Ha, I bet you thought INFJ was a crochet term!? Hee, hee...it's actually a Briggs-Myers personality type and I can tell you, so many things fell into place for me after I took their test a few years ago. It explains my attraction to, and compulsion, for appreciating and making, or at least TRYING to make beautiful things. It also points to the typical INFJ attention disordered brain function. Not so much ADD, but rather that we INFJ's have a deficiency when it comes to filtering out information...this means we're walking talking emotional and physical sponges, soaking up the subtlest nuances emitted from the body language of people we're speaking to or who are talking to us, also from random people in our vicinity. We.Get.Vibes. We cannot be around mean-spirited people. We pick up tiniest details, like lint on black fabric. We smell fake a mile off. Entire conversations are forever stored in our brains. Woe betide the Husband who says " I didn't say that!" No, we aren't spaced out or daydreaming, or not paying attention, or not concentrating. We're ABSORBING. With a capital A.
All the while, our acutely sensitive invisible antennae are waving about, picking up vibrations from the weather, traffic, TV's or radio, dogs barking, as well as the general cacophony of "daily living sounds"...birds, bees and the wind in the trees! It's absolutely exhausting, to say the least! Most HSP ( highly sensitive people ) are typically INFJ types. To say we experience a host of niggly and unexplained aches, pains and emotional distress is an understatement. Overload is our middle name.
Because being an INFJ type is terminal, managing this roller coaster ride has become my life's work! Apparently we have uses in this world. We're meant to be awesome, empathic and inspired Counselors...and Artists, and Writers.However, that's the best version of ourselves. Mostly we muddle our way through the hodge-podge milieu that is our inner world, trying to find homeostasis. This can only begin to take place, squirreled away somewhere safe quiet and secluded. We INFJ's are the perfect definition of a paradox. All extroverted, happy-like, chatty and friendly, in company ( those rare occasions ), while our inner selves are begging for it all to stop so we can go home to hide under our nesty duvet until the clamouring in our head settles down again.
We are the quintessential Cat type. We love Cats. Basically, we ARE Cats.
Ok, so you're probably wondering where all this waffling is going? Well, straight to the topic of Crochet, of course. :)
The point of all this over-explaining is that almost half way through my current CAL afghan, hosted by Elle Yarns, which is a local brand of AMAZING yarns, I had an instantaneous change of colour palette heart. I was outside in my usual Autumn Sunbeam Spot, yet it felt like a perfect Spring day. Firstly, all the cooler -months-loving birds had arrived back from their travels. Then, everything is in bloom! It's like this at the Cape of Storms. Because of the rain, all things parched from the dry and windy Summer just pop back to life. It's like Spring in Autumn. Oh, the little Sunbirds flitting about in the Honeysuckle. like tiny bejewelled rainbows! There are Bees and Butterflies in abundance, snuffling deeply into the dewy depths of blooming petals. All things bright and beautiful comes to mind! As I sat there crocheting yarn threads of beige, gravel and antique brown I was suddenly overwhelmed and immersed in this gorgeous abundance. Basically, the colourful flowers, chirping birds, buzzing bees, flitting butterflies, warm breeze and sunbeams and I, merged, and became ONE! I promise, I'd only had two cups of coffee and a peanut butter sandwich!
Did I mention the duck-egg blue sky and snowy-white cartoon clouds? I literally absorbed this all into my body, like a lovely Epsom Salts bath, and from out of my fingers came bright Citrus Orange and Sunshine Yellow threads ( those are real colours from Elle Yarn's Family Knit range).:)
Of course, I was just about to complete Square Three. But no matter. I got stuck into starting from scratch, using my brand new palette... and in three days had caught up to the current Square Five.
In all, ten 20cm Squares. And whatever was niggling at me before, colour-wise, had vanished. All is aright in my little INFJ world. For now, balance is restored. Just goes to show that taking care of the little things makes all the difference to the bigger things. If you're an INFJ, you'll understand exactly what I mean.
If you're muddling along, often daydream, absorb atmosphere like a sponge, love making pretty things, like to work alone, and need a Cat, or two, as a companion animal, above humans. Then you just might be an elusive INFJ. Welcome to my world.
Much love, always and happy hooking!
