Cheers to Ruth!! I love that Ruth gave you yarn. If I lived nearby rather than far far away I would happily share my stash with you. Also, I'm not watching to see how much someone can do, but indulge in the lingering stories. The algorithm may like to push you for more but you owe me nothing. Do what you like for liking what you do, not for thinking it is being demanded of you.
Thank you for letting us hear your creative struggle with the demands of the internet. I think you stumbled on a great alternative.. reading gives so much back to you, especially the kind of books you’re choosing. Spending time listening to you talk about most anything gives a lot to all of us, whether it’s your childhood in Italy or your cable frustrations. Hope we’ll continue to hear from you from time to time as you continue your artistic journey!
Hope your knitting mojo returns and that having a break helps. The double knitting looks interesting. If you dont have one already, neck lamps are amazing and put light directly on your project without needing any other lights on.
Hi Sam, lovely to have you back and so good for you to realise you needed a complete break away from all your social media stuff. I am not sure how you managed to keep the plates spinning ( as we say in England ) with so many outlets you have and your stressful work life. Hobbies are to keep us happy and not to give us stress, so maybe now you can do more for yourself and what you want to do rather than doing stuff to tick the boxes etc. We come on here to see you and do not judge if you have nothing to show but it’s so nice just to have a catch up with you. How lovely of Ruth to gift the super yarn for you. What a shame you couldn’t meet up. I have just ordered the last Attic Spin Dye Beatrix Potter subscription. How fantastic to give your woolly stuff to charity. A very special find for anyone buying it. Take a breath and go forward doing what you want and remember - that is what is important. 🌻
COudn't agree more! Hobbies are here to keep us happy! Thanks Jill for reminding me that! Sometimes I feel like I forget how much creating and making art is here to help me go through other burdens !
Sam, I am sorry to hear that social media took the joy from your making. I love spending time with you on youtube, but i hope you dont feel an obligation to produce to feed the beast. I had noticed how much you were creating, and it amazed me that you could be so productive. It is so much more important that you enjoy your creating (and your life for that matter) and share what you choose to share, not to feel pressured into sharing. Let the algorithms rage away, they only measure what it good for them, not good for you. Be a rebel, and ignore the algorithms!!
Sam, it sounds like you did the best thing for yourself as an artist. Sometimes we make and create and don't stop to refill the well we letting it all out of. Replenishing your reservoir meant reading books and having a social media fast and it worked for you. I sometimes take myself to an art gallery or to the beach or riverside to allow my creative well to be refilled, too. Things tend to go I cycled in life, too. We can't always be on. We need to flip the off switch sometimes, too. 💜
I have found that it is OK to let go of things that are burdensome, no matter how much time and money you have already invested in them. Give yourself permission to unravel the WIP sweaters and either make something else or donate the yarn if you don't love it. Knit only what gives you the greatest pleasure and share the knitting journey with us. If you watch the Albanach knitter, he doesn't try to be a prolific knitter, but he rocks when it comes to amazing content - he lives on a beautiful Scottish island and shares the history, people, and landscape with us. Ireland is a beautiful country and I urge you to show it off to us. Take your knitting and show us what inspires you.
ahahah! I thought of trying and include more of Ireland's beauty! I wish I had more time to wonder out and about and record! Maybe I can start with a bit of Dublin, or the neighborhood ahahahah! Have a great day! thanks so much for checking in
What gorgeous yarn. How kind of Ruth. I'd be emotional over a gift like that. I totally understand about complicated patterns.. I'm normally a one project a time knitter, but when I have one that's hard for me for whatever reason, I have to have an easy one too. That way I can do one row of the hard one each day and the rest of my knitting time on one that's more fun. I totally understand how hard the algorithm is. Even if you only post once a month and have the same WIPS for the whole year, I will enjoy listening to you talk about how the knitting has been going
Hi Sam. Best wishes for getting back to the love and happy place with all you enjoy. Having been a self employed professional puppeteer (a business for money which I happened to love), I've always felt that there things you do for love and things you do for money. With turning the love things into a business (or social media) there can be a danger of draining the joy and burnout. I experienced that when took on too much outside of my career or made to sell hobby related crafts, etc., on the side. Best wishes for finding the balance and time you need. Great to see your double-knitting! Have fun with it. I love that technique as well as triple-knitting, (and even a quadruple-knit) projects. Mostly tea cosies and hats. Take good care of Sam! And whenever you do have the urge to share, it will be a joy for us all.
Hey, just wanted to tell you that some of the things you said really resonated with me. I don't have create much of a social media content because I know I would be putting too much pressure to constantly do things not for myself but for the internet. I think the charm of your channel comes from your personality and authenticity. What I'm trying to say is I enjoy your "ramblings" and don't necessary feel like I need to see ten thousands finished projects every episode. It's interesting to hear about frustrations with projects and what went wrong as I learn a lot from it. I really liked your book section and if you feel like doing it again I would certainly look forward to it!
I do agree with you! I feel like we are not the only people here....I was recently watching The green bean podcast and they were mentioning the same...hopefully it will go
Hi Sam, lovely to hear from you, but totally understood the need to have a compete break from social media. Even the things we enjoy doing can become a chore if life is so full and stress takes over. Hope you find a good balance that works for you. Always a pleasure to hear how you cope, especially holding down a full time job. Thanks for the book recommendations too. Take care ❤
Sam -- so glad to see you back. Hope life slows down a bit and the knitting mojo comes back. Sounds like the social media break was helpful. Dm'ing you over on IG.
Hi Sam I reckon that yellow jumper will be amazing when finished the pattern is I really like an I think it will suit you with your dark hair an tanned skin I hope any way that you will intime try to carry on 😊
Thanks for sharing your feelings here with us Sam. I have been going through very much the same thing........ mostly feeling bored with the internet and finding knitting podcasts just not doing it for me. I also announced that I will take a break from podcastings, but said to a friend recently that I could easily just give up the UA-cam! Ofcourse she said I should not do that. lol For me I think its about why we feel the need to share/post everything we create/do. and after all who the hell cares!!! It has also lead to me being more creative, and having more original ideas (i think) not influenced by what I see on social media. Its a double edged sword, but I think a break is really a healthy thing. I also find reading a good way to free myself from the media, and find myself longing for endless lying around reading books. Well done for letting go of your handmade creations, Im sure who ever gets them will feel the love and effort you put into them. Be well.
It seems like it is happening to a lot of us, the amount of messages I received saying the same is incredible! Something I realised is how supportive is the community and we are all here to help each other through these moments. Take care my friend
Hi, a practical suggestion about improving your lighting struggle from this pair of aging eyes. Pick up a LED neck reading light. This light that horseshoes around your neck is ideal for boosting light focused in the work in your hands. These lights aren’t expensive and are rechargeable, therefore cordless when you use it around your neck. You will also like it for color-work in the dark winter months.
I understand how mojos can be lost through those reasons! And cabling with dark yarns- I tried that in Spring & just had to give up and use a different colour 😅. Your polka dot scarf is fab, and I can imagine that pattern as one of those small scarves that have gotten so popular. Super cute! I’m glad you are doing what you need to do to take care of your creative spark; it is precious 💖🤗
Hi Sam, Like many others here…..I really enjoy your myriad thoughts and ‘mind rambles’ …..as well as your knitting projects, in progress & completed. Here’s a tip for you…and anyone else struggling with knitting a project in a very dark shade, especially of an evening….put some plain white fabric on your lap ie a pillowcase or tea towel etc, and then pick up your knitting. Use Something smooth that will not catch on the knitting (ie slow you down which a towel would do). As a few people have mentioned, a neck light is a great idea too. All the best 🤩, Susan
Nice to spend time with you. Ruth is a dear soul, so generous and thoughtful to send you the yarn. I don’t have a specific color work pattern to suggest, but it might be nice to use the blue yarn as your main color and then use the variegated skein she sent as the color work yarn. It’s difficult to see true yarn colors on screen so it may not be a good combo in real life.
Thank you for the Saven porn. 🤤Also give yourself space to enjoy your hobbies. No one else is putting pressure on you to knit / paint / whatever a ton. Plus.. pride season/ post-pride season is always exhausting.
![How to knit magic loop - tutorial for beginners [+ tips and tricks for neater results]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rf1OU7sTDQk/mqdefault.jpg)
Cheers to Ruth!! I love that Ruth gave you yarn. If I lived nearby rather than far far away I would happily share my stash with you.
Also, I'm not watching to see how much someone can do, but indulge in the lingering stories.
The algorithm may like to push you for more but you owe me nothing. Do what you like for liking what you do, not for thinking it is being demanded of you.
❤️ thanks so much
Thank you for letting us hear your creative struggle with the demands of the internet. I think you stumbled on a great alternative.. reading gives so much back to you, especially the kind of books you’re choosing. Spending time listening to you talk about most anything gives a lot to all of us, whether it’s your childhood in Italy or your cable frustrations. Hope we’ll continue to hear from you from time to time as you continue your artistic journey!
Definitely I will continue! It’s just a bit of a step back, but I am not able to stop creating! As many of us here 😊
Hope your knitting mojo returns and that having a break helps. The double knitting looks interesting. If you dont have one already, neck lamps are amazing and put light directly on your project without needing any other lights on.
I agree. Neck lights are great when using dark yarn.
I definitely need to get one!!! Great suggestion!!!
Thanks so much!!! Googleing it now 😅 I need to buy one
Sometimes you need to take a step back, take a breath, and take a break. A trip to a yarn show is a great inspiration and help get your MOJO back.
That’s a great idea! I need to plan a trip to a yarn shop, talk with some yarn people and get new and fresh ideas
Sam, whatever you do, wherever you feel creative, I hope it brings you joy. You've certainly provided a lot of that to us.
Awwwww thanks so so much
Good to have you back. I’m wishing you good luck on all the cables with dark yarn. 😮
Thank you! 😊❤️
Do what makes you happy my friend xx
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Sam, lovely to have you back and so good for you to realise you needed a complete break away from all your social media stuff. I am not sure how you managed to keep the plates spinning ( as we say in England ) with so many outlets you have and your stressful work life. Hobbies are to keep us happy and not to give us stress, so maybe now you can do more for yourself and what you want to do rather than doing stuff to tick the boxes etc. We come on here to see you and do not judge if you have nothing to show but it’s so nice just to have a catch up with you. How lovely of Ruth to gift the super yarn for you. What a shame you couldn’t meet up. I have just ordered the last Attic Spin Dye Beatrix Potter subscription. How fantastic to give your woolly stuff to charity. A very special find for anyone buying it. Take a breath and go forward doing what you want and remember - that is what is important. 🌻
COudn't agree more! Hobbies are here to keep us happy! Thanks Jill for reminding me that! Sometimes I feel like I forget how much creating and making art is here to help me go through other burdens !
Sam,
I am sorry to hear that social media took the joy from your making. I love spending time with you on youtube, but i hope you dont feel an obligation to produce to feed the beast.
I had noticed how much you were creating, and it amazed me that you could be so productive. It is so much more important that you enjoy your creating (and your life for that matter) and share what you choose to share, not to feel pressured into sharing.
Let the algorithms rage away, they only measure what it good for them, not good for you. Be a rebel, and ignore the algorithms!!
Thanks so much John, really means a lot!
Sam, it sounds like you did the best thing for yourself as an artist. Sometimes we make and create and don't stop to refill the well we letting it all out of. Replenishing your reservoir meant reading books and having a social media fast and it worked for you. I sometimes take myself to an art gallery or to the beach or riverside to allow my creative well to be refilled, too. Things tend to go I cycled in life, too. We can't always be on. We need to flip the off switch sometimes, too. 💜
That’s a great suggestion! A trip to a museum would definitely help, get new ideas and fresh input! Thanks so much
I have found that it is OK to let go of things that are burdensome, no matter how much time and money you have already invested in them. Give yourself permission to unravel the WIP sweaters and either make something else or donate the yarn if you don't love it. Knit only what gives you the greatest pleasure and share the knitting journey with us. If you watch the Albanach knitter, he doesn't try to be a prolific knitter, but he rocks when it comes to amazing content - he lives on a beautiful Scottish island and shares the history, people, and landscape with us. Ireland is a beautiful country and I urge you to show it off to us. Take your knitting and show us what inspires you.
ahahah! I thought of trying and include more of Ireland's beauty! I wish I had more time to wonder out and about and record! Maybe I can start with a bit of Dublin, or the neighborhood ahahahah! Have a great day! thanks so much for checking in
What gorgeous yarn. How kind of Ruth. I'd be emotional over a gift like that. I totally understand about complicated patterns.. I'm normally a one project a time knitter, but when I have one that's hard for me for whatever reason, I have to have an easy one too. That way I can do one row of the hard one each day and the rest of my knitting time on one that's more fun. I totally understand how hard the algorithm is. Even if you only post once a month and have the same WIPS for the whole year, I will enjoy listening to you talk about how the knitting has been going
Thanks so much Corrie! Really means a lot! and yes, Ruth's yarn is so so beautiful, and she's been tooooooooo generous
Hi Sam.
Best wishes for getting back to the love and happy place with all you enjoy. Having been a self employed professional puppeteer (a business for money which I happened to love), I've always felt that there things you do for love and things you do for money. With turning the love things into a business (or social media) there can be a danger of draining the joy and burnout. I experienced that when took on too much outside of my career or made to sell hobby related crafts, etc., on the side.
Best wishes for finding the balance and time you need.
Great to see your double-knitting! Have fun with it. I love that technique as well as triple-knitting, (and even a quadruple-knit) projects. Mostly tea cosies and hats.
Take good care of Sam! And whenever you do have the urge to share, it will be a joy for us all.
thanks so much my friend! Really means a lot
Hey, just wanted to tell you that some of the things you said really resonated with me. I don't have create much of a social media content because I know I would be putting too much pressure to constantly do things not for myself but for the internet. I think the charm of your channel comes from your personality and authenticity. What I'm trying to say is I enjoy your "ramblings" and don't necessary feel like I need to see ten thousands finished projects every episode. It's interesting to hear about frustrations with projects and what went wrong as I learn a lot from it. I really liked your book section and if you feel like doing it again I would certainly look forward to it!
I do agree with you! I feel like we are not the only people here....I was recently watching The green bean podcast and they were mentioning the same...hopefully it will go
Hi Sam, lovely to hear from you, but totally understood the need to have a compete break from social media. Even the things we enjoy doing can become a chore if life is so full and stress takes over. Hope you find a good balance that works for you. Always a pleasure to hear how you cope, especially holding down a full time job. Thanks for the book recommendations too. Take care ❤
❤️❤️❤️ exactly. We all need a bit of a pause sometimes
Sam -- so glad to see you back. Hope life slows down a bit and the knitting mojo comes back. Sounds like the social media break was helpful. Dm'ing you over on IG.
thanks so much
Hi Sam I reckon that yellow jumper will be amazing when finished the pattern is I really like an I think it will suit you with your dark hair an tanned skin I hope any way that you will intime try to carry on 😊
Ahahah thanks so much! Definitely will
Thanks for sharing your feelings here with us Sam. I have been going through very much the same thing........ mostly feeling bored with the internet and finding knitting podcasts just not doing it for me. I also announced that I will take a break from podcastings, but said to a friend recently that I could easily just give up the UA-cam! Ofcourse she said I should not do that. lol For me I think its about why we feel the need to share/post everything we create/do. and after all who the hell cares!!! It has also lead to me being more creative, and having more original ideas (i think) not influenced by what I see on social media. Its a double edged sword, but I think a break is really a healthy thing. I also find reading a good way to free myself from the media, and find myself longing for endless lying around reading books. Well done for letting go of your handmade creations, Im sure who ever gets them will feel the love and effort you put into them. Be well.
It seems like it is happening to a lot of us, the amount of messages I received saying the same is incredible! Something I realised is how supportive is the community and we are all here to help each other through these moments. Take care my friend
Hi, a practical suggestion about improving your lighting struggle from this pair of aging eyes. Pick up a LED neck reading light. This light that horseshoes around your neck is ideal for boosting light focused in the work in your hands. These lights aren’t expensive and are rechargeable, therefore cordless when you use it around your neck. You will also like it for color-work in the dark winter months.
Oh, that's a great idea! I think I have one in a drawer somewhere :) I need to find it and give it a try
I understand how mojos can be lost through those reasons! And cabling with dark yarns- I tried that in Spring & just had to give up and use a different colour 😅. Your polka dot scarf is fab, and I can imagine that pattern as one of those small scarves that have gotten so popular. Super cute! I’m glad you are doing what you need to do to take care of your creative spark; it is precious 💖🤗
You know the pain 😅 it’s so so annoying! Big hug
Hi Sam,
Like many others here…..I really enjoy your myriad thoughts and ‘mind rambles’ …..as well as your knitting projects, in progress & completed.
Here’s a tip for you…and anyone else struggling with knitting a project in a very dark shade, especially of an evening….put some plain white fabric on your lap ie a pillowcase or tea towel etc, and then pick up your knitting. Use Something smooth that will not catch on the knitting (ie slow you down which a towel would do). As a few people have mentioned, a neck light is a great idea too.
All the best 🤩, Susan
Oh thanks so much! I am going to try that tip, perhaps a white tablecloth may work!!!! Super useful!
Nice to spend time with you. Ruth is a dear soul, so generous and thoughtful to send you the yarn. I don’t have a specific color work pattern to suggest, but it might be nice to use the blue yarn as your main color and then use the variegated skein she sent as the color work yarn. It’s difficult to see true yarn colors on screen so it may not be a good combo in real life.
Thanks so much! Yeah I don’t know they really work together! I was thinking a cream plain color as contrasting…we ll see 😅
@@irishfarmart That would be beautiful.
Thank you for the Saven porn. 🤤Also give yourself space to enjoy your hobbies. No one else is putting pressure on you to knit / paint / whatever a ton. Plus.. pride season/ post-pride season is always exhausting.
Ahahah that’s so true