transitional yarnings
September 20, 2007from this roving, to this yarn, and now to this hat
truly a transitional hat. this one has been with me in various forms since my last dye session in vancouver all the way until tuesday’s knitting group at knit one. have i mentioned that i like having stability and routine? in fact, i have a theory that we all do, we’re all still 3 years old inside :) i love that knitting can be a part of my stability even when everything else is up in the air. it calms, allows me to create, and gives me time to think/pray. poor benjamin is not so lucky in his chosen outlet. he couldn’t wait to get on an organ when we finally got to pittsburgh and into our new house. he did some composing along the way, but it’s just not the same thing. wish organs were as transportable.
thinking about this topic makes me remember all of the women through the centuries who built knitting into their everyday lives. those who knit for and through wars, those who finally got their relaxing moment when they picked up their knitting at the end of the day. as maxine, the professor who over-looked my thesis pointed out, it very well may have been a way of creating a life, transforming what the day is. pulling oneself up by the yarnings, so to speak, and, from my perspective an activity that interacts with oneself, other humans, and creation and through that brings life back into focus. it, of course, doesn’t do that every day… but i am thankful when it does provide.
and with that last thought, i present the
star topped handspun hat
ingredients:
my hand dyed handspun wool
with a little border of some recycled sweater wool from my friend laurie
size 6-18 mo, but i think it errs on the smaller a bit
speaking of up in the air and transitions – three new things to me that completely blow my mind: cicadas, cardinals, and glow bugs. and not so new, but handspun tassels also blow my mind. anything new to you right now?
I’ve never done a handspun tassel. Now I’m curious.
Forgiveness and understanding blow my mind. And the discovery of tasty new foods.
How generous and kind an acquaintance can be. I’m also learning not to beat myself up over my mistakes. And how soothing is the knitting of a shawl.
I just happened across your blog, and I am so impressed!
Where did you get the pattern for this and the square hat in the next post down?…They are so cute.
I love the idea of “transforming a life.” I personally love to knit (and I’m sure that many other wives and mothers were/are with me) because it gives me a sense of creation, but also one of completion. This is my mother’s theory, by the way, but I think she is right on. She said that so many things we do are “work,” but never really find completion–there’s always laundry to do, papers to grade, dishes to wash, meals to cook (and although they’re enjoyable, they are only temporary), rooms to pick up. She believes that I like to knit because it’s something concrete, something creative, something that is both in my head and my hands, and most importantly, something that stays put–I have a physical representation of completion and something that is useful and beautiful for another person. Sorry to go on so long…it’s just that your post resonated with me. I’ve heard similar things from stay at home moms, too–many tell me that in order to stay sane, they need to do something creative that STAYS DONE and you can point to it and say, “Look at this–I made it.”