Meditation For Spring Time | Spring Shawl Crochet-along (CAL)

Meditation for Spring time and the Spring Simplicity Shawl Crochet-along (CAL) -  To celebrate the release of my newest pattern for an easy crochet triangle shawl, I'm hosting a CAL for the shawl for the month of May, 2022!

Here's a summary of the detailed information you need for the CAL:

• I'm hosting the CAL on my Buy Me A Coffee page. Unfortunately, here on my site's blog, if you comment on a post I can't reply to it. :( But on my Buy Me A Coffee posts you can comment and I can reply. Yay!
• If you sign up for the CAL anytime during May 2022 then you can receive a copy of the Spring Simplicity Shawl pattern for free! Just email me to let me know you want to sign up.
• For more detailed crochet information on the shawl, check out this blog post.

By the end of the CAL, crochet beginners will know how to crochet a simple triangle shawl from double crochet in rows. The easy, triangle crochet shawl pattern will also enable more experienced crocheters to take a break from stress and overthinking to utilize crochet as a therapeutic craft that helps them focus on, and live in, the present.

For the first livestream of the CAL, in addition to demonstrating how to start your shawl, I outlined how we can use this project as a tool to help us with mindfully crocheting, and meditating on Spring and new beginnings in general:

Preparing for the CAL as meditation for Spring

A great way to utilize this CAL, if you're open to it, is to use it as a way to welcome and intentionally create for yourself, new beginnings. Take some time to think of all the ways you can embrace the "new" during this month. Some ideas and suggestions:

• buy yarn from a new store
• use yarn you’ve never used before
• commit to learning something new even if you’re an experienced crocheter (cultivate a beginner mindset)
• Try and push your crochet comfort zone if you can:
• Crochet somewhere new
• Crochet outside, in the park, at the playground
• Crochet on public transit and/or at work
• Crochet standing up
• Crochet while you walk
• Notice and record all the “new” things around you (plants and trees sprouting and blossoming, new books coming out that you want to read, walk a route that’s new for you, take a bus you've never taken before)

Share with others - inspire and support

Inspire and support other participants in the CAL and not just in terms of the crochet you are doing.

• Ask questions and comment on my Buy Me A Coffee CAL posts
• I'd love to see pictures of the yarn you buy, your shawls in progress, but also pictures related to you embracing the "new". Maybe you in a new outfit, crocheting in the park, sporting a new haircut, anything you want to share that's in line with the theme of this CAL, both crochet and non-crochet
• On instagram you can post with the hashtag #SimpleSpringShawlCAL
• If you do Facebook then you are welcome to join my Facebook group, SBKM Crochet workshops online.

Preparing to crochet mindfully

These are the steps I usually follow when I want to ensure that I'm crocheting in a mindful way:

• I wear something I have made
• I aim for physical and sensory comfort, especially relating to scent
• Set my intention. For example: “I am open to new possibilities and I have everything I need to move forward today”
• Light a candle

The candle I am using for this CAL is called The Fool and it's made by Shy Wolf. If you're local to Hamilton you can get Shy Wolf candles at The Witch's Fix.

Affirmation ideas

Here are the affirmation statements I used in the video above:

• It is safe for me to let go of the past
• I am grateful for all I have and all that is to come
• I am allowing my blessings to come to me
• I am willing to try new things
• I don't need to wait for the perfect time to start something new. I can start something right now
• I am open to the magic this new beginning brings
• I am willing and committed to trying new things
• I do not let fear prevent me from trying new things
• I embrace mental discomfort
• I let go of the things from my past that create memories which no longer serve me
• I am grateful to be alive in the present
• I am excited by new possibilities
• I embrace my inner Fool. I am grateful for new beginnings. I am creative, spontaneous and am willing to take leaps of faith. I have faith in the future and I believe in the possibilities of myself and what I can create

Use the end of a row as a mindfulness cue

Lots of options here but some ideas for you to consider are:

• Doing some deep breaths
• Setting down your work and noticing what's new around you
• Check in with yourself - are you in "thinking" mode? (Planning, worrying, remembering, being judgemental) If yes, then use the end of a row to re-focus back into the present and simply crochet
• Check your posture and make sure you're not unconsciously holding any tension in your body

I will be sharing on my Buy Me A Coffee page the ways in which I'm using this CAL to try and focus on Spring and new beginnings. I hope you will comment there and share with other CAL participants the things you're doing and trying.