I don't think at that time, I would have been comfortable in
LJ:
00:04:43
myself to be like, Yeah, but it's keeping me focused. I don't
LJ:
00:04:45
think I would have stood up for myself.
Mia Hobbs:
00:04:47
Yeah.
LJ:
00:04:48
At that point, I would now. And when I went on, when I went
LJ:
00:04:52
on to do my second degree, it was a creative degree. So that
LJ:
00:04:57
was fine. Nobody really cared as long as I was there.
Mia Hobbs:
00:05:00
Yeah. Okay, so you knitted and people saw and that
Mia Hobbs:
00:05:02
was fine. Yeah. Yeah. And was there more other people doing
Mia Hobbs:
00:05:06
similar things in a creative degree or not necessarily?
LJ:
00:05:09
I'm not really. So I went and did. So I finished my uni,
LJ:
00:05:15
and was kind of a bit lost. So I ended up at this point, I was
LJ:
00:05:19
doing loads of kind of crafts, like sewing and things. And one
LJ:
00:05:22
of my friends was like, why don't you apply to do your NQ,
LJ:
00:05:26
in textiles at the college local college, and you get paid for
LJ:
00:05:31
your year and, whatever? And say, oh, that sounds? Yeah,
LJ:
00:05:35
let's find out. Let's try that. So did that I really loved it. I
LJ:
00:05:40
really, really loved it. But I was like, 22, in a class full of
LJ:
00:05:44
16 year olds. Okay. So I was the kind of weird one. Once I did
LJ:
00:05:51
the NQ, I did my HSC HND in textile art. A lot of people
LJ:
00:05:56
like enjoyed different creative hobbies, like, like photography,
LJ:
00:06:01
or sewing or drawing and things. I think I was the only one that
LJ:
00:06:06
really did, like, traditional handicraft, like in the crochet
LJ:
00:06:11
in that. But we were all I don't know. It was such a nice space
LJ:
00:06:17
to be in you were kind of accepted for who you are. So
LJ:
00:06:20
nobody, nobody judged. You see, I'm always concerned about being
LJ:
00:06:24
judged as really bad.
Mia Hobbs:
00:06:26
I think we all are probably at some level. So it
Mia Hobbs:
00:06:29
sounds like it felt more accepting there.
LJ:
00:06:33
definitely
Mia Hobbs:
00:06:34
It was fine to be the only one who did it. Yeah, do it
Mia Hobbs:
00:06:38
in lectures to help you focus. Without anyone thinking that was
Mia Hobbs:
00:06:41
unusual.
LJ:
00:06:43
No. I mean, it was kind of encouraged when I was at
LJ:
00:06:45
college, because, you know, it was you were trying things and
LJ:
00:06:50
it was always encouraged to be trying to creative things, but
LJ:
00:06:53
uni, I mean, again, you'll understand, it's all about
LJ:
00:06:56
you've got loads of reading to do so there's not really the
LJ:
00:06:58
time.
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:00
I wonder whether it's different now whether, you know,
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:02
knitting or the idea of doing something with your hands to
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:05
help you focus is more feels more normalised or kind of
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:08
acceptable now that we all kind of realised actually humans are
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:11
not meant to sit for hours on end, and just listen without
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:14
doing anything. I know, that I struggle with that
LJ:
00:07:18
It's it's hard to sit and focus and just sit and focus, I
LJ:
00:07:24
think. I suppose that's why a lot of people doodle and yeah,
LJ:
00:07:28
Tinker about and things. I know, like, now being in the knitting
LJ:
00:07:34
industry. Yeah, in the UK, I know a lot of other knitters in
LJ:
00:07:38
that, that knit in meetings and things. And it's mostly seen as
LJ:
00:07:43
very acceptable. So that's a good thing.
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:46
I wonder whether zoom has like the pandemic has
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:48
inadvertently helped that a bit. I certainly have felt more
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:51
comfortable. Being in a training day and just openly knitting
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:55
while I'm doing that on Zoom, then maybe I would have done to
Mia Hobbs:
00:07:58
do it in person, where it was quite unknown what reaction I
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:03
might get, even though 100% Feel it would help me focus to do a
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:07
simple knitting thing in the background at the same time as
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:11
listening to something. Yeah, I think you're right, it takes a
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:14
certain amount of confidence in yourself to be able to say this
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:17
does help me focus.
LJ:
00:08:18
Yeah, exactly. It's fine. I am paying attention to you, I
LJ:
00:08:21
don't need to pay attention to the knitting. It's good.
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:23
Yeah. And in terms of why you still knit now, I don't
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:26
know how much you tried the other hobbies and how much you
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:29
still do the other crafts or whether they knitting has kind
Mia Hobbs:
00:08:32
of dominated for you.
LJ:
00:08:34
Knitting has definitely dominated my craft, but I still
LJ:
00:08:38
sew and spin and work in sketchbooks and and and I'll do
LJ:
00:08:46
anything, I'll try any craft and I can sit with my knitting  at
LJ:
00:08:50
nighttime, or I take it places like that's my kind of calm. But
LJ:
00:08:55
like sometimes I'll get the urge to go into something or I want
LJ:
00:08:58
to make something specific. And I'm like, Well, I'm going to
LJ:
00:09:02
felt that or I'm going to Yeah,
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:04
did you think knitting is the main one you
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:05
associate with being helpful from a kind of mental health
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:09
mental well being kind of perspective. You said you
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:12
associate that with calm.
LJ:
00:09:14
Yeah, I, I honestly don't know why knitting. I do crochet
LJ:
00:09:20
as well. But it's always the knitting that I come back to
LJ:
00:09:22
always always, I mean, going back to kind of the comfort
LJ:
00:09:25
blanket type thing, people out somewhere in public in that it's
LJ:
00:09:29
so easy to take a wee project, like a wee sock or a glove or. I
LJ:
00:09:32
mean, I've taken big projects with me too. I'm not gonna lie.
LJ:
00:09:36
I will be that awkward one with like three bags going about. You
LJ:
00:09:40
can just take out and just sit you can focus without really
LJ:
00:09:44
focusing. So if you're uncomfortable, you can kind of
LJ:
00:09:47
retreat back into it. But if you're not you can engage with
LJ:
00:09:50
what's going on. Um, but yeah, I don't know why knitting. I
LJ:
00:09:54
really don't know why.
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:56
So it sounds like something is really important
Mia Hobbs:
00:09:58
for you that it's portable. so that you could take it out as
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:01
their like safety blanket with you out into the world that
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:07
sounds like that's important. And then obviously, presumably
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:10
spinning and sewing maybe it's a bit more difficult to bring it
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:14
with you, I guess depends on what kind of sewing it is. Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:18
I mean, there is an idea about in terms of thinking about
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:21
knitting versus crochet that there's something particularly
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:24
about the repetitive bilateral movements so that you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:27
crossing the midline. I don't know, it depends how you knit
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:29
actually, but because only some types of knitters cross the
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:34
middle of their body, but there is an idea that, like some
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:38
trauma therapy, like EMDR, I don't know whether you've heard
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:41
of that. No, but it's a type of trauma therapy, where you read
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:45
process trauma as you talk about a traumatic memory. And you do
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:50
repetitive movements that cross the midline of the body. So that
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:53
might be your eye movements, or it could be tapping like this,
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:56
like with your arms crossed on your chest, and that that helps
Mia Hobbs:
00:10:59
you to reprocess trauma. So there is a theory. So Betsan
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:04
Corkhill has done quite a lot of research into the therapeutic
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:07
benefits of knitting, that it's because it's a bilateral
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:10
movement, it's a movement that kind of crosses centre of your
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:14
body. So I mean, that's one theory, I suppose. But I guess
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:17
everybody's different. It might not be specifically that for
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:19
you.
LJ:
00:11:20
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's hard as a me, I suppose I have a
LJ:
00:11:25
bit of a psychology background, but not nothing massive. But I
LJ:
00:11:28
always find like to go into counselling and not that. It's
LJ:
00:11:32
not until you start speaking to somebody that you're like, oh,
LJ:
00:11:35
yeah, that. That makes sense. That's, that's why I do that, or
LJ:
00:11:39
that's why that conference me a bit. So yeah. It would be
LJ:
00:11:44
difficult without actually like looking into it and going
LJ:
00:11:48
through it. But
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:49
part of why I'm having these conversations is to
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:51
hear from knitters like what is therapeutic about knitting for
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:54
lots of people, because I think lots of us think it keeps us
Mia Hobbs:
00:11:56
sane, or it really helps us or, you know, in different ways, and
Mia Hobbs:
00:12:01
it won't be the same for all of us. But I guess that's one of
Mia Hobbs:
00:12:03
the theories is about the repetitive movements in the
Mia Hobbs:
00:12:06
particular action of them.
LJ:
00:12:08
I mean, I would agree with you, I I'm definitely a process.
LJ:
00:12:11
No, I mean, I enjoy the end object. But it's definitely more
LJ:
00:12:15
about the doing than than the end thing. Yeah, I mean, the
LJ:
00:12:20
movie you something about, like the kind of rhythm of it. And
LJ:
00:12:22
it's just like, I suppose, I suppose it holds my attention as
LJ:
00:12:27
well enough to stop, or this is going to sound wild, but it
LJ:
00:12:32
stops that kind of brain noise. Yeah. Yeah. Especially if you've
LJ:
00:12:36
got like a complicated pattern, you can, like there's enough
LJ:
00:12:40
focus there to not let the intrusive thoughts come in. And
LJ:
00:12:46
you can kind of get into the rhythm and, and it kind of leads
LJ:
00:12:49
on to you feeling a lot better in that moment. So yeah, I mean,
LJ:
00:12:54
so it's actually
Mia Hobbs:
00:12:55
a bit of like, the knitting pattern has to be
Mia Hobbs:
00:12:58
complicated enough to use enough of your brain power ought to
Mia Hobbs:
00:13:02
focus it on that in the hearing now and not to let it freelance
Mia Hobbs:
00:13:06
over, you know, and look for things to be worried about, or
Mia Hobbs:
00:13:10
Yeah, yeah. ruminative loops to get trapped in.
LJ:
00:13:14
I tend to go for I'm not, I don't like pain socks. Okay.
LJ:
00:13:19
Yeah. They're not my favourite. I, they're too plain. Okay.
LJ:
00:13:27
Yeah. I mean, I will knit a sock. But I find them to plain.
LJ:
00:13:33
And I will do like a lacy kind of sock or something
LJ:
00:13:36
interesting. And that's funny how you say about having a
LJ:
00:13:39
pattern that's just complicated. I've never thought about that
LJ:
00:13:42
before. But you're right. I do tend to go for patterns, I've
LJ:
00:13:45
got something I have to focus on, but not too much that I
LJ:
00:13:49
can't take out and about with me or watch the TV or do other
LJ:
00:13:54
things with
Mia Hobbs:
00:13:55
I would have multiple on the go at once. I'd have a
Mia Hobbs:
00:13:57
take everywhere, easy sock or a hat or something and then a more
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:00
complicated one that when I need to deliberately turn off the
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:04
noise in my brain and focus on the knitting.
LJ:
00:14:08
I mean, we've all got several projects on the go.
LJ:
00:14:11
nothing to be ashamed about.
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:12
No, but I think I deliberately strategize in terms
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:15
of process a bit like you like that it's about the product what
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:20
I'm going to be doing when I'm doing it rather than the end
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:22
result necessarily. Yeah, totally.
LJ:
00:14:25
And also, I mean, I don't know about you, but that actual
LJ:
00:14:28
process leading up to the knitting like picking your yarn,
LJ:
00:14:31
picking your pattern winding your yarn, picking your needles
LJ:
00:14:34
that. Yeah, I enjoy that part of the process as well.
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:37
And is there anything about that that's therapeutic. I
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:41
suppose I'm interested in like, are there certain I don't know
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:44
stitch patterns you gravitate towards are there times when you
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:46
feel like you want to be I don't know spending time with certain
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:49
colours. Obviously you're a yarn Dyer as well. So I'm sure colour
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:52
is a big thing for you. I don't know. Well, is there anything
Mia Hobbs:
00:14:57
therapeutic about all that stuff.
LJ:
00:15:00
I'm more about the feel of things. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I do
LJ:
00:15:04
enjoy colour. But I more gravitate towards the feel of
LJ:
00:15:09
the yarn. Am I like really kind of? I am one of those snowflakes
LJ:
00:15:12
that likes the soft yarn something with a bit of interest
LJ:
00:15:16
and texture to it, I like the feeling when it goes through my
LJ:
00:15:19
hands. I'm so glad I'm speaking to a psychologist right now and
LJ:
00:15:23
not some random person.
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:25
This is exactly what I'm interested in, because all
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:28
the things that I've been thinking about in my own head
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:30
and wondering like, is it you know, are there certain times
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:33
you need to be sitting there with some mohair in your hands
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:36
or you need to be sitting there with, you know, that part of
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:40
that is the tactile experience of Yeah, like it is literally
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:44
like a physical comfort blanket, but in your hands, and you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:46
doing something with it.
LJ:
00:15:48
Yeah, no, definitely. I completely agree with that. And
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:52
so anything is soft and have some interesting
Mia Hobbs:
00:15:55
texture.
LJ:
00:15:56
Yeah, yeah. And I also, when I'm knitting, I enjoy like, a
LJ:
00:16:01
nice stitch pattern. Yeah. I can work
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:05
what for you is a nice stitch pattern.
LJ:
00:16:07
Do you know I enjoy a cable? Yeah, I enjoy something that I
LJ:
00:16:12
don't know what the word for it is. I do enjoy some lace, but
LJ:
00:16:15
not like a traditional like Shetland lace.
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:17
Interesting. So is it I quite like a stitch pattern
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:21
that I can remember for round. So it might have like six or
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:26
eight processes, but I can either read them in the
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:30
knitting. So I don't have to look back at the pattern all the
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:32
time. Or I can remember it for that row or round and then learn
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:37
a new one for the next one. I don't know whether you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:40
similar or so I don't know that I would love a lace pattern. I
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:42
had to look at the pattern constantly that every stitch,
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:46
for example. No,
LJ:
00:16:47
no, I completely agree with that's kind of where my head was
LJ:
00:16:51
going.
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:52
Yeah, I don't know enough about Shetland lace to
Mia Hobbs:
00:16:54
know what that means. Exactly. Is it complicated?
LJ:
00:16:58
July it's probably not I haven't done any Shetland lace
LJ:
00:17:01
knitting. But I was kind of meaning the, you know, the big
LJ:
00:17:05
white baby blanket. Shetlandy Lace, I think I think it's more
LJ:
00:17:11
about the thickness of the yarn than the pattern I could be
LJ:
00:17:15
wrong and I will have complaints. But yeah, just I'd
LJ:
00:17:23
like something that looks good. And as you say something that's
LJ:
00:17:28
easy to kind of memorise but not too easy. Just enough to, like
LJ:
00:17:34
when you're sitting knitting every round, or like garter
LJ:
00:17:38
stitch. It's, I find that very, it's maybe too. It's maybe too
LJ:
00:17:44
easy. Yeah. Whereas if you kind of throw in like a lace chart or
LJ:
00:17:48
something, I find that quite nice colourwork's also really
LJ:
00:17:51
good for kind of keeping you going, I suppose. Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:17:55
So it sounds like this zone, where knitting could
Mia Hobbs:
00:17:59
be too easy. And then it's not doing enough of the work of
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:01
helping your brain switch off from stressful thing. Yeah, it
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:05
could be too hard that it feels I don't know, a bit tedious and
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:08
annoying. And there's a zone in the middle, where it's the right
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:12
level of challenge that it can occupy your brain enough to give
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:15
you a bit of a rest from rumination, let's say and not
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:19
challenge you too much that it puts you off.
LJ:
00:18:22
Yeah. I mean, I do like a really challenging pattern. I
LJ:
00:18:25
do. But that is once in a while. And I complain the whole time.
LJ:
00:18:33
Just like why did why did I choose this one? Oh, I just did
LJ:
00:18:38
a big brioche shawl it's the blooming brioche by Xandy
LJ:
00:18:43
Peters. And oh, my goodness, or just, I don't know why I did
LJ:
00:18:48
that to myself. It's beautiful. And I'm really pleased with how
LJ:
00:18:52
it turned out. But I was looking at that chart every single roll.
LJ:
00:18:57
Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:18:58
Yeah. So challenge. I haven't ventured into brioche,
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:01
actually, that's on my list of something I want to do, but I
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:04
haven't yet.
LJ:
00:19:06
You should give it a go. It's definitely something that
LJ:
00:19:09
you need to stick at. Because it does. It's not. It's not
LJ:
00:19:12
intuitive to start with. I didn't find but once you get it,
LJ:
00:19:16
you're like, ah, that makes sense.
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:19
Okay, and this sense of achievement of doing Yeah,
LJ:
00:19:22
totally. Oh, I can't do that. That. That's I'm good. I
LJ:
00:19:25
can do things.
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:26
Do you think that's something knitting gives you
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:28
like the sense of achievement because Oh, definitely helpful
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:31
with you know, all of our kind of mental well being is getting
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:33
that boost of Oh, I did this thing? And I guess Yeah, and
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:36
also you can see and hold and show people.
LJ:
00:19:38
Yeah, I also like him. I don't want to say this as like,
LJ:
00:19:46
narcissistic or anything, but I quite like when you finish
LJ:
00:19:48
something and people are like, that's really cool. I feel like,
LJ:
00:19:52
oh thank you. Just
Mia Hobbs:
00:19:53
I don't think that's narcissistic at all
LJ:
00:19:54
to it. It's like the insecurities of myself. I'm just
LJ:
00:19:57
like, Why did something good oh So yeah, it kind of feeds into
LJ:
00:20:02
that really? And is that
Mia Hobbs:
00:20:04
something you mainly knitting garments or things you
Mia Hobbs:
00:20:07
would wear? are you knitting things you would keep yourself
Mia Hobbs:
00:20:09
or give away?
LJ:
00:20:10
I knit everything and anything. Mostly, like back was
LJ:
00:20:14
a couple years ago, I had a shop. So a lot of my knitting
LJ:
00:20:18
was for the shop. But I closed that two years ago. And
LJ:
00:20:23
Hindsight is a great thing when the pandemic and I kind of felt
LJ:
00:20:28
a bit lost because I was doing all this kind of showing off
LJ:
00:20:32
yarn knitting and then I was like, Oh, what, so now it's
LJ:
00:20:36
like, back to knitting things for me. Yeah. And I'm like, but
LJ:
00:20:39
That's an added boost that knitting gives you when you give
LJ:
00:20:41
I don't need six shawls. Do I? I don't know. So I've kind of
LJ:
00:20:46
started knitting for for family and friends and things. Yeah. I
LJ:
00:20:51
crochet Cinderella doll for my, like, one year old niece, and I
LJ:
00:20:56
got a message from her mum going. it's her favourite thing
LJ:
00:21:00
ever. Oh, my God. I'm so happy. Yeah.
LJ:
00:21:07
it
LJ:
00:21:08
Yeah, when people like it. Yeah. Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:11
I guess that was one of my questions. Really, that
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:13
was on my list about whether it affects your mental health when
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:16
it's the finished article, as well as just the process. It
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:19
sounds like you're a lot about the process. But you Yeah,
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:22
something from the end result to either because people compliment
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:25
you when you're wearing your lovely jumper or your shawl or
Mia Hobbs:
00:21:29
you give it away and then people say nice things
LJ:
00:21:32
yeah, people enjoy it. Yeah. It's nice when people enjoy it.
LJ:
00:21:35
And I've I mean, as most crafters know, you find out who
LJ:
00:21:40
likes it and who doesn't like it. And you end up only making
LJ:
00:21:45
for them like my mum, I make notes for my mom. She's like, my
LJ:
00:21:48
number one fan. And she always gets so excited no matter how
LJ:
00:21:52
ghastly it turns out. But yeah, it's a really nice feeling when
LJ:
00:21:58
you can make something for somebody. And I feel like as
LJ:
00:22:02
well. So I have depression winner. And sometimes when
LJ:
00:22:07
you're in that, that dark space, and I knit all the time when I'm
LJ:
00:22:11
not doing other things. So like when, like, my friends have
LJ:
00:22:16
recently moved house. And like I've made them housewarming
LJ:
00:22:21
gifts. And that was something that I could do, instead of
LJ:
00:22:24
having to sit on the internet and overthink. Like, oh, what
LJ:
00:22:29
would be the perfect thing for their new house? Well, maybe
LJ:
00:22:31
they've got too much stuff, but everybody could use a pair of
LJ:
00:22:34
slippers, right? So it kind of it kind of helps with that
LJ:
00:22:38
uselessness as well, that feeling of uselessness that you
LJ:
00:22:43
are doing something productive? And then you can
Mia Hobbs:
00:22:46
other times? So even when you're feeling low? Are you
Mia Hobbs:
00:22:49
able to knit?
LJ:
00:22:50
Always?
Mia Hobbs:
00:22:51
You are okay.
LJ:
00:22:53
Yeah. Um, I don't know if it is because over, it's been so
LJ:
00:22:59
long now that I just understand that, that kind of keeps me
LJ:
00:23:04
grounded and kind of not in my head. Yeah, that I'm just like,
LJ:
00:23:10
well, that's a no brainer, really just go and get your
LJ:
00:23:12
knitting and sit for a bit. So like, if I wake up, and I'm
LJ:
00:23:17
like, oh, today is not a good day, I will tend to sit with my
LJ:
00:23:21
knitting and a cup of tea for like an hour or so just to kind
LJ:
00:23:24
of instead of writing the whole day off, and it's something new
LJ:
00:23:28
that I've learned that it's okay to just I mean, the joys of
LJ:
00:23:31
being self employed, right? I am lucky that I can do that. But to
LJ:
00:23:34
be able to sit where your net and just bring yourself like
LJ:
00:23:38
wake yourself up and shake off, whatever you've woken up with,
LJ:
00:23:43
you can focus on doing something. So you are like
LJ:
00:23:46
you're being you know, the whole you have to be productive all
LJ:
00:23:48
the time. So you're being productive. But you're also kind
LJ:
00:23:51
of soothing your brain a little bit. And then I'll go and have a
LJ:
00:23:56
shower and get my day going and things like that. So
Mia Hobbs:
00:24:00
yeah. So it sounds like it helps you to feel you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:24:03
being productive when it feels really overwhelming to do
Mia Hobbs:
00:24:07
anything.
LJ:
00:24:08
Yeah, yeah, it really does. And it's not something I've
LJ:
00:24:11
realised until recently that when you spend a lot of time on
LJ:
00:24:15
the internet, I don't know if there's like cycles of things
LJ:
00:24:18
that are shared. And a lot of it now is like you do and I assume
LJ:
00:24:22
it's because of the pandemic that people feel guilty that
LJ:
00:24:24
they're not as productive as they maybe would like to be or
LJ:
00:24:28
have been in previous years. Well, there's a lot of stuff
LJ:
00:24:32
about like, you don't have to be productive all the time or
LJ:
00:24:35
society tells you you should be productive and you're you're not
LJ:
00:24:38
less of a human if you're not productive. And I suppose the
LJ:
00:24:40
kind of the right like you are always told that you should be
LJ:
00:24:44
busy or working and and you always get praised for being
LJ:
00:24:48
busy all the time. But when you struggle, mentally, I mean, and
LJ:
00:24:52
physically but like in my cards mentally. be productive when you
LJ:
00:24:58
just literally don't Have the spoons to clean the house or
LJ:
00:25:02
whatever you have to do. So in doing a couple rows of knitting,
LJ:
00:25:06
yeah, use that quite a lot
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:09
so that you can kind of see it and feel it like you
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:12
can see the progress you made. Yeah. Other than I, you know, I
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:17
don't know whether to clean the house, it always ends up getting
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:19
dirty. I
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:20
mean, you have a dog. Yeah. I don't mean, poodles don't tend
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:26
to shed well, they don't shedSHe doesn't shed, that's one
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:29
blessing
LJ:
00:25:30
Spaniels there's hair everywhere.
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:32
He does go to the park and get very muddy and
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:34
bring it all back in the house.
LJ:
00:25:36
Thats what you get having a white dog. But yeah, like the
LJ:
00:25:41
cleanings never ending. But you're right, being able to see
LJ:
00:25:43
the progress on the knitting. And sometimes you add wee
LJ:
00:25:46
stitch marker and to see how far you've got
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:48
Yeah, that's a good idea.
LJ:
00:25:49
And it's just an extra seratonin boost really.
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:52
Yeah, I think I'm, that's a good idea. Actually, I
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:54
need to do. I've just done a colour work yoke. And now I've
Mia Hobbs:
00:25:57
got, I'm looking down the barrel of nine inches of stockinette,
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:01
which is not my favourite part of that sweater. But maybe I
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:05
should put in some stitch markers so I can see my progress
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:08
because it does feel like you knit and knit and it's not going
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:11
anywhere
LJ:
00:26:12
Precisely Yeah, you can and you'll be able to see like, if
LJ:
00:26:15
you're sitting in the evening, you're just like, Oh, I've done
LJ:
00:26:18
an inch instead of feeling like you've only done like three
LJ:
00:26:20
rows.
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:20
Yeah, I love going to you know, when you have to go
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:23
to, you know, doctor appointment or something and you sit there
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:25
and you feel like, well, this is, you know, I like to be able
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:28
to see, I got everyone else has just got some time on Instagram
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:32
or something on their phones, whereas I got into an of a
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:36
boring cuff of a sock or something.
LJ:
00:26:38
Definitely. doing that. Yeah. It's good to not be on
LJ:
00:26:43
your phone all the time. Although I'm on my phone all the
LJ:
00:26:45
time. I'm trying not to be
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:47
I think everyone's on their phone all the time really,
Mia Hobbs:
00:26:50
just I was gonna ask about a significant project.
LJ:
00:26:54
I yeah, I found that really difficult. Because because I do
LJ:
00:27:01
just enjoy the process of doing it. Yeah. Nothing that kind of
LJ:
00:27:04
really.
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:06
I suppose I wondered was there a particular time when
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:08
you think oh, yeah, that I did whatever I knitted at that point
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:11
was really was really memorable, or this I gave to my mum and she
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:15
loved it or I don't know, something that got you through a
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:19
difficult time or could be any reason for being significant.
Mia Hobbs:
00:27:21
Really? Yeah, well,
LJ:
00:27:23
recently well, last year. I'm just thinking how much not?
LJ:
00:27:27
Not how much to say I haven't said this in public, but I'm
LJ:
00:27:30
happy to say it,  last year we lost marks grandad Mark being my
LJ:
00:27:36
husband, and I was very close to his granddad and he had cancer
LJ:
00:27:41
so he ended up in like palliative care. And it just
LJ:
00:27:45
wasn't a good time and there was a whole issue with family and
LJ:
00:27:49
but back when I had the shop I had started Karina Westerman or
LJ:
00:27:53
Karie Westerman And Summerisle shawl as a shop sample. And I
LJ:
00:27:59
had two skeins of my own yarn. And I had started knitting it,
LJ:
00:28:02
but for some reason it got put to the side and kind of
LJ:
00:28:05
forgotten about. But it's such a beautiful pattern that I was
LJ:
00:28:09
like, No, I want to work on that. So we Mark's Gran is
LJ:
00:28:17
practically blind and she's in a wheelchair. So we moved in to
LJ:
00:28:22
her house for a fortnight to help her out. And I was on her
LJ:
00:28:28
it was height of the pandemic so there was only one visitor into
LJ:
00:28:32
the hospital but because she was in a wheelchair I got in it's
LJ:
00:28:35
like a carer. So we would spend like two hours in the hospital.
LJ:
00:28:41
So this was kind of my hospital go to Project okay. Yeah. And
LJ:
00:28:47
Mark's granddad was all like he was so so he was just the best,
LJ:
00:28:53
like legitimately the best and we're trying not to cry. Yes.
LJ:
00:28:57
Um, and he was always like, I like I used to knit him socks
LJ:
00:29:02
because he his mum, I never met his mum. But his mum apparently
LJ:
00:29:06
was the most fantastic knitter and would hand them socks. As
LJ:
00:29:09
soon as I learned how to knit socks, I was like, the old man's
LJ:
00:29:12
getting socks. And I would give him socks. And when I shop for
LJ:
00:29:16
the shop, he got all the socks. And he was just like, he
LJ:
00:29:20
genuinely just was the best. And so I was sitting there on this
LJ:
00:29:23
project and every night because we were there every single
LJ:
00:29:26
night. You like, How far have you gone? What is it finished
LJ:
00:29:30
yet? Is it finished yet? And it would just be a bit of banter.
LJ:
00:29:32
Yeah. And then he died. And the project well, the project took a
LJ:
00:29:39
lot more yarn it should have as there's a story behind that.
LJ:
00:29:44
It's my fault. It's not the pattern. And so again, it kind
LJ:
00:29:49
of got put to one side and I kind of couldn't look at it
LJ:
00:29:52
because of the memories attached to it. But I finished it at the
LJ:
00:29:57
start of this year. I was like what kind of over Christmas
LJ:
00:30:00
start of this year, and I was like, finishing this business
LJ:
00:30:04
for the old man. And when I finished it, I was like, old,
LJ:
00:30:06
man, you'd be so proud of me. I finished it. Oh, God no cyring
Mia Hobbs:
00:30:11
It's ok to cry!
LJ:
00:30:13
So yeah, having that. He's there.
Mia Hobbs:
00:30:16
Yeah. And you've presumably you're keeping that
Mia Hobbs:
00:30:20
to remind you of that time. Oh, that's amazing LJ. It's
Mia Hobbs:
00:30:24
beautiful.
LJ:
00:30:26
It's the most beautiful. It's huge. Hence why it needed
LJ:
00:30:30
more yarn. But it's like a matter. It is a massive blanket.
LJ:
00:30:33
And I can just lovely
Mia Hobbs:
00:30:34
and that will remind you, yeah,
LJ:
00:30:36
just, this is really terrible. So when he was in the
LJ:
00:30:41
kind of a palliative care hospital, but he was still very,
LJ:
00:30:47
he wasn't bed bound, which was like he was still very, he was
LJ:
00:30:51
in a wheelchair like an electric wheelchair. So he would always
LJ:
00:30:55
kind of walk us out of the kind of area he was allowed to go to.
LJ:
00:31:01
And Mark's Gran would say like bye like lovely dovey kisses and
LJ:
00:31:04
everything. And I would just give him the finger and he would
LJ:
00:31:06
give me the finger back. And that's the last thing I did to
LJ:
00:31:09
him was give him the finger Oh, God.
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:13
It sounds like there was a lot of affection in that.
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:16
Swearing at each other. It was your banter with each other.
LJ:
00:31:21
It was yeah, he was just the best. And
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:25
yeah, and I'm sure that's what how he would have
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:28
wanted it. He wouldn't have want you to suddenly would have
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:30
freaked him out if you'd suddenly kissed him.
LJ:
00:31:34
Yeah, no, that would have been. I did once.
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:39
Thank you for sharing that.
LJ:
00:31:41
I'm sorry that about crying. I'm like, I'm really so
LJ:
00:31:44
sentimental. No. It's one of those things. He was in a lot of
LJ:
00:31:48
pain. So
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:49
yeah, I'm really special for that. You have that
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:52
shawl to remind you. Yeah, of him, And, I'm sure he
Mia Hobbs:
00:31:56
appreciated all those socks.
LJ:
00:31:58
He did. And when we emptied his house I don't know where all
LJ:
00:32:02
the socks went Yeah, Mark was like, but you gifted it to him.
LJ:
00:32:07
So they're not yours anymore? And I was like, yep, but I made
LJ:
00:32:10
them it Feels weird. But if they've gone to the charity shop
LJ:
00:32:13
and somebody else is using them, then that's fine. Yeah. Yeah,
LJ:
00:32:17
because if
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:20
I also wanted to ask about a knitting high and a
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:22
knitting low. They don't have to be deep and meaningful. They
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:29
could just be I don't know, I had the. My cable needle broke
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:33
on the line. My circular needle broke when I was sitting on the
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:36
tube and all of my stitches came off.
LJ:
00:32:40
That sucks.
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:42
But I think we've all been there similar stories. When
Mia Hobbs:
00:32:45
you're
LJ:
00:32:45
Yeah, yeah, we've all done this. And then a knitting high,
LJ:
00:32:50
let's start with a high after that sad story
LJ:
00:32:52
story. Um, that's really difficult. I feel like knitting
LJ:
00:32:58
is such a, a background activity for me that I don't. That's
LJ:
00:33:03
crazy, isn't it? It's like a background activity. But I do it
LJ:
00:33:05
all the time. But it's just more
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:09
of any like project. When you thought when you got to
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:11
the end of it, it felt like a real triumph for when you first
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:13
learned to, I don't know, I remember what the first time I
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:16
turned a heel. I ended up standing, staying up late like
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:19
to what I am because I thought I didn't know how this is gonna
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:21
turn out. I'm just gonna follow the instructions. But it's 3D.
LJ:
00:33:25
Yeah. Yeah. How does that work? That's, can I say
LJ:
00:33:29
something more? Not about knitting itself, but more about
LJ:
00:33:32
like, the friends I've made along the way.
Mia Hobbs:
00:33:34
Yeah. of course,
LJ:
00:33:35
as, as a child who was very badly bullied, um, I've never
LJ:
00:33:40
felt accepted. And getting into the knitting industry,
LJ:
00:33:44
especially in Scotland. I'm saying Scotland, because that's
LJ:
00:33:49
where I'm from. But I have met so many people that accept you
LJ:
00:33:54
for who you are, and are absolutely your cheerleaders the
LJ:
00:33:59
whole time. And we're all a little bit broken. So we all
LJ:
00:34:04
understand when we say no, my brains a bit mush, or various
LJ:
00:34:09
other things. So I would say my knitting high is definitely
LJ:
00:34:13
being able to call these people friends and being part of a
LJ:
00:34:18
community that we are all in on a very supportive. Yeah, I think
LJ:
00:34:24
that's definitely my knitting high.
Mia Hobbs:
00:34:27
That's a huge thing. Yeah,
LJ:
00:34:29
yeah. Even people I've only met a couple times. It's just,
LJ:
00:34:33
and I'm saying this from a place of privilege, for sure. But
LJ:
00:34:36
everybody's so nice. I know that our issues in the knitting
LJ:
00:34:40
community you've probably read and seen and, and it sucks, and
LJ:
00:34:45
it's like, that's not the community. I know. But I know
LJ:
00:34:49
that it exists for sure. I don't want to be that naive. But yeah,
LJ:
00:34:54
for me, I'm very grateful that I have people that are so
LJ:
00:34:58
supportive and you know, we'll send a message in be like 'are
LJ:
00:35:00
you ok chick and I'm like, no but hi!  Or will send you a
LJ:
00:35:06
stupid video on Tik Tok just to me, like, I saw this and that
LJ:
00:35:09
made me laugh and make you laugh and stuff like that. So that's
LJ:
00:35:14
definitely my knitting high, for sure. Great. Um, my knitting low
LJ:
00:35:19
would be. The one thing that springs to mind because I'm
LJ:
00:35:24
working on it just now was I went to the very first Edinburgh
LJ:
00:35:28
yarn festival. Have you been to Edinburgh?
Mia Hobbs:
00:35:31
No, but I would love to go to the Edinburgh Festival.
Mia Hobbs:
00:35:36
I don't know when the first one was? how long ago.
LJ:
00:35:39
Oh, good question. Ah, had I opened the shop by them. I'm not
LJ:
00:35:45
sure if the shop was open. So maybe 2013 2014 ish. And then I
LJ:
00:35:52
went, I dragged Mark along with me. And we went in and it was in
LJ:
00:35:56
the afternoon and it was so busy. I was still so busy. And
LJ:
00:35:58
this was this was when it was in I think the Drill Hall so it
LJ:
00:36:02
wasn't in the Corn Exchange. It was a much smaller venue. So we
LJ:
00:36:06
went in, we kind of wondered about really quickly because I
LJ:
00:36:08
was just so overwhelmed. There were just too many people too
LJ:
00:36:11
much nice yarn. I was like, oh, I need to leave went and saw
LJ:
00:36:15
Lileth of the of Old Maiden Aunt. And there was like she had
LJ:
00:36:21
her trunks and things and there was a beautiful colour. It was a
LJ:
00:36:24
buttermint colorway which is this beautiful yellow. It's
LJ:
00:36:28
gorgeous. So I grabbed it. Bought it. I was like saying to
LJ:
00:36:33
Lileth. I didn't know Lileth, at the time. Yeah. I was like it's
LJ:
00:36:36
so busy. How are you coping? And she's like, I'm not I'm and you
LJ:
00:36:39
want to hide under the table? And just like Absolutely. Bought
LJ:
00:36:42
my yarn, left. Great. We were home. I took the yarn. Cobweb
LJ:
00:36:50
lace.
Mia Hobbs:
00:36:51
Oh,
LJ:
00:36:53
I was not a new knitter. But not a what's the word? Not
LJ:
00:37:00
confident knitter. I was like, what? I don't know what to do
LJ:
00:37:03
with this. So it sat in my stash for ages. And then I brought it
LJ:
00:37:07
out and was like, I took the yarn out. And I was like, I'm
LJ:
00:37:10
gonna do something with this. Yeah. And I looked at Shetland
LJ:
00:37:15
lace thought that's a good challenge. I'm gonna try doing
LJ:
00:37:18
like one of the ring, you know, that shawls that go through a
LJ:
00:37:21
wedding ring and things. But the yardage wasn't enough on it. But
LJ:
00:37:25
I think there's like over 1000 metres on it, which is crazy. So
LJ:
00:37:28
it just so happened that Lileth had a studio fire. Not a big
LJ:
00:37:32
one. But there was smoke damage to yarn. So she kind of sold it
LJ:
00:37:36
off cheap. And there was another skein of this colorway. Okay, I
LJ:
00:37:40
bought  it I was like yes because she doesn't often have
LJ:
00:37:42
that base in stock. I was like, Yes, get that. And it arrived.
LJ:
00:37:46
And because it was like five years apart. They weren't the
LJ:
00:37:49
same dye lot. They were different colours. And I was
LJ:
00:37:52
like, Oh, I don't know what to do with this. So again, it went
LJ:
00:37:57
back in my stash. And it's just as a bit of a low. It's almost
LJ:
00:38:01
kind of plagued me just this in my stash because I want to use
LJ:
00:38:05
it. But I really I suppose I kind of flipped it on. I
LJ:
00:38:08
recently figured out that I could knit a lace top with it.
LJ:
00:38:11
Okay, I'm currently knitting a lace top, holding both strands
LJ:
00:38:15
together. And I only need one well two skeins, but I only need
LJ:
00:38:19
one skein.
Mia Hobbs:
00:38:20
What's the top? ,
LJ:
00:38:22
so it's Diafania. DIA. S. E. Nia, by Camilla Larsen. Diafania
Mia Hobbs:
00:38:30
So yeah, it's just in progress right now.
LJ:
00:38:33
Yes, I could show you if you want that.
Mia Hobbs:
00:38:35
Yeah. That's an amazing colour.
LJ:
00:38:39
Isn't it beautiful? So yeah, it's got like you. I'm just on
LJ:
00:38:42
the yoke. I'm not looking forward to the rows and rows of
LJ:
00:38:46
stokinette afterwards. But yeah, I am enjoying it. And it's got a
LJ:
00:38:50
lace yoke. Yeah. So it's easy enough to memorise, yeah. Yeah,
Mia Hobbs:
00:38:56
so hey, so is it feeling good to use that yarn?
LJ:
00:38:59
No, it does. So I suppose it takes away from the knitting
LJ:
00:39:03
law, doesn't it?
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:03
Not at all,  I'm really pleased at seeing the
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:05
light of day.
LJ:
00:39:06
I know me too. That's the thing about like, everybody.
LJ:
00:39:09
Well, not everybody has a big stash. But I know we all have at
LJ:
00:39:12
least some yarn kicking about and it's just so nice to be able
LJ:
00:39:16
to use it because you've bought it because you love it. It's
LJ:
00:39:19
just a shame that it's any more hands basically. Yeah
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:23
I actually ended up going stash free because of the
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:29
not liking the the kind of guilt factor of when I wanted to knit
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:34
a new thing if I didn't happen to have because you've got to
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:37
have the right yarn and the right like thickness of yarn,
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:40
the right quantity of it for the project. I just found that that
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:44
was a matchmaking process that never quite resulted in a
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:48
harmonious match.  and so I ended up just so the only stash
Mia Hobbs:
00:39:55
I have is you know, nice remnants basically or Things,
Mia Hobbs:
00:40:00
I've used things. Also, I don't buy unless I have a specific
Mia Hobbs:
00:40:03
project and I'm about to start
LJ:
00:40:05
started doing that. Well, I started doing that quite a few
LJ:
00:40:08
years ago. Actually, I went I, before the show, I would like
LJ:
00:40:13
write up a spreadsheet of projects and yardage and things.
LJ:
00:40:16
I'd have a selection of things I wanted to make that I could then
LJ:
00:40:20
be like, Okay, well, I love this. What can I make with this?
LJ:
00:40:24
Okay, that and then at least I knew I would have enough for at
LJ:
00:40:26
least a project. But yeah, it's it's quite satisfying to I
LJ:
00:40:30
haven't got no stash. I definitely don't have no stash.
LJ:
00:40:33
Yeah, I still have a lot of like sample yarn and things that I
LJ:
00:40:38
try and give to people. And one of my friends works for a
LJ:
00:40:44
Women's Refuge charity here and they're doing something with pom
LJ:
00:40:48
poms to they're making pom poms. And they're going to put them up
LJ:
00:40:51
around Dundee in spaces where women don't feel safe to kind of
LJ:
00:40:54
make it a bit more of a nicer environment to be be in. And
LJ:
00:41:01
she's like, Do you have any purple, orange or green? And I'm
LJ:
00:41:03
like, Oh, you bet I do. Went over with like bags and I was.
LJ:
00:41:07
Like, please take this bye
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:09
Yeah. So it's going to a good cause?
LJ:
00:41:12
Absolutely. So yeah, if you find a pom pom in Dundee, it's
LJ:
00:41:15
probably from my stash.
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:18
That's amazing. The last question I normally ask is,
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:21
what's the greatest gift that knitting has given you for the
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:23
kind of rest of your life?
LJ:
00:41:25
Patience?
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:26
Okay, yeah.
LJ:
00:41:28
I'm definitely
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:29
do you think that's spilled over into other realms
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:32
of your life outside of knitting.
LJ:
00:41:35
I want to say yes, my husband would say no,
Mia Hobbs:
00:41:37
that's okay. He's not on the podcast.
LJ:
00:41:40
That's true. I think he's out with the dog. Can't even
LJ:
00:41:43
hear me say that. Um, no, I think it's definitely given me a
LJ:
00:41:47
sense of like kind of being in the moment to stop
LJ:
00:41:51
catastrophizing, things and getting all up in your head.
LJ:
00:41:55
Yeah. Patience to just sit and be. And definitely a coping
LJ:
00:42:01
mechanism for situations where I, I like to pre plan everything
LJ:
00:42:07
and know, like, where am I going to park? What, how long is it
LJ:
00:42:12
going to take? And I run through these things in my head. So it's
LJ:
00:42:17
given me something to be able to kind of, as you say, that
LJ:
00:42:20
comfort blanket type things so that at least that's one piece
LJ:
00:42:25
of the plan? Yeah. I don't need to worry about that. I could sit
LJ:
00:42:29
in the waiting room, like at the hospital, the doctors. Yeah. And
LJ:
00:42:33
I don't have to worry about how long I'm sitting there. Are
LJ:
00:42:36
people looking at me? Or are people judging what I'm doing?
LJ:
00:42:39
Blah, blah, blah? Yeah. So it kind of takes away that kind of
LJ:
00:42:42
nonsense. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, so once I get there, I can sit in
LJ:
00:42:48
and be calm and just focus on going in, and then we'll deal
LJ:
00:42:52
with what's next
Mia Hobbs:
00:42:53
Yeah. Okay, that's amazing. And I loved I have to
Mia Hobbs:
00:42:58
say, your collection, your new collection of yarn. And I love
Mia Hobbs:
00:43:04
some of the yarn names. They are amazing. And I think you're
Mia Hobbs:
00:43:07
right, they talk, they speak to the kind of the messier side of
Mia Hobbs:
00:43:11
Yeah, mental health when you think, you know, I think was the
Mia Hobbs:
00:43:14
one about not having washed in a week. And theapy tears.
LJ:
00:43:19
Therapy tears is My friends Yeah, I think I was just at that
LJ:
00:43:25
place where I'm sure a lot of people were in the pandemic,
LJ:
00:43:28
where everybody was trying to lift everybody up, which I
LJ:
00:43:33
totally appreciate. And everybody was looking at, like,
LJ:
00:43:37
the beautiful things around them, like, the flowers in their
LJ:
00:43:40
garden or, you know, be like the beautiful things and really look
LJ:
00:43:45
at and it was so good. I did really love it. But at the same
LJ:
00:43:49
time I was sat there like not having washed in a week, having
LJ:
00:43:52
not brushed my teeth in, however long crawling out of this cave.
LJ:
00:43:57
And I'm just like, do you know what. I love you all for this.
LJ:
00:44:01
But actually, I feel like rubbish. Yeah. And we can we
LJ:
00:44:06
talk about that for a minute, please. Can we focus this to me?
LJ:
00:44:11
And yeah, it was nice to when I kind of shared the idea. People
LJ:
00:44:15
were really open for it. And it made me feel less on my own.
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:20
Yeah. And I'm sure that other people feel less on
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:22
their own as well, because they thought, Well, I'm not the only
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:24
person here. Well, I hope so a week or, you know, has cried
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:30
their way through another therapy session or you know, cuz
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:33
that will speak to lots of us won't it.
LJ:
00:44:36
Yeah, definitely. So yeah, it was quite cathartic for me
LJ:
00:44:39
for sure. Sure. Yeah. So kind of proud of that one. Yeah.
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:46
So I'm sure there'd be lots of people who would like
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:49
to follow you on Instagram. You've got a video podcast, is
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:54
that right? Oh, yeah, I do. I do that thing. and your yarn and
Mia Hobbs:
00:44:58
the Oh yeah so how can they find out more? Okay,
LJ:
00:45:04
so my website is www dot rusty ferret yarn dot co.uk.
LJ:
00:45:08
Yeah. If you want to follow me on Instagram, I'm at rusty
LJ:
00:45:12
ferret yarn. I'm not so active on there just now and find it
LJ:
00:45:16
Instagram a lot just now. Okay. I am quite active over on
LJ:
00:45:21
Twitter. Okay. Which you can yeah is the same so at rusty
LJ:
00:45:26
ferret yarn on Twitter as well. And the podcast is on YouTube.
LJ:
00:45:30
It's not a podcast, it's video podcast video on YouTube, and I
LJ:
00:45:35
believe that's rusty ferret yarn, too. Okay. But you'll get
LJ:
00:45:38
that from my website. Everything's linked on  my
LJ:
00:45:40
website.
Mia Hobbs:
00:45:41
Super and LJ thank you so much. I'm really honoured
Mia Hobbs:
00:45:45
that you shared your beautiful stories about Mark's granddad
Mia Hobbs:
00:45:48
and the shawl. And yeah, so that was a real pleasure.
Mia Hobbs:
00:45:58
Thank you for listening to the why I knit podcast if you'd like
Mia Hobbs:
00:46:01
to find out more about therapeutic knitting you can
Mia Hobbs:
00:46:03
follow me on Instagram at knitting is therapeutic. Or
Mia Hobbs:
00:46:06
check out my website therapeutic knitting.org. To be notified
Mia Hobbs:
00:46:10
when a new podcast is released. Please subscribe on your podcast