5 common sayings that apply to both knitting and life

 1 - One Stitch at a time or One Day at a time

When you are knitting, it's often helpful to focus on one stitch/row/project at a time.  You can easily get overwhelmed by a project when you look at the whole sweater of thousands of stitches or when you are faced with an "area 51" full of unfinished projects...but if you take each stitch or row or project at a time, you can easily see how you will end up with this beautiful finished object.  This is similar to life in that when you look at all that you need to get done or all the plates you are trying to keep in the air, it's often easy to get overwhelmed and think it will all come crashing down.  However, if you simply look at each task individually and focus on what you can do now and not worry about the long list of todos but just the one, you feel like it can be accomplished.

2 - Focus on the bigger picture or Focus on the whole project

This is the very opposite of the first one but this often helps keep things into perspective.  Sometimes we get so focused on the one stitch we can't figure out or the one issue in our life that is stressing us out the most that we often forget to focus on the big picture.  In knitting, when we only look at one line in a pattern or one stitch, we can't see how it works with the others. We sometimes have to stop and look at how it will flow into the rest of the stitches so that we can see how it will effect the next stitch or row, which would help us figure out how to do the individual stitch causing us the trouble.  This can benefit us in life by reminding us that life is so much more than dishes, laundry, traffic...our relationships with others are so much more than one interaction. It also can help us when we are faced with something that didn't go the way we had planned.  I often talk about God's big plan for our life.  While I can't see that big plan or know what it entails, all the little things that I do or things that happen to me all are part of it.  I don't know what God has planned but I do know that it's wonderful and so much bigger than I can even dream.  Just like all those little stitches add up to a sock or cardigan.

3 - Trust the Pattern or Trust God/Your Gut/Your Heart

Many times patterns can be confusing when we read through them.  There is a new technique or we just can't visualize what they are trying to have you do...this is when you have to just break it down and do one action at a time and trust that the designer knew what they were doing.  Don't get me wrong, designers can make mistakes so trusting them might cause you to make a mistake but to start you just need to go through the motions and trust it will work.  This goes for life to.  Sometimes we worry too must or over think situations but sometimes you just have to trust it will all be okay.  You just have to blindly go forward and trust your gut or your heart.  Sometimes you just have to say God this is in your hands and go forward.  Just like the pattern will, your life will all work out just fine.  Side note...don't get me wrong...both life and the pattern will need some work for it to magically work out but you have to have faith and trust that it will and let that trust guide your actions.

4 - Practice makes perfect

Now this is a no-brainer!  It goes with pretty much everything in life and knitting.  Unless you practice something, you will never get better.  And yes...I know sometimes you never will get perfect at somethings but unless you practice you will never get any better.   When I'm teaching new students to knit, I often tell them knitting is about muscle memory.  It takes 5-10 minutes a day to teach your hands what to do.  If you want to accomplish something in life, you need to dedicate some man power or brain power to that thing.  If you want to be a better mom, you have to think about what you envision a better mom to look like.  Then focus on doing that 5-10 mins a day and then it will become second nature.

 5 - You are not in this alone

I'm not sure what I would do without my knitting friends or mommy friends or our family.  Having someone to encourage you through a project or help you decipher what that designer was trying to say when they said whatever it is in the pattern is a huge help.  Knit-A-longs are so popular because it helps when you are knitting the same pattern at the same time as someone else or in many cases a group.  You may have that same issues come up and can support each other through. It's also helpful to have people around to see what they are knitting and enable you.  In life, having a support system is vital!  I don't know what I would do without my family and friends.  They have stepped in to help in so many ways I don't even know where to start.  Even right now, we have friends and my FIL helping my husband replace our roof.  Literally they are helping put a new roof over our heads!   

Something I've come to realize lately is that I need to foster my relationship with my mommy friends.  Just as Knit-A-Longs are great for support, so are having friends who are going through the same stage as you are.  Especially because sometimes parenting feels very lonely.  Having someone say "me too!" is something that everyone needs sometimes.  Especially when we are all in the thick of it.

Happy Knitting and Living!

What sayings do you think apply to both?