Before anything else in my life I am a knitter. That is my default position, but sometimes I have a hard time getting motivated with my knitting. I hate everything I’m currently working on, can’t find a new pattern to cast on for, don’t feel inspired enough to design my own pattern and everything comes to a standstill. There is no creative outlet anymore, no imagination and since I make my living knitting as well, no money coming in either.

That just won’t stand, now will it? Absolutely not, so what can you do when you’re just sick of your default hobby? Find a new one! Preferably something unrelated so that it really works your creative muscles. I’m currently in the middle of a knit life crisis; the above paragraph was not an exaggeration. I really do hate everything I’m knitting and can’t seem to find anything that is sparking my creative fire. So I’ve turned to homemade and homeopathic bath and body goods. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I have 3 baby sweaters, 2 pairs of socks, 1 adult sweater and half of a knitted toy all on the needles at once and I can’t stand to look at them anymore I’ve decided to switch focus for a few days. I will not beat myself up for not completing those knitting projects because it’s clear that I need another outlet.

It started last week when I whipped up a batch of homemade lip balm. It turned out pretty good, so then I got going with a foot scrub recipe I found right here on Handmadenews.org. Now I have 6 lbs of soap base, 10 lbs of bulk herbs and countless bookmarked websites with soap recipes. It’s been a very nice diversion and I’ve discovered I quite like it! I’ve also discovered that after a long day of not obsessing over the knitting projects that aren’t getting knit, I’m able to sit down and knit for awhile without getting frustrated and giving up. I’ve also discovered that if I’m going to make soap, I should have hand knit face clothes and soap sacks and now I’m back on track knitting and designing and coming up with new ideas.

So here’s the moral of this story this week: are you a soap maker tired of soap? Try knitting. Are you a knitter tired of knitting? Try making soap! Pick something that is the opposite of what you normally do and give it a try, even if it doesn’t work out it will at least reaffirm how awesome you are at your primary craft.

(Soap picture courtesy of Pegasus Soaps)