Distant contact

I don't know whether it's just the passage of time, the arrival of lockdown #2, the sheer number of social events that I would in a normal year have attended by now, or the creeping sense of festivities around the corner, but I've definitely hit a point where I'm feeling the absence of social contact all over again. I'm starting to daydream about festivals, to imagine a scenario where I'm heading off to meet a bunch of friends in a city centre, and to contemplate ways to make that happen without running undue risks or breaking any rules.

Lots of events have already thought of this, and gone virtual, or made online options available, of course. Maddie Harvey and Louise Scollay are hosting an online knit-retreat on 29 November (already sold out), and the Knit-Tea Retreat in October was an entirely online affair, causing a ripple of excitement across my social media for the duration of the weekend's merriment, even though I wasn't able to attend.

Add to these 'special' occasions the regular meet-ups, (yes, I've joined a Zoom book group, and have up to three knit-'nights' a week I could attend), and you could be forgiven for thinking that there's no need for additional sociability. And yet. I can't always get to the regular knit-nights, for a whole host of reasons, and putting aside time to dedicate to doing something with friends is a rather different proposition.

And I think that is a good half of my problem. How do you portion off time to work on something creative, especially alongside other people, when you're still in the same space that you work in, you relax in, you play choo-choos in, you read Postman Bear in? How do you build a barrier that says 'I'm not playing with you now' when you're still in the house? I need  want specific appointments that are not just a regular evening event that I might be too tired for.

The other half is that while knitting along with people is great, it's not quite the same as getting together to try something new or different, or the same as each other. In 'normal' times, I do try to go to Glazy Days in Ledbury for an evening session every so often - just to spend time making along with others. The Mind 'Pause' boxes are an option for this: while it was still possible, I did get together with a few friends to try our hands at some origami, to... moderate success.

While I'm here, I should also mention that numerous knit-alongs or craft-alongs also exist online, and of course our virtual spaces are more important to us than ever. Some are being reinvented (the possible giftalong alfternative has its own website and everything), others continue on Instagram, through podcasts and so on. I'm tempted by some finish-alongs, but have to recognise my inability to stick to an arbitrary deadline, especially where gift-knitting is concerned.

So here's what I'm now thinking of: finding ways to create spaces where I can join friends ('real-life' or 'virtual' no longer being a distinction) to make things - to work on the same projects, or to try something new. Nothing fancy, but, for example, I was talking to a friend yesterday about putting an afternoon aside to make a patchwork cushion, and having check-ins to catch up and move on, or just keeping that virtual window open alongside so we can wave when we're stuck. More scalable might be something akin to the remote retreat on Twitter, wherein goals can be stated at the beginning of the day, specific times of breaks and contact are in place to encourage healthy habits, and your pocket friends can touch base throughout the day.

 

In the meantime (if either of the above sound like a good idea to you, do say - in particular if you'd like to try something I can support/help with, since apparently I'm missing teaching too...), I have also signed up for a Mind Virtual Crafternoon. I need to check calendars and pick a date, think about materials lists, recipes and templates to circulate, but in due course, I will add a link to a Just Giving page here, and am happy to include you in the guest list - just @ me in any of the usual places!