Friday, July 13, 2007

Feel the love.....

Yesterday I was thinking about the 12 step program for knitters – but really, you know, I don’t think I need one (you on the other hand….). I mean, we’re all functional in the world (well, that’s a fairly loose description as it applies to moi). Knitting helps us function better, not worse. We are quiet and happy on public transport, docile in queues, happy in front of televisions and in the passenger seats of cars (One day I WILL work out how to knit while driving)

Mind you, some of us are fairly aggro on planes! With the security regimen in place in Australia, not even plastic DPNs are allowed. This makes me sympathise with the lady I heard of who designed and made paper and glue needles for flights. You roll up the paper really tightly and coat with glue and harden and – I still wonder how you get exactly the right gauge on the needles when you make them, or do you just make heaps and then run them through the needle gauge measuring thing and go – close enough?

We don’t beat people up or cause car accidents or spend the rent or rob houses…… You’re right. You only have to go to your very favourite LYS on Sale day to see assault and mayhem, and my experiments with driving while knitting and please don’t discuss my credit card bill with my husband and should I happen to find that you have a secret stash of quiviut and I know where you live, I can’t answer for my likely behaviour.

OK. We have a problem – or at least I may. But, you know what. I’m cool with that. (apart from the credit card bill). Besides, I can control it – after all, yesterday I walked past (picked up and caressed and resolutely replaced) a 10 pack of Jo Sharp DK wool in the most gorgeous scarlet on sale at 3.50 a ball. See, I can control it. I didn’t buy that wool – I wanted it and I walked away. That’s resolution for you.

Mind you, it helped that the wonderful local yarn shop is run by fabulous religious ladies who DON’T TAKE CREDIT CARDS. This is lucky, because if they did, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions.

In addition, we knitters are charitable and kind sorts. Spent today at a community knitting day. Apart from the Adult Education Staff, I was the youngest person there – which is really saying something (because I am no longer young – of course I’m not yet middle aged ‘cos that kicks in at, what? 65 or so?

These ladies were all knitting furiously for people in Mongolia. And for AIDS orphans. And for prem babies (I took advantage of their kindness when my daughter –born at 34 weeks – and I were in hospital). And for children and grand children and great grand children.

I knitted 3 of Taph’s bulky beanies today. 1 big and 2 medium, using wool from stash (red bulky), wool from Op-shop (beige bulky) and donated (lemon very bulky). 3 heads in Mongolia will be warmer because of my knitting. What a nice feeling. I’m going again in a month.

Thanks Taph. And let’s all give a round of thanks to Taph and Midge, and Gwen, and June, and Jenny and all the other fabulous women (and occasional men) who knit for people who can’t knit for themselves, and make lots of people all over the world feel loved and cared for and warm.

This one’s for you!

2 comments:

happyspider said...

here, here!

catsmum said...

and here I thought that my LYS was the only one that didn't take plastic !
btw in answer to your question on my Blog ... a tunisian hook is about the length of a [long] knitting needle but with a hooked end. Tunisian crochet could best be described as knitting with a crochet hook. You pick up and crochet all the loops on [ so you have a row of them like in knitting ] and then on the return row you crochet them off so that you're back to one again.It builds up into a very dense fabric.If this makes no sense at all, try google.
cheers
and good luck with my Blogiversary comp.