I'm really looking forward to seeing what the plan is for November because I'm very much already anxious about it. I've had to slow down on yarn projects (and everything else) lately because my body has been tired and sore, which is a hard thing for me to honour, even though I know it's important. I think the importance of my creativity is never more obvious than when I can't engage with it the way I want to.
All this so much. I’ve written here about knitting through my father’s dying and how I finished a sock almost as he died. Now there is so much with my mom, with my husband, with our friends—the hits keep coming. And I’m knitting through it all.
I do watch the project grow but I think my solace is in the momentary forgetting, that all that matters is the stitch I’m making. The next stitch always there, quiet and waiting. Mistakes are easy to fix. Life doesn’t seem fixable. Knitting follows patterns (stitch patterns, not “the” pattern)—predictable and can be learned, repeated as they form a coherent whole. Nothing in life at times makes sense.
The days as a mother were long—I remember sitting on the back stoop knitting sleeveless cotton tops for my daughter,knitting as she picked dandelions. Mothering was hard and lonely. I still knit for her, and she wears what I make her.
I used to be a one project person, but I somehow now have 4 active projects going. They range from no-thought vanilla sock to a complicated cable sock to tandem sleeves on a cardigan (can’t work on that with 4 dogs in my lap) to a bag for a friend’s birthday. Somedays I need an easy project. Some days I want to get lost in the cables. And somedays I need both.
November frightens me. A Biden win is what I hope for, but was Jan 6 a dress rehearsal for this election? A Trump win makes me afraid for my gay and trans friends, for my international students. I live in Illinois, a blue state but blue only thanks to Chicago and the U of I downstate. My county is cherry red. Most of the people we have to associate with due to my husband’s job are quiet Trumpers who may not like him, but will vote party line. We have a few allies, but we are a minority.
I’m sorry this is so long. Thank you for being here.
Time slips by so fast now. My little ones are adults and it went so fast. I still enjoy them day to day and the wonderful people they have become. I don’t want to think about November yet. I’m just going to go back and knit and think about the new yarn I’ll be getting from you……🙂
Thank you for inviting me to not only your home but your newsletter. I also prefer the process of knitting. The soothing stitch-after-stitch that becomes something I use for years to come. I also prefer a slower process so when accidents or mistakes happen, I can fix them at the moment. (and when I cannot, I know you've got me covered 😉 )
I'm really looking forward to seeing what the plan is for November because I'm very much already anxious about it. I've had to slow down on yarn projects (and everything else) lately because my body has been tired and sore, which is a hard thing for me to honour, even though I know it's important. I think the importance of my creativity is never more obvious than when I can't engage with it the way I want to.
All this so much. I’ve written here about knitting through my father’s dying and how I finished a sock almost as he died. Now there is so much with my mom, with my husband, with our friends—the hits keep coming. And I’m knitting through it all.
I do watch the project grow but I think my solace is in the momentary forgetting, that all that matters is the stitch I’m making. The next stitch always there, quiet and waiting. Mistakes are easy to fix. Life doesn’t seem fixable. Knitting follows patterns (stitch patterns, not “the” pattern)—predictable and can be learned, repeated as they form a coherent whole. Nothing in life at times makes sense.
The days as a mother were long—I remember sitting on the back stoop knitting sleeveless cotton tops for my daughter,knitting as she picked dandelions. Mothering was hard and lonely. I still knit for her, and she wears what I make her.
I used to be a one project person, but I somehow now have 4 active projects going. They range from no-thought vanilla sock to a complicated cable sock to tandem sleeves on a cardigan (can’t work on that with 4 dogs in my lap) to a bag for a friend’s birthday. Somedays I need an easy project. Some days I want to get lost in the cables. And somedays I need both.
November frightens me. A Biden win is what I hope for, but was Jan 6 a dress rehearsal for this election? A Trump win makes me afraid for my gay and trans friends, for my international students. I live in Illinois, a blue state but blue only thanks to Chicago and the U of I downstate. My county is cherry red. Most of the people we have to associate with due to my husband’s job are quiet Trumpers who may not like him, but will vote party line. We have a few allies, but we are a minority.
I’m sorry this is so long. Thank you for being here.
Time slips by so fast now. My little ones are adults and it went so fast. I still enjoy them day to day and the wonderful people they have become. I don’t want to think about November yet. I’m just going to go back and knit and think about the new yarn I’ll be getting from you……🙂
Thank you for inviting me to not only your home but your newsletter. I also prefer the process of knitting. The soothing stitch-after-stitch that becomes something I use for years to come. I also prefer a slower process so when accidents or mistakes happen, I can fix them at the moment. (and when I cannot, I know you've got me covered 😉 )