Eyeore and the Blues

A friend of me confessed she was feeling like Eyeore because she'd been in the (very large, very tidy) home of a friend to watch her children for her.

Now, I must confess that I have felt the same way at my local hand knitting guild. The Finished Objects these people display!!

Some of them must have Platinum accounts at the most exotic yarn shops, or stock in Rowan and Debbie Bliss. Others have more hours in the day than I do, and certainly fewer hours requiring the use of their eyes and hands doing anything besides knitting.

As it happens, I have never knit a Kaffe Fassett sweater.



Nor have I ever knit a Fair Isle sweater. I hope to, but it hasn't happened yet.




(This blog is lessons FROM knitting, not lessons IN knitting, okay?)

Feeling BLUE can be informative, though most people find it unpleasant.
For me, the bad part about feeling Blue is having to listen to the Nasty Little Voice of depression. The NLV is almost ALWAYS saying:

• I wish I hadn't stopped myself from trying that.
• I could have done it if I had kept fear out of the driver's seat.
• I wonder if I'm not as good/smart/valuable/(etc, ad infinitum) and the person who did it.

I can silence the NLV. by:

• finishing a project that I have in the works -- like those cabled and lace socks in the WIP drawer.
  
• finding a new one that is exciting and starting it -- Oooh, there's a lace knit along and a log cabin knit along. What fun!
• thinking about something completely different.

Perhaps you would prefer to avoid the Eyeore experience in the first place?
It is really quite simple.

Do not compare yourself to others.

Think about all the inner conversations that would come to a standstill if there were nothing to compare yourself to. For that matter, think of all the debate, arguments and outright disagreements you could avoid with OTHER people by refusing to compare or be compared.