Thoughts About Knitting

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Updated: 10/03/05.

Thoughts About Knitting

February 2005 issue Knitters' Knews

by H.B. Huisinga

Ever wonder what your knitting thinks about you? Seriously. Hey, quit the snickering. It's a valid question!

I knit every moment I can. O.k. I may not knit in the bathroom like other knitters in our guild have confessed to doing. I may not knit in the kitchen when I'm baking cookies. Believe me, the cat hair is enough of a baking deterrent. No need to add wool to the mix of inexplicable "hairs" in the edible goods I produce.

When I'm feeling a little ooky, I head down to the local yarn store, and kick back with my knitting. Invariably, my ooky-outings find me delving deep into pattern books, fluffy displays, sensual yarn, and more. I sit down, and ponder what new knitting project I can tackle next. Sometimes the idea ages in my head while I wait for the "proper" yarn to be stocked. (As if I could ever knit with the yarn the pattern recommends. Don't get me started.)

I contemplate what color would look best. What gauge might be pleasing. Will the yarn I select be warm and soothing, or cold and flashy. And why the heck would I want to knit it in the first place? Ahh… All very good questions to ponder.

I recently set my sights on a Dale poncho. The pattern was for a kid, and the yarn it called for was, well, let's be honest. It was fabulous yarn for kids, but if I'm going to invest in something for me… I want the best yarn I can't afford. I decided on Joe Sharp's DK wool. Lovely stuff. I hadn't knitted with it before, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who asks. Instead of the black, white and grays the pattern called for… Yeah, right!! Who knows me best out there???… I choose a very nice denim blue. I'm complimenting the blue with red, cream and tan.

So, here I sit in front of the TV working furiously on this oversized poncho for me. Loving the yarn. Enjoying the experience, and relishing the day it will be finished. This is just simply what I do when I knit. I break open the yarn, and I sit quietly as I cast on. I dream about the day this knitted item will be finished. I dream about all the "perfect" situations that will find me wearing this poncho. Will I be on an all night date with my poncho with the man of my dreams thinking I'm not only intelligent, but also talented to boot? Will I be enjoying a quiet day working on a non-knitting project under a shady tree? Or will I be taking a trip home to see the folks, and hear them exclaim, "So that's why we haven't heard from you. Awesome Poncho, Kiddo!"

No. Those scenarios are perfect for other things I've knitted, but this poncho? It's deserving of much higher standards. Here's the dream…. I'm wearing a faded pair of blue jeans with a white turtleneck. (Obviously, I've lost the 100 pounds that plague my body.) The poncho fits perfectly over my head, and drapes homely around my shoulders and torso. I'm picture perfect. I look like I just stepped out of a J. Crew ad . Hair perfect; make-up perfect; and smiles galore. I step out into a beautiful day from my silver, sporty Mercedes (still dreaming), and realize I'm on a farm in the middle of the country. There are dozens of beautiful horses running around the farm without a care in their heads. Suddenly, the owner of the farm steps up and asks, "You're here for your first riding lesson?". The air is cool and crisp that matches the excitement that fills my soul. A perfect autumn day, and I'm going to learn how to ride a horse. Finally! After a few short minutes of instruction (still dreaming), I'm pushing my stallion across an open meadow with a handsome guy in tow. On his own horse, of course. We're laughing and giggling all the way across the meadow. Chasing each other wildly. No reckless thoughts here. The day wears on, and we decide on a nice spot of grass next to a stream to have lunch. We spend the afternoon watching the horses mill around us as we enjoy the day. Before too long, the day begins to turn dark, prompting us to return to the farm with our horses. Completely worn out and exhausted. Yet having total fun. We return our horses, and thank the farm owners profusely for providing us with one of the best days ever.

This dream fills my blossoming thoughts the entire time I'm working on my knitting. Nothing can deter me from that dream. I know it exists somewhere. I just have to finish the poncho to get to it. The day will come when I finish the poncho, and sadly, the dream will disintegrate as I realize it was just a dream and nothing more. It was the creative motivation for me to keep on going, and now to pick up another dream as I decide upon my next project.

Have any of my project/dreams become reality? Absolutely. I still enjoy each and every one of them, as a mother adores her children. Hey, I'm single, give me something here!! I need something to dream about when I sit at my computer all day long and work, work, work!

Oh, yeah. What does my poncho think about me? Ha, ha, ha. I shudder to even think. Maybe it's thinking, "Get those darn cats away from me! They keep severing my umbilical, and their slobber stinks!" Or maybe, it's laughing wildly at me and my dream. "Yeah, right. Size 2. Ha, ha, ha. Oops. I think I pilled up on that one. We're going to need about 4 more balls here to finish me up." Or maybe, just maybe, (this is the thought I choose to believe) it's cheering me on to the finish line, where the guy that took me out last week is waiting to call to ask me out again. He just needs the go-ahead from the poncho, first….