K is for Knitting.
The first word which came to me was kinesthetic. Maybe I should have gone with that one - it could have sparked a story about my partner, about learning styles and modern education. But I wasn't interested in traveling down that path today.
The second word was kangaroo. That felt too trite and I really have no opinions about kangaroos. No feelings about them either way. They're funny creatures and cool and I've had very little interaction with them. I mean, I've seen them at a zoo, but that's all. I care about them in the sense that they are living, breathing beings; but beyond that, meh.
So today K is for Knitting. And in the way things have gone with my past couple of A to Z Challenge posts, as I was typing the title another K word popped into my head: Kite. And I thought that maybe I could do another dual post. I do have Kite experience in my past. Not as a pro or even a competitor, but at one point in my life I was co-owner to a gaggle of Kites. I don't really know what you'd call them - but we had a bunch of kites; and some of them were not cheap. Some really cool ones. But that's another story - which could go in the memoir I'm editing but it's not in there. Not yet.
But no, I don't want to write about kites today.
So it's back to : K is for Knitting.
I knit a little. In spurts.
But I have a friend who learned to knit from some co-workers and, boy, did he ever pick it up quickly. And well. He's a natural. A mutual friend called him a knitting savant and he kind of is. Within weeks he was making up his own patterns. I'm not referring to just playing around with knit-1 perl-2 knit-1, etc. No, he was creating patterns for scarves.
Easy, you say? No, I mean, he was making up mobius scarves. And he did that type of knitting where you work with two colors at the same time (starts with an F - I think - I could look it up on Facebook but I'm not going to, I'm leaving this post as is) - and it came out fantastic.
Knitting. For me it can be like a meditation (and I'm writing a story about that - the story is fiction but it's based on my experience). Especially things like hats knit on round needles, with repetitive patterns or even, once I get past the brim part, it's just knit around. And around and around.
There is something satisfying in making something you or someone else can use. It's calming. At least with simpler patterns for me. I knit a few more complicated things a number of years ago; but recently it's more hats and scarves kind of things. I was making a set of fingerless gloves, but never finished them.
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| Knitted Kite pattern on Etsy |
I also like the feel of yarn when I'm knitting. And I like bamboo knitting needles. So it becomes tactile, too. I've made a couple of things with synthetic yarns but my experience in knitting them wasn't the same.
Knitting, like sewing, is not really a cost-saving approach, either. Unless you have access to secret stashes or really good deals. Yarn - the good stuff - is expensive and you can probably buy it cheaper than you can make it. Which isn't a reason to not do it - I'm just saying that Knitting is not without costs and probably won't save you money. Another of the things you do because it makes you feel good. And that's okay.
So, today, K is for Knitting.
Maybe I'll write about the Kites later.
