Knitology

I knitted this little yellow dress which my granddaughter Rosalie is wearing on Easter Sunday.  I've knitted blankets, hats and sweaters for those two clown brothers behind her as well and for my other grandchildren.  If you were inclined to research all the knitting blogs available it would stagger your imagination.  Yet, I rarely write about the effect of this very intrusive hobby on my life.  I just finished a book called Free Range Knitting by a very clever and funny Canadian knitter named Stephanie. Her book has prodded me to write more about knitting or to at least blog about it today

Like most Mormon girls of my generation I was taught to knit in Primary.  My grandmother knit and my mother knit sporadically, but I was a late-bloomer.  When we moved in the early 80's to Austin, TX, my neighbor, Janice, rekindled my interest.  She and I worked in the Senate and would spend our breaks and lunches out under a tree on the lawn knitting--which by the way, is totally pleasant.  She "retaught" me to knit European style or continental--a skill she had learned when her husband was stationed in Turkey.  Janice was a wonderful patient teacher, and we became good friends.  I made sweaters, Christmas stockings, and some scarves, but it wasn't until 17 years later in the middle of Hurricane Floyd that I pulled out my needles and never put them away again.  My friends Emily and Carl were in Alabama haggling out legal matters in the adoption of Spencer who was to be their child.  It was touch and go; we at home were on the edge of our seats!  On the day of Hurricane Floyd, I was sitting alone in our home in NJ with the winds raging--Paco was in AZ.  Hurricanes were a new matter for me. I pulled out my knitting to calm myself and decided I would knit a "sweater of faith" for Spencer--thus extending my hopes in his behalf that he would come home with Emily and Carl.  He did.  He wore the sweater, and that became the first of dozens of baby pullovers I would knit.  I can knit them in the car, in the dark of a movie, and almost in my sleep.  My skills have expanded as has my obsession. I meet EVERY Thursday with my current knitting group, "In Stitches", and we are one tight little knitting family.  They deserve more than this Shout-Out, so I promise more on them at another time.  I've added spinning to my hobby AS WELL AS 9 ALPACAS who spend 24/7 growing this phenomenol fleece. 

At times I feel obsessive which should perhaps worry me.  I pack my knitting around with me basically everywhere--in our ward in Princeton we even knit during Sunday meetings!!!  I'd SO like to be that gutsy here!!  My daughter Shelly is a knitter as well.  That compounds my pleasure!!  She's more funky and daring than I am, and it tickles me to behold that.  Someday when I pass on she'll inherit my stash.  When the semi pulls up in front of her house, I can imagine the neighbors will be disappointed in its contents...

I can tell this is the tip of the iceberg of what I have to say about knitting.