Tied up in knots….

Tied up in knots….

The click of the needles, the fluid movement of a them being pushed through fabric made of yarn, each stitch brings us closer to the finished product, the crowning glory of hours spent creating stitches.

Knitting.  Glorious knitting!  The art of taking a ball of “string” and making it  into something beautiful…or maybe not so beautiful if the stitches are dropped or knit together by mistake…or even the dreaded adding on stitches that shouldn’t be there! But still a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when finished.

But the act of knitting itself, once used by women and men from long ago to make garments to be worn, not just as works of art but to keep them warm, is the beauty of this hobby.  Keeping your hands busy and relaxing your self as each stitch is made and the fabric gains shape and size.  I once had a small wooden sign that I hung proudly in my kitchen that said:  “Busy hands make a happy heart” and this is how I feel about knitting.

I learned to “knit” from my mother and my grandmother when I was just 7 years old.  We were in the process of moving from a small town in upstate New York to a new home in Connecticut and to keep me busy while packing was being done they started me with a knitting knob.  This wooden knob was actually an empty wooden spool used for thread with 4 small nails hammered into the top by my grandmother.  Using a small needle I worked the yarn around the nails on the spool to create a long braid of stitches, a tail if you will, that got longer and longer as we got closer to moving day.  After we moved and I got a little older they taught me to knit with 2 straight needles.  My first project was a little blanket for my doll.  As I got more proficient and was taught how to read the patterns, my sister and I persuaded my mother to purchase a pattern book to help us make clothes for a Barbie doll. 

To this day, I still have some of those knitted items along with the Barbie doll.  All of these things are very old now but in good condition.  The doll is a ponytail version still in the original box with her original dress and shoes as well as the little pearl earrings in her ears.  They bring back happy memories of us playing with the doll and the great feeling of accomplishment when making the clothes.

One of my favorite places to visit is Webs Yarn in Northampton, MA. Their online site is www.Yarn.com.   They have a tent sale in the Spring which is really great and they are sponsors of the I-91 Shop Hop which is held every summer.   This place is a mecca for people that enjoy knitting, crochet, and spinning wool.  Walking in there is almost overwhelming!  It is like a huge grocery store with bins and bins of yarn, a huge array of needles and hooks, a section devoted to patterns and books and a gorgeous display of buttons of all sizes, shapes and colors!  Then there are rows of shelves in the back where the yarns are discounted.  It truly is a place to wander through, taking your time to enjoy all of the wonderful yarns, feeling them and glancing around at the various samples that they have made up to display the finished items using these yarns.  The patterns are available in their files or on the Ravelry site.  I can easily spend an hour or more here just enjoying the essence of the place.  And not to worry, there are plenty of staff people  to help find yarns, patterns, etc and to help with choosing the correct yarns for the patterns.  It’s about an hour ride from our home in Connecticut but is absolutely  worth the drive.  That section of Massachussetts is beautiful and quintessential New England.  

Now, as I click away at whatever pattern has taken my fancy, any stress that I feel will slowly fade away.  The rhythm of the work is almost like a soft melody, a lullaby if you will, that relaxes the soul.   Never having been a patient “waiter” for appointments or planes to take off or long car rides, the knitting has always been a way for me to relax.  Yes…I can knit, crochet, read, and even cross stitch in a car!  I learned that skill years ago when my husband and I would take car rides to the Mid-West to visit with family.  He likes to do the driving and still does to this day.   As for me, being bored out of my mind after the first hour especially in long stretches where there was nothing to see but trees or miles of flat land, I quickly learned how to keep myself busy.  Knitting most of the time was the way to do just that, however, I have also read many books and done cross stitch samplers on those trips, as well.

And the patterns!  There are patterns for everything imaginable to knit and crochet.  There are many web sites that either share patterns for free or have them available for purchase at a nominal fee.  One of my favorite sites that practically all knitters and crocheters have as a favorite on their computers is Ravelry.  The site url is:  www.ravelry.com  There is no charge to join this site but some of the patterns are available for purchase at a nominal fee.

 Ravelry is phenomenal and the people, both men and women, that share or sell patterns on it that they have created are super talented. I have tried my hand at designing some patterns and have posted them on this site as well.  My site on Ravelry is called Yarn Therapy, too!

                          It is greatly inspiring to see the pictures of things that so many exceptional knitters and crocheters have made.  Looking through the wide variety of patterns helps to inspire me to find a new project to work on.

But to me and my sister-in-law as well, the most relaxing and fun day is spent doing our own yarn shop hop.  Although in our area of New England (and many other states as well) there are planned shop hop events, doing it on your own is equally as much fun.  Maybe there aren’t any giveaways that we get during the promoted shop hop events, but that isn’t why we do it.  We love to feel the yarn and look at the colors and textures.  Somehow while admiring the yarn, we become inspired to make something new or yes….repeat a pattern done previously…..but all the while chatting and catching up on the things going on in our lives.  Most of the shop owners are fabulous people that enjoy chatting with customers and sharing tips or free patterns.  Sometimes they are surprised when we say that we are on our own shop hop but all are glad that we visited their shops.  These days that we share together are so relaxing and special times and we come back excited by our purchases with our hands itchy to start a new project. 

Over the years I have made countless sweaters, shawls, scarves, mittens, blankets, hats, socks, doll clothes, etc.  Many have been given as gifts to family members and friends and as Christmas gifts to my staff at the hospital that I worked at.  Some I have used for myself.  But all of them have been products of what my husband calls my Yarn Therapy.  My knitting needles go faster when I am troubled by something or pondering problems.  They slow down when I am calmer. Many times when he has known that I was concerned about something he has suggested that his sister and I go “yarning” as he calls it.  “Go find some yarn, he says.  You need to get more yarn.” Seriously?  People that knit know that that is not a true statement.  Don’t we all have a yarn stash?   But really, he’s right.  Knitting and feeling the beautiful yarns and seeking a new skein to try is what keeps me from being…tied up in knots!