Knitting and Sleeping

Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care. Macbeth, Act II Scene ii

In my life, these two things are both as necessary as breathing--and also prevent each other from happening. If I sleep, I can't knit, and if I knit, I stay up late and sleep deprivation sets in.

I have many things going through my mind, and a knitting and sleeping and caring blog seems appropriate right now. Knitting--and crochet, and several other yarn crafts--is my main creative outlet at the moment. I've been on a serious knitting jag for the past 8 months or so. I'm learning so much about knitting from my Ravelry friends, especially through the endearingly geeky "Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup." I'm a Ravenclaw, through and through... is anybody surprised by this? I think not.

And I know for a fact that my sleep-deprivation adds to my sense of depression and being overwhelmed by the world. When I'm sleep-deprived my temper gets shorter and my ability to care lessens. And there are just so many things in my current life I need to care for: my son, my husband, my cat, my dog, the children in my preschool classroom. When a knitting project takes me away and I lose sleep, who really benefits? But if I don't knit... then who benefits?

So here I will explore: to knit, or not to knit. That is the question! Will I ever stop knitting? I somehow doubt it. Finding balance, now--that sounds like a wonderful idea.