Monday Musings: So Much Life In Those Stitches
I’ve been knitting for 55 years, and I’m currently being humbled by a baby blanket with a supposedly simple pattern. It’s for a new grandson who’s joining our family in January, and I thought it would be a lovely, relaxing project. Not so much.
Once I read that the pattern was simple, I took it as permission not to pay close enough attention. I’d get 16 rows in and discover a mistake four rows back, frog it, and start again. Then I’d get another 20 rows in and realize I’d used the wrong stitches six rows earlier. Out it all came again. This has happened more times than I care to admit, but at least I’ve had some good laughs at my own expense.
I’ve altered the pattern along the way, and the latest section is finally looking pretty good. I even bought new stitch markers to give myself a little lift when reknitting the same section for the fourth time.
Knitting has been part of my life for so long that I rarely stop to think about what it’s given me. I can vividly recall sitting in our front room while my mom taught my girlfriend Debbie and me to knit when we were 15.
I had no idea that afternoon that I’d still be knitting all these years later. Over those years, I’ve knit for babies, my children, my husband, and plenty of things for myself. I remember some projects vividly, and I’ve probably forgotten others completely.
When my children were little, I knit my dad a gray cardigan. I made it from polyester so he could toss it in the washer and dryer without worrying about it. He loved that sweater. In fact, I don’t think he took it off very much. Every time I saw him, he was wearing it.
Of all the things I’ve knit over the years, I don’t think anything I made was ever loved quite as much as that cardigan.
When Dad passed away, I didn’t have the presence of mind to find it and keep it. I wish I had.
So Much Life In Those Stitches
I don’t think I understood when I first learned to knit how much of my life would eventually become tangled up in it. That afternoon, I was simply learning how to make something. I certainly wasn’t thinking that decades later, I’d still be doing it, or that the things I made would become attached to people and periods of my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Some things were worn until they wore out. Others probably ended up in a donation pile somewhere, and there are plenty of things I’ve completely forgotten making.
But I remember a few vividly, because of the person I was thinking about while I made them. I didn’t realize then that those ordinary hours spent knitting would become part of how I remember certain people and periods of my life.
Maybe that’s one of the gifts of getting older. We can look back and see the significance in ordinary things we could never have recognized while we were busy living them.
Experience Has Made Me More Flexible, Not Less
I know far more about knitting than I did when I started, but apparently that doesn’t prevent me from making a mess of a simple pattern. What has changed is how I react when things go wrong.
I still have standards. I’m not going to leave a glaring mistake in a blanket I’m making for my grandson just because fixing it is annoying. But I can laugh at myself, pull it apart, and do it again. And if the pattern isn’t working the way I want it to, I’m perfectly comfortable changing it.
I think I’ve become more like that in other parts of my life too. I’m more confident in my decisions than I was when I was younger, and much better at speaking up for myself. At the same time, I’m less invested in everything going exactly as planned.
For years, I probably thought confidence meant being certain. Now I think there’s confidence in being able to change your mind, adjust your expectations, or take a different route without feeling like you somehow got it wrong.
I still know when something matters enough to stand my ground. I’m just getting better at recognizing all the things that don’t.
Someday I’ll wrap my grandson in this blanket, and by then I’ll probably have forgotten how many times I had to frog the darn thing.
I just hope he loves it half as much as my dad loved that gray cardigan. I’d be very happy with that.
Is there something you’ve been doing for years that means more to you now than you ever imagined it would?
Have a fabulous day and be kind to yourself.
I just loved this message ( and your beautiful work!) Thank you for sharing…,
I learned to knit at a young age and remember knitting a few vests. My mom helped me with the cables. She learned to knit from her mother while living in England through the War. She was a lifelong knitter and even taught my brothers when they were confined at home with chicken pox and boredom! Alas, she passed away on 9/22/26 at almost 97. In her later years, her eyesight failed her and she could no longer knit. I have been considering taking up knitting again to pay her homage in a way and to feel closer to her.
What a wonderful story. I think you might really love it!
Thank you Jennifer for sharing all your knitting projects and wisdom! I totally agree with you about all your attitudes. Great post!
I have hundreds and hundreds more but I only added a few to Ravelry so I found these projects. I wish I had put more on there.
Well said! My Sissy taught me to crochet when I was in high school. Had I realized how hard it was for a left handed person to teach a right handed person, I would have remembered to thank her during one of our last conversations. I’ve learned to read patterns on my own and try a new one for each baby blanket I do but sometimes putting it on hold to go back and start one of my favorites instead. My little grandchildren are using the ones I’ve made….. It warms my heart! I hope you have gotten through your website issues because you’re the one email I truly look forward to reading. I share many with my 35 year old daughter. Life has a way of softening us at times and the wisdom to know when and how to take a stand for ourselves.
Oh Sherry, how wonderful! That warms the heart.
That blanket is beautiful! A keepsake for sure!
You’re inspiring me to continue knitting even though my attempts of 10 years are amateurish.
Oh yes, please continue. It’s so rewarding and perfection is over rated.
I too, have been knitting since I was a kid, and saw so much of myself in this post! Thank you for putting into words what I’ve often thought as I worked on various projects. Thank you, and have a wonderful week!
Susan
Enjoy your week Susan
Lovely read to start my week. Thank you.
You are so thoughtful, loving and giving. I am inspired to start knitting again. I make handcrafted cards – donate them, and give them to friends and family. Keep the good karma flowing!
Your cards sound wonderful.
I love knitting too – I am part of a group H.O.P.E. Chest (Helping Other People Everywhere) started when a friend who worked at a local yarn shop wanted to lessen her sizeable (huge) stash. Over the years we have made 1,000s (literally) of alllll kinds of items – all donated to charities in our area. We are blessed beyond measure by our fun times circled up laughing, gabbing and “yarning” together!
Your are! I miss my old knitting group.
Thank you for sharing your knitting with us. Your projects are beautiful and heartfelt. <3