Such thoughtful and deeply resonating writing, Anne!
I love feeling connected to my ancestors and to all women who spun, knit, crocheted, wove, stitched and embroidered for their loved ones and to make a (meagre) living. It is a continuing thread of history and womanhood and I find it deeply satisfying on many levels. And yes, it’s a radical act to slow down and be present.
I, too, am knitting socks this summer! Also planning to cast on a cotton t-shirt and would love to hear more about your adventures with plant-based fibers!
Your writing it beautiful. Thoughtful and deeply felt.
I hadn’t thought of knitting as radical, but the act does counter what the capitalistic culture values (which of course commodifies the craft to the extent we let it).
Knitting matters to me because it connects across time and space. The Jane that knitted as a young, scared, lonely mother of a toddler is also the Jane who knitted through grad school, divorce, a change of career, a new marriage and is now the daughter who knits while her father dies. The yarn and needles, stitch by stitch, offer me escape while simultaneously making me present.
I love the connection to knitters of the past centuries, those who recreated nature and life in their stitches; those who wrapped their loved ones in warmth and beauty.
Life is about loss. Perhaps knitting is a stay against that.
Oh, what a beautiful thought. I've kept this with me all week, thinking about all the me's, also, who are layered into my knitting. I am deeply feeling what you've shared. Hugs, and thank you. Yes I think knitting is a stay against all of this.
Thanks for your post! Part of my actual job involves helping plan the hybrid work environment for my organization. It can be a polarizing topic - some people really hate remote work, but it is a retention tool especially for the Bay Area. We need to figure out how to make hybrid work more effectively now - we can't just go back to working the way we all did before, which reinforced inequities and could be very excluding.
Thank you for your thoughts on the value of knitting - it has so many benefits - I just plain enjoy it and haven't totally pondered which aspect of it stands out. Certainly it's so satisfying to create a garment that meets all my own expectations. To your point about the summer knitting, I am in the middle of knitting a summer tank top and the tiny needles and fingering yarn does make this seem like it's taking forever. It remains to be seen how happy I will be with the final product in order to make another one.
thank you for the reminder. sometimes we pooh-pooh the notion that knitting is radical as a mere marketing ploy, but using what we have or buying from thoughtful vendors and taking our own sweet time is really defiance in action albeit somewhat quietly.
Yes, it's an extremely useful tool; for me I just must remain master of the technology and not let it control me. It's so easy to get distracted online. All those beautiful projects on Ravelry!
I used to fear a massive grid failure, but now I think it might be a good thing. No internet for an extended period could help heal a whole lot of people. Thank you for your lovely thoughts on hand work. Resonates deeply with me! ♥
Such thoughtful and deeply resonating writing, Anne!
I love feeling connected to my ancestors and to all women who spun, knit, crocheted, wove, stitched and embroidered for their loved ones and to make a (meagre) living. It is a continuing thread of history and womanhood and I find it deeply satisfying on many levels. And yes, it’s a radical act to slow down and be present.
Thank you for articulating these things so well!
I, too, am knitting socks this summer! Also planning to cast on a cotton t-shirt and would love to hear more about your adventures with plant-based fibers!
Your writing it beautiful. Thoughtful and deeply felt.
I hadn’t thought of knitting as radical, but the act does counter what the capitalistic culture values (which of course commodifies the craft to the extent we let it).
Knitting matters to me because it connects across time and space. The Jane that knitted as a young, scared, lonely mother of a toddler is also the Jane who knitted through grad school, divorce, a change of career, a new marriage and is now the daughter who knits while her father dies. The yarn and needles, stitch by stitch, offer me escape while simultaneously making me present.
I love the connection to knitters of the past centuries, those who recreated nature and life in their stitches; those who wrapped their loved ones in warmth and beauty.
Life is about loss. Perhaps knitting is a stay against that.
Oh, what a beautiful thought. I've kept this with me all week, thinking about all the me's, also, who are layered into my knitting. I am deeply feeling what you've shared. Hugs, and thank you. Yes I think knitting is a stay against all of this.
Thanks for your post! Part of my actual job involves helping plan the hybrid work environment for my organization. It can be a polarizing topic - some people really hate remote work, but it is a retention tool especially for the Bay Area. We need to figure out how to make hybrid work more effectively now - we can't just go back to working the way we all did before, which reinforced inequities and could be very excluding.
Thank you for your thoughts on the value of knitting - it has so many benefits - I just plain enjoy it and haven't totally pondered which aspect of it stands out. Certainly it's so satisfying to create a garment that meets all my own expectations. To your point about the summer knitting, I am in the middle of knitting a summer tank top and the tiny needles and fingering yarn does make this seem like it's taking forever. It remains to be seen how happy I will be with the final product in order to make another one.
Oh how interesting your job must be. I would love to know what you think about your summer tank!
thank you for the reminder. sometimes we pooh-pooh the notion that knitting is radical as a mere marketing ploy, but using what we have or buying from thoughtful vendors and taking our own sweet time is really defiance in action albeit somewhat quietly.
Yes, it's an extremely useful tool; for me I just must remain master of the technology and not let it control me. It's so easy to get distracted online. All those beautiful projects on Ravelry!
I used to fear a massive grid failure, but now I think it might be a good thing. No internet for an extended period could help heal a whole lot of people. Thank you for your lovely thoughts on hand work. Resonates deeply with me! ♥
I find it so hard to be off-line, and also, being off-line can feel so good.