Recently I read that chanting 'Om' to yourself can be effective (not aloud; that kind of thing performed in the middle of the night can get you a reputation as your building's resident weirdo). The idea is, presumably, that if you do it long enough you will bore yourself back to sleep. I've given it a go and it's HARD (and boring. And pointless. My mind keeps wandering to more interesting thoughts). Another strategy I've read about is to get up and do something, which is supposed to help break the sleeplessness cycle. I tried this a couple of times a few months ago, getting up and knitting for half an hour or so. That was much more enjoyable than silent chanting, and much more effective than lying there hoping in vain that cruel sleep might relent and take me.
So I'm going to give it another go. It needs to be something that can be done in dim light (as bright lights will persuade one's already confused bodyclock that it's daytime). That means pale colours. It also needs to be easy enough for a semi-fuddled brain to grasp, which means a simple pattern. I reckon this might be it:
This is a scarf that a friend requested, in beautifully soft cashmere. I'm not being disingenuous when I say it's easy; although it looks busy, it's just some cabling every fourth row. I tested it while watching Spooks last night, and as I managed to understand the plot machinations while not putting a stitch wrong, I reckon it's simple enough to do while only semi-conscious.
I knitted this much of the scarf in daylight, as I wanted to test out the pattern and also make sure its future owner liked it. But now that it's been approved, this project will be strictly nocturnal until I've finished it.
How long does it take an insomniac to knit a scarf? I'll tell you in a few weeks (or a few days, depending on how badly I'm sleeping).
