Knit Together

This week, I joined with many of you as we watched in horror the events unfolding at the US Capitol building in Washington, DC. To say that the actions of those who chose to terrorize elected officials, staffers, journalists, and the citizens of the greater DC area was reprehensible is an understatement. 

I am aware that I am not alone in seeing this attempted coup as a line in the sand. For many years, I operated KnitOasis in as non-political a way as possible, avoiding talk of elections and policies. If you follow me on Instagram, or know me outside of the yarn biz, you already know that things changed for me rather drastically in the last 18 months or so. As I became more and more aware of the damage that the current president has inflicted on this country, on our people, and on the world, I began to speak out in favor of reform and change. I believe that the time to silently "stick to my knitting" had passed. 

Several times in the history of America, knitters used their skills and their savvy to serve their country in battles against tyranny and oppression, passing on intelligence through clever stitch work and subversive alliances. 

This week a sitting US president told his followers to storm a building where democracy was being enacted as an election he lost was being certified, and he did it after 2 months of over 60 failed lawsuits attempting to stop the counting of legal votes. It truly boggles my mind that this is something that was allowed to happen in America. They have called for war, for a fight to retain power illegally, and for harm against those who disagree.

In WWII, those who helped the occupying forces were called collaborators and when the war ended these people were publicly reprimanded for their complicity in fighting against their own country. Thus should it be for those who still support the evil being perpetrated by this man and his followers.

The time has come for me to say: if my statements against his racist empire offend you, so be it. I don’t want to knit with collaborators, and I won’t turn a blind eye to injustice. If you agree with me then I encourage you to fight for voting rights, for the rights of all citizens regardless of color, for the return of decency and compassion that trumps hatred and bigotry. Together we can knit a new future of healing and “build back better.”

Happy New Year 2021!

So…2020, amiright???

While I’m trying to hold space for the optimism of some of my friends, I’m also allowing myself the full measure of grim resignation that living in a pandemic for 9 months and counting can bring. Yes, it could have been worse, but also yes, it was bad.

I knitted less than I had planned, I wasn’t able to teach much, and I lost my Rex. I miss seeing friends and I wonder if we will ever be able to go back to the regular Friday pizza night, or Taco Tuesdays or travel or any of the other things we have put on hold.

The good that happened this year really was GOOD, though: I still managed to make some new friends, Biden + Harris won the White House, and Billie Holiday came to live with me. And if you have the chance to meet someone amazing before the world goes completely insane, it makes it all so much better—I highly recommend it.

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The Year of the Sweater was a success, despite the fact that I’m still knitting the sleeves on the sweater I knit for myself (the one for a client and the one for Billie Holiday both turned out great).

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It was also the Autumn of the Hat thanks to a super fun order of adorable Christmas gifts.

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What will 2021 bring? I have no clue. Normally I have business goals for the year that I put in place by the end of each January, but this year, I’m going to wait and see. If it becomes safe to go back to in-person knitting lessons, I will. Meanwhile I have some knitting goals and as always I’ll tackle commissions and new pattern ideas as they come along.

My biggest wish for us all is health, happiness, and community. Cheers to 2021, y’all! 🥂🎉

Simple Knitting Tip: Read your knitting

Here’s a little something I made up one day while teaching a Beginning Knit Class:

Knit stitches wear a Knifty neck scarf.

Purl stitches wear a Posh turtleneck.

Beginning knitters sometimes struggle with "reading" the fabric. I try to teach my students how to recognize what a knit or purl stitch looks like. Being able to "read" the knitting can prevent mistakes and make knitting more fun.

The knit stitch, when you’re looking at it on your needle, (and you squint) looks like a person wearing a scarf draped around its neck. I like to think it’s a Knifty neck scarf, since Knifty (not a real word, I realize) and Knit both start with the letter K.

Behold the Knit stitch. See how he is wearing a Knifty neck scarf?

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The purl stitch, when you’re looking at it on your needle, (still squinting) looks a little like a person wearing a turtleneck sweater—a Posh one, since Posh and Purl both start with the letter P. 

Behold the Purl stitch. The Purl stitch is modeling the latest in Posh turtlenecks.

The back of the knit stitch is the purl stitch. And, you guessed it, the back of a purl stitch is a knit stitch.

When you pick up your knititng and you're not sure if the next stitch is a knit or a purl, try reading it--ask about its clothing choices.

In Which I Attempt Yarn Stash Control

I have friends who are using this time of quarantine to clean, paint, repair, repurpose, and improve all the things. I also have friends who are accomplishing as little as possible, going from pj’s to sweats only on days they feel fancy, elevating hibernation to an Olympic sport.

Me? I think I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of coping with all this. I’m still doing a lot of my Normal Life things, even though life ain’t; and I’ve added in a few Pandemic Projects™ to keep my mind and body occupied, while trying to remember to laugh everyday.

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I can’t really judge myself nor my friends harshly in all our varied responses to life right now. So if you’re reading this and you feel like you’re not doing enough or doing it right or whatever, promise me you’ll take a deep breath, smile, and know that I believe in you, you’ve got this, and we’ll get through it. (Seriously, hang in there!)

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When I talk about my Pandemic Projects™, I have to add the disclaimer that in between them I’m binge watching things on TV like it’s my one job in life (balance!). The biggest project has been my attempts to “organize” the yarn, projects, and accessories from 15 years of heavy knitting. It’s been tough, I’m not gonna lie. After several hours spent sorting all the leftover bits of yarns (and wondering why I kept them this long!) in the craft room, I walk into my bedroom and find MORE yarn. It’s overwhelming.

Before: I just can’t even…

Here are a few tips I can offer if you, too, are attempting this sort of task:

1. Take it slow. You didn’t build this mountain of yarn overnight, so bite off small pieces to sort or you will be tempted to give up the first day.

2. Make mistakes. I tried a few different configurations before I was happy, but I’m a visual learner and had to see if it would work (and it didn't always).

3. Be fearless. Don't be afraid to unravel something that you KNOW you’re never going to finish, or to throw away yarn that truly is crap, or fill a huge giveaway box of excellent yarn that you realize you will never ever use.

4. 80’s tunes. Or whatever works for you. My cable company has given us free Sirius XM radio through the end of May and I basically live to hear Richard Blade’s afternoon show on 1st Wave.

5. Get help. While you can’t really have a friend over to pitch in right now, you can FaceTime your disaster for outside opinions and motivation. And perhaps wine drinking, if that’s your thing. Also, see below for other ways to get input.

After: This one is all just cotton. Remind me not to buy cotton. Please.

When you take a break from actually working on it, here are some other resources with ideas to make your yarn stash something you delight in.

LionBrand Yarn Blog: 12 Tips on How to Organize Yarn Yarn Stash

Marie Kondo (because if anything should “spark joy” shouldn’t it be your hobby??")

Studio Knit: My Yarn Monsters (I untangled some and tossed others, depending on the size)

Yarn Room Makeover (her “after” pic = Goals)

I hope this gives you some encouragement and maybe inspiration to take control of your yarn stash. There is something exciting about the fact that I now know where ALL my sock yarn is!

If you attempt this sort of Pandemic Project™, send me a pic of your “after” (and your “before” if you dare)!