Sock Lessons
So Husband and I went out to visit Mom & Dad yesterday. Husband and Dad finished the back fence. Yay! Mom took me to the LYS in Fallbrok: Labors of Love and bought me these:
They are Panda Superwash by Crystal Palace Yarns. The colour is called "Joyful." I absolutely LOVE it. The jewel tones are simply marvelous. And I was so excited that as soon as I got it home, I promptly cast on. The pattern I have chosen for this lovely yarn is called "Pablo." And I have thus far finished the ribbing and one pattern repeat. See?
I'm calling them my "Joy in the Journey" socks. "Finding Joy in the Journey" is the theme of Vista 10 Relief Society this year. It comes from a talk given by the Thomas S. Monson in November 2008. It says:
This yarn is mostly that lovely deep aqua colour, but every so often there's a bright splash of something new that brightens the rest of the sock and keeps it from being mundane. It's a little something new that comes along that makes you notice not only how happy the pink or orange or yellow is, but allows you to appreciate the steady dependability of the aqua even more. If the whole sock was pink and yellow and orange, it would be too much for this pattern. But what is in this yarn is just enough.
The same with the lace pattern--you need parts that aren't lace to allow you to see the design that is slowly emerging as each row is added. There's a deliberateness to the stitches and the order in which they come. Without following the pattern and heeding the instructions, no such pattern would emerge after time passes by...the sock would just be chaos. But by patiently following the directions, time allows you to see something beautiful, made possible only through obedience and hard work.
I suppose that, in short, what I'm trying to say is that you can learn a lot from the example of a sock: how to trust in the design, how to appreciate each new thing as it comes along, how to face different challenges while anticipating an outcome greater than that with which you began.
They are Panda Superwash by Crystal Palace Yarns. The colour is called "Joyful." I absolutely LOVE it. The jewel tones are simply marvelous. And I was so excited that as soon as I got it home, I promptly cast on. The pattern I have chosen for this lovely yarn is called "Pablo." And I have thus far finished the ribbing and one pattern repeat. See?
"This is our one and only chance at mortal life--here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now."Each knitting project is a journey. You start with the cast-on and rely on the directions to get you to a finished project. Over the course of the pattern, just as you're really comfortable with the lace pattern, or you're feeling really confident that you know what you're doing, some new challenge comes up: a heel to turn, a gusset to make, a toe to kitchener. Each one is a bump or turn in the road. You can't just keep doing what you're doing...nor can you jump ahead to the parts you like, skipping the ones you don't. You have to follow the bend in the road and see where it leads you. Some parts you'll really enjoy, others will be ridiculously frustrating, some tedious. Sometimes you make mistakes, and you have to go back and correct them. But if you put your confidence in the directions you've been given and experience of knitters before, you'll learn new things and get to the finished outcome: a pair of socks.
This yarn is mostly that lovely deep aqua colour, but every so often there's a bright splash of something new that brightens the rest of the sock and keeps it from being mundane. It's a little something new that comes along that makes you notice not only how happy the pink or orange or yellow is, but allows you to appreciate the steady dependability of the aqua even more. If the whole sock was pink and yellow and orange, it would be too much for this pattern. But what is in this yarn is just enough.
The same with the lace pattern--you need parts that aren't lace to allow you to see the design that is slowly emerging as each row is added. There's a deliberateness to the stitches and the order in which they come. Without following the pattern and heeding the instructions, no such pattern would emerge after time passes by...the sock would just be chaos. But by patiently following the directions, time allows you to see something beautiful, made possible only through obedience and hard work.
I suppose that, in short, what I'm trying to say is that you can learn a lot from the example of a sock: how to trust in the design, how to appreciate each new thing as it comes along, how to face different challenges while anticipating an outcome greater than that with which you began.
I really do love this post, Sister. It is always amazing to me how such simple things can really teach such lessons. It really is true that everything points to Christ.
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