“Wrapped in Comfort”
Saturday December 09th 2006, 11:39 am
Filed under: "Wrapped in Comfort",Knit


Thinking about Allison’s comment. I firmly believe that every time a person shares of their creativity with those around them, they are making the world a better place. Creativity comes in forms as infinitely variable as people; it’s the giving and the opening of one’s heart and time to others that makes the difference.

The struggle is finding the balance of time and for whom. I have never participated in one of the knitswaps before; at this time of year, my knitting always became too focused on getting things done in time for my family for that, and to commit to doing more felt like it would be adding stress (I had enough of that already, totally self-inflicted) to something that should be done for joy. There was always this normal human sense of, I can never do enough.

I’m in a different place this year. My last kid is newly out of high school, my book was made official in Martingale Press’s catalog two days ago–“Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls,” July 07, thank you, much appreciated–and I have a ton of finished projects, both beta versions here and the official ones at the publisher’s. I’ve learned how fast I can make things. I have a lot here on hand. I’m in, what is for me, good health. I think I’m finally beginning to let go of the fear that I’d end up leaving my future grandkids with no tangible bits of myself: my Grandmother Jeppson at one point knitted like I do, and yet I own not a thing she ever made. (Her ring, though, which Grandpa watched being made for her, as mentioned earlier. I treasure it.) One of the difficult things about writing my book was that I could not give away what I was making–well, actually, I did, the stories are about the friends I created my designs for, and then I went and knitted a duplicate of each for the book. Still. That’s months of work that couldn’t leave the house. And yet… I felt like I was knitting for all knitters everywhere. In hopes that someone, somewhere, might be inspired by a story or two to pick up their needles and go knit for someone in their lives. Cool.

So, at last, now was the perfect time in my life to participate, and I mean really participate, heart and soul, in that knitswap. To every thing there is a season. And so I dove into that Rabbit Tracks project, and got it done so fast that it left me thinking, why on earth didn’t I do this before? I could have! If I’d only let go of the stress. Planned a little more. Procrastinated a little less.

Like we don’t already all know that?

May everyone reading this be wrapped in comfort and wrap others in comfort this season, by whatever means works best for them.


7 Comments so far
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What a perfect name for that book, and for what you do.

Silly Alison, making me all weepy.

Love you. I promise more emails when I am working a little less. For now, know I’m loving you very much. While I am sleepy.

Comment by Kristine 12.09.06 @ 3:05 pm

Alison,
I love the title of your book and your post. It’s beautiful. I am so thrilled you have your very own book published, more than I can express here.
ps: will your book be on amazon soon?

Comment by Mary Anne 12.10.06 @ 1:29 pm

Thank you! I hope so, Mary Anne; I’m new at this process and I’m not quite sure when they list it.

Comment by AlisonH 12.10.06 @ 4:38 pm

Great title for the book. I’m so excited for you; I know you’ve been waiting and working for a while on it. And I’m looking forward to it myself.

(And I’m really glad you have a blog now. I still read the KnitTalk list, but I don’t comment much there.)

Comment by Alison 12.11.06 @ 5:13 am

A perfect title.

Comment by Robin 12.11.06 @ 10:27 am

Alison,
Congrats on your soon to be published book. July ’07…is that how long we have to wait to buy it?
I’m looking forward to it. You have beautiful work. The waffle-like pattern that serves as your blogs background image. What pattern is that? Is it public domain or available in a book somewhere? I love it!

Thanks.

Comment by Charles 12.12.06 @ 12:07 pm

Thank you! That pattern is one I doodled and came up with, but I’m sure I’m not the first to; I use it for my Embossed Diamonds/Tidewater afghans on my website. What it basically is, is, Fern Lace, but with make ones instead of yarnovers to make a more solid fabric. The tightening and loosening up of the tension from the way the stitches are pulled is what makes the texture–but since there are only a few stitches that actually overlap, it doesn’t keep the depth of 3-d dimension the way an aran would. In other words, if you get it wet, it will go flat like a lace would (to a degree that varies on the yarn/needle ratio and the fiber used; merino has sproingability that can be put to good use here.) But that also means you can use less yarn to get the same size project than if you were doing it in an aran pattern.

I get a lot of people asking about that pattern. I do very much like that one myself.

Comment by AlisonH 12.12.06 @ 12:51 pm



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