A Passion for Knitting

I was in the kitchen last night sauteing red and yellow pepper strips in GOOO (Garlic, Onions, Olive Oil) when Jane called. “Turn on the radio,” she said, “Christopher Lydon is doing a program on knitting. It’s fascinating.”

Actually, somewhere in the back of my mind I had filed away the information that this program was going to be on NPR’s Open Source, I’d just forgotten about it. Open Source has done a very clever thing – they are using their blog as a resource for developing stories. The more I blog and the longer I enjoy the world of blogging, the more I am realizing what an amazingly versatile tool it it. (For an excellent blog article on the benefits of blogging for writers see Joe Clifford Faust's Blogging as Writing ). What Open Source has done is start a blog in which topics are introduced and then those willing to join the blog by providing their names and a valid email address can add their comments to the blog. Out of the response they can build the components of a program.

Last night the program was A Passion for Knitting. Among the guests were Debbie Stoller from Bust Magazine (one of my favorite magazines) and the author of the Stitch’n’Bitch books and Joe Wilcox of Queer Joe’s Knitting Blog, a blog I visit regularly. What a treat to listen to these people talk about their love of a craft that I have been practicing for over 40 years now.

My brother Wayne taught me to knit. He learned from one of the nuns in school and my knitting technique was refined over the years by a couple other of the Benedictine nuns from St. Joseph’s Monastery back home. Because those women had learned to knit from their German mothers they knit in the German manner – holding the yarn in the left instead of the right hand – and I still do that. It is a much easier way to knit, I think, but makes following directions on complicated lace patterns a little awkward. I’ve adapted.

On the program they talked about the history of knitting and the variety, the zen-like tranquility of it and the sublime satisfaction of making something with your own two hands. I’ve often thought that I am addicted to knitting – if I don’t find time to knit in a day I feel restless. It is like meditation (I’ve been saying that for 20 years). I need the quiet, calm, centering rhythm of it to de-stress after a busy day.

One caller compared knitting to binary code and that made my ears perk up - what a perfect analogy! Binary code, that magical, astonishing technology that brings us the very medium through which we are currently communicating is composed of 1 and 0. That’s all. 100011001010100110101010 – it goes on endlessly bringing us quick communication, music, news, science, fun, sex, information, jobs, finance - everything technology is capable of transmitting all through a 1 and an 0. Knitting is composed of K and P (knit and purl for you non-knitters). The combination of K and P comprises thousands of patterns from Aran-style cables to dainty knitted lace and is the basis for all the T-shirts, sweaters, socks, cardigans, turtlenecks, etc. etc. made by the thousands every day - whether by machine or by hand. Incredible.

So, check out Open Source’s web site and you can even replay the program on your computer. In the mean time I have to show you what I have been doing since Christmas. I call this my Barbie Rose scarf. The yarn was purchased from Handpainted Yarn, a woman’s collective in Uruguay. I fell in love with the color, called Barbie Rose, and it arrived all the way from Uruguay on Christmas Eve. I’ve been happily knitting by Christmas tree light ever since.

P.S. I've added a photo of the yarn so you can see the thick and thin quality of it.

Thanks for reading.