COLUMN: BOY & BUNTING
Matt Farci, the self-proclaimed mancrafter behind A Boy and Bunting blog, thinks it’s time to move on, but won’t be leaving his hooks behind…
Turns out, I am about to hit a little transitioning moment in my life. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I don’t have any set plans. I’m about to finish a job, to which I’ve dedicated every ounce of energy for the past 10 years. I need to find a new home, but my nesting grounds have always been where my job has taken me. Stay in Germany or move back to my native England and start over? That’s the milliondollar question, along with a ton of other nibbling anxieties (DRAMA QUEEN!). It’s a truly exciting time in my life – I do see that, but daunting, to say the least.
GOING TO GROUND
With all of these questions and insecurities running around in my head, I’ve realised that I needed to find a focus that I can truly depend on. Something that will remain constant, no matter what my plans end up being. Something that will stay with me, no matter where I end up living. Something that is mine and grounds me so securely that I know everything else will work out. You’ve guessed it… Having my crochet work as a focus brings me huge amounts of calm. I love nothing more than having a good project on the go and looking forward to that moment when I can get home to nestle in my craft room chair and truly get stuck into it.
A PIECE OF PEACE
So, when I’m a little nervous and a tad stressed, my crochet works as pure meditation. Each stitch is like a calming breath, soothing the anxieties that have built up. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t just abandon my thoughts, but as I crochet, my thoughts run alongside my stitches, floating in the background, as opposed to clogging up my head and drowning out the peace.
BECOMING REALITY
Plans do need to be made and with crochet being such a positive aspect within my life, it seems almost obvious that I should go ahead and dedicate a patch of my free time to my blog and crochet work. I’m going to get so severely stuck into it, my crochet hooks won’t know what hit them!
I’ve had so many ideas running around my head for so long that it seems like the perfect chance to make some of my ideas become a reality. I’m going to get working on patterns that have remained unfinished for quite some time, finally finding the time to test and (hopefully) release them. I’ll try my hand at some new techniques, delving a little deeper into some tapestry crochet (I haven’t got my head around that one yet) and I’m looking forward to having a real play with some of the gorgeous yarns that I’ve stashed away at home.
SUPPORT GROUP
On top of all that, I’ve recently joined the Scheepjes Bloggers group, so I’m hoping to get to know some of the other bloggers a little better and feed off the nurturing, creative and supportive environment they’ve created under the Scheepjes roof. I’m going to do my best not to overload my time straight after this current job finishes, but use it as a moment to figure out what’s what. It certainly sounds like a plan for now, but when the time comes for a little breather, I’m going to do my best not to forget that crochet is in itself calming. So, when it all gets a little overwhelming, I’m going to remember to come straight back to something simple and take it one stress-relieving stitch at a time.