Knitting like a Knut

I am a prodigal knitter. My mother tried desperately to teach me to knit when I was a child. She was a very accomplished knitter in her heyday. She made whole outfits: matching sweaters, skirts and socks, tailored dresses. I barely grasped a rudimentary knit and purl. It didn’t go anywhere and I cast knitting aside.

I know another prodigal knitter. Her mother is such a savvy knitter that she was making fuzzy scarves before it was cool. My friend, a smart mom named Kim, doesn’t knit a stitch and neither do any of her four sisters! Shocking, I know.

But I could not stand it anymore. So many people I knew were making cute scarves that I had to try again. I zeroed in on Friday nights. That is when we bring our kids to church for a kids’ Bible club. My smart friend Janet said she would be happy to teach me to knit a cute fuzzy scarf. On Friday nights she is busy organizing about 50 million six- and seven-year-olds. But I noticed that the ladies who take attendance (smart moms AND grandmoms) spent time knitting while the children were otherwise engaged. Aha!

Linda was thrilled to help me. She said she loves to pass arts like knitting on to younger women. I had chosen crazy yarn and huge needles. I figured the furry yarn would make the mistakes harder to notice. I didn’t realize all those frills would make mistakes easier to make! Linda patiently showed me how to cast on. I watched her knit a few stitches. Then she gave me the needles to try. It came right back to me.

I don’t remember my mother making any specific project. I don’t remember the color of any yarn she used. But somehow I remember the rhythm. I can see her throwing the yarn over the needle. When I am knitting, my hands know just what to do. Linda couldn’t believe it. “You are a natural!” she said. Not really. I think it was osmosis. Besides, casting on, purling and binding off are another story! Until this month, I had to hand my needles and dangling project to Janet at the end and say, “Now what?”

I also remember the knitting bag. My mother was still knitting when I was a baby. I know she knit my beautiful Christmas stocking. Macular degeneration took over as I was growing up. I remember my mother saying she was dropping stitches (whatever that meant!) so knitting was getting frustrating. Then she stopped.

That first wild scarf (black eyelash yarn with brightly colored ribbon confetti) I gave to my mother-in-law. She is also an amazing knitter. We prize the Irish knit fisherman sweater that she made for my husband. She was touched that I gave her my first-ever knitting project.

I wanted to get a little more experience under my belt before I presented anything to my own mother. I wanted it to actually be useful for her, not just cute because I made it—like when we gave our moms bouquets of dandelions! So I gave her my second scarf. Unfortunately, it featured several different widths. Fortunately, the yarn was soft, warm, pretty and matched her coat!

Most recently, I took a huge risk and decided to knit a baby blanket. My local liquidation store had puffy Lion Brand Homespun yarn in light pink and light yellow for $2 per skein. I had to buy it, now that I knit and all. Come to find out, a friend from college (and now a smart mom) just adopted a baby girl. Now I know who will get the blanket.

I searched the internet for an extremely easy pattern. Even the kids’ patterns I found were too hard for me. Then I came across a pattern that met several of my criteria. It was free. It was billed as great for beginners. The pattern called for only one color and the one stitch that I know. I even read that this baby blanket is better than others because it “sticks” to the baby. It is knit on the diagonal (on the bias) and therefore interacts like a flannelgraph with the baby’s clothing. This is very important for new parents. It is hard enough to get up during the night for feedings. This way they do not have to get up because the baby’s blanket slipped off and she is cold!

“YO” was the only obstacle. The pattern, like all knitting patterns, was written in secret knitting code. It kept telling me “YO.” The translator key at the bottom of the pattern was slightly helpful. YO stands for “yarn over.” Ooohhhh. Silly me.

I called on my smart knitting friends for aid. One told me that “yarn over” is when someone is telling a story and comes to the end. The yarn is over. Very funny.

Smart mom Alisa came to the rescue. She called me right away and talked me through it. She did not know exactly what YO meant, but she knew how to find out. About.com. I had to print out the explanation and stare at the picture for a while. Then I had to pick up the knitting needles and stare at them for a while. Then I got it! But knitting remains a mystery to me. I finished the project today. I don’t understand how or why, but it looks and feels like a baby blanket.

I know you are dying to find out if this is a thrifty gift. I invested $10.00 total, all in yarn. (Blankets use a lot more yarn than scarves!) Considering that I can probably get a fleece baby blanket at Stuff Mart for about $5.00, it is not the cheapest gift going. But it is made with love, and that is worth something. Also, I found a simple hat pattern that I can make with the leftover yarn. Hand knit blanket and hat sets probably sell for a lot more than $10.00 at craft fairs. Especially in New England.

Besides providing a personal gift, knitting has many other benefits. You can pray for the recipient of your project. As you are sitting there with the yarn all over your lap, you can talk to God about the person for whom you are knitting. Ask him to give strength to the new parent, or to ease the pain of the ill person. A whole ministry, called Shawl Ministries, has been built around this idea.

Another good reason to knit is that idle hands are the devil’s chocolate, I mean, work shop. While my children are doing schoolwork at the table, I can be available without hovering over them. I can sit and knit. I am there to answer questions, but I can keep my hands busy (and hopefully out of the cookie jar).

Apparently knitting in church could become a raging controversy. Some feel that it is distracting to those around us. I, however, think that it is a wonderful thing to do. Of course, we should not wave our project around, or let our needles clatter all over the place (like I did yesterday – oops!). Knitting in church helps me focus and listen. Besides, God is a knitter: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

Knitting is a great way to pass the time on long car rides. I often get bored while my husband is driving. I tried using the time to do my nails, but he nearly passed out from the fumes. Reading makes me nauseated. Knitting is perfect, because I can get something done and still enjoy conversation with my honey.

Smart mom Heidi gets paid to crochet! She has a couple of customers who order blankets and wraps and she custom crochets them. She can work on these orders almost anywhere and get paid for it. Very thrifty!

I can’t wait to start my next project. Good friends of ours are expecting a baby boy. Guess what he will be getting – in yellow!