Trish Knits.com

...and a lot of other stuff, too!

You are here: Home / Archives for knit group

Day Seven: Where Knit Happens (Usually)

by 3 Comments

How fitting that today is the last day of Blog Week, and I get to save the best for last. Today’s topic is about where we are when we engage in our craft. Not just in terms of place, but where we are in our minds. Is it part of a journey? A calming ritual? What is the space that this thing we so love occupies?

I’ve been a yarn crafter since I was 7 years old. Sure, it was a way to pass the time when I was alone, or watching TV, or contemplating the world. One of my most favorite solitary memories was the night I watched Daniel Day-Lewis win the Best Actor Oscar for what is one of my most favorite movies of all time. (Since he’s won two, you’ll have to click to see which one it is, though once you do, the answer will be obvious!) I actually MET Daniel Day-Lewis just a few weeks before the big event that year, as crazy as that sounds, but it’s true. It was one of the most memorable evenings of my life, when I attended a special screening of said movie, in Congress, no less. So, there I was several weeks later, cheering him on at the Oscars (from my couch), and crocheting a bedspread for my then-boyfriend-now-husband. At the time, I thought that was about as fun as yarn crafting ever got. Except there were times when I crocheted in the company of my grandmother, who was rarely without yarn in her hands, and of course, those memories are priceless.

Three years ago, though, I learned something really important. When you love something, you love it more when you can associate that thing with the company of friends. Over these last years I have made friends who otherwise would have been completely anonymous to me, but for the craft I would not now trade any of them for the world. Even when I do knit alone now, I am never really alone, because thoughts of the beautiful sweater that Tammy is making, or the funny joke that Julie told, or the heartache and hard times that unfortunately some are going through, but we lean on our friends and it somehow feels just a little better.

Knitting has given me the opportunity to make new friends, and feel connected to something larger than myself. And truly, that is what matters to me most about my craft. The connections.

So, please join me in celebrating just some of the hands that connect together and surround my heart. (As always, click to embiggen, click twice for full size)

Alice
Rhoda
Jackie
Marie
Julie
Lynne
Deb
Kellie
Tammy
Sylvia
Heather
Lynne went a little nuts at the Homespun Yarn Party, but knitting and crochet friends truly understand!
Jackie shows off her dropped-stitch scarf
Tammy shows another gorgeous granddaughter sweater
Heather’s Monkey Sock in progress

Looking at these photos I can’t help but have the song “Hands” by Jewel running through my mind: “In the end, only kindness matters…”

And I hope for you that your knitting brings you also to that special place, whatever it is. For me, I’m forever grateful for the company of friends.

Moving On…

by 1 Comment

You know, change happens all the time. You’d think that at 45, I’d be used to it by now, but I still find it hard. But, often it happens because it has to. Such is the case for my knitting group, which had been happily knitting away at our local Borders bookstore for the last three years.

Sadly, our Borders was one of the ones set to close with the company’s announced restructuring. We’ll miss it, for sure. The staff there was always friendly and accommodating, and there was never a shortage of knitting books and magazines nearby to encourage discussion or the starting of new projects, or the learning of new techniques. Over time our group grew from just a few regulars to more than 20 at most meetups, and no one on the Borders staff ever said we were taking up too much room, or too loud. In fact, another customer complained about us once to the staff, and that person told the customer in no uncertain terms that our group was always welcome and good for business! It was a rare and good situation.

But, move on, we must. So, we’ve started meeting in our local shopping mall food court. It has advantages and disadvantages. Food is a plus, or a minus, depending on which side of the scale you’re standing on; and the ability to spread out is also a plus or a minus. It’s easier to take up more room in the food court than it was in the cafe, which is helpful for working on larger projects, and there’s never a shortage of tables and chairs. But more space also means less intimacy, and I’m not as fond of feeling a little farther apart from my friends.

Then there’s the issue of the loud video jukebox in the food court, which I suppose is a source of easy cash for the mall (but does anyone actually use it, or is it just there, being loud?). I could do without that. But, the space is open and easy, centrally located, and free. Not to mention probably good business for the mall. I saw lots of our group making food purchases all throughout our meetup. So, while not our cozy little bookstore cafe, it’ll work for now.

I just hope, as someone who’s not a huge fan of change, that I’ll get used to it. At least I’ve got all my friends in it with me:

Knitting a fabulous and super-soft sweater!
Closeup of the shawl in progress
Modeling a finished wrap–gorgeous!
Blossom, the unofficial mascot, loves teddy bears with tattoos!
Crocheting
Trying Knitting in the Round
Lots of knitting going on!
Cool mobius wrap

Speaking of change…

I’ve been playing with the format of the blog a bit. I was going to do something completely different, and I may still, but instead I upgraded my theme and redid the color scheme a little. I swear, one of these days, I’m really going to LEARN wordpress and how it works. It sure seems like the design possibilities are practically endless, and I’d love to challenge my brain a little. That is, if I could work up the energy…

Until then, I’ll just keep knitting.