Just a Sweater
To anyone else, it’s just a sweater.
It’s not terribly eye-catching. It’s made in quiet, earthy colors. The pattern is simple and somewhat traditional. A fellow knitter or someone who knows me might be able to guess it’s hand-knitted, but chances are good I could walk through a day and no one would really even see it.
Even a fellow knitter might glance at it, say “nice,” and quickly move on. (Though, I have to say the delightful pattern, Walker’s Ridge Pullover by Susan Mills Knits deserves a much better reaction. It’s a good one!)
But it’s not flashy, with techniques or motifs that demand attention or awe. It’s just a nice sweater with colorwork at the yoke, right?
Well, here are some things you can’t see just by looking at this sweater:
A Dream Realized
I purchased the yarn for this sweater at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival last year. It was the first time I’d ever attended. Up to that point, “Rhinebeck,” as it’s fondly known, seemed like a fantastical place I’d probably never see.
I heard about it year after year and dreamed about going, but I could never justify such a significant trip. Travel to near New York City? Find a hotel? Go by myself? Just too much. I was fine continuing to dream about it.
But last year, I actually got to be there. This sweater is tangible proof of an unforgettable, amazing, beautiful day.
Borrowed Style
My dad had great sweaters. The top of his closet was a treasure trove of cozy, chunky sweaters that my sister and I especially admired. Coincidentally, we were teenagers at a time when oversized sweaters were completely cool. My poor dad’s sweater collection was regularly ransacked by inconsiderate daughters.
I think we asked his permission to wear the sweaters. Sometimes.
There is something about this sweater that reminds me of one of his. I can’t put my finger on what it is, because it’s not the color or the exact motif, but it’s something. This sweater would fit in perfectly in the top of his closet, and I love that.
Timing
The secret ingredient in this sweater, though, is the combination of the two points above.
The reason I could get to the Sheep & Wool Festival is because I was in New York already, having been with family through Dad’s passing. Greg and I chose to take a couple days to regroup before coming home and picking normal life back up again, and it happened to be the right time for Rhinebeck.
Knitting a piece that reminds me so much of him, finishing it at a significant time, and having worked on it during the period of deepest grief makes this garment so much more than “just a sweater.”
It’s a symbol of a cherished childhood memory.
It’s a timeline of a period of mourning and reflection.
It’s a reminder of joy amid sorrow.
It’s encouragement that life continues.
And when I wear it, it feels like a hug from my father.
Even though, to anyone else, it just looks like a sweater.
Greg’s Got Questions:
Thank you to those of you who participated in the poll last week!
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION:
Which of the fiber arts are the best ones to carry someone the furthest into old age?
This is going to sound like a cheat of an answer, but the short answer is “all of them!” The longer answer is “all of them, but with modifications.”
I’ll use knitting as the example, but the principle is the same for all fiber arts: mind your health, and modify as needed.
When someone has “young” hands and eyes, with no problems seeing and no arthritis, they can knit anything. Any size needles, any size and color yarn, any technique, etc., with no physical limitations.
If we abuse our bodies or start dealing with arthritis, we start experienceing pain and other limitations in our hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders. As our eyes age, we can have vision problems with small yarn or with dark-colored yarn.
Some modifications are easy to make. We can do regular stretching exercises to reduce stress and strain on our bodies, we can make sure we’re working in well-lit environments, and we can stop knitting with black yarn.
Other adjustments include transitioning to using tools that are more comfortable for our hands to manipulate. Most folks can continue to use writing tools well into later years, and you can easily find knitting needles the same size around as comfortable pens and pencils. (Several crochet hook companies are making ergonomic handles for more comfortable and decorative grips!)
Additionally, you can modify your knitting and crocheting mechanics so that you are being as efficient as possible with your movements to reduce wear on your joints. I did this after having carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, switching from English to Continental Knitting. Reducing the size and complexity of your motions will increase your speed but also reduce the wear on your body, enabling you to continue knitting or crocheting (or anything else) longer.
You may be interested to learn that there are groups and other resources for non-sighted knitters. So we can be encouraged that we can keep being creative with our favorite hobbies for a long, long time.
Greg’s Questions for This Week:
Here are the questions up for the vote this week. I’ll answer the winner in the next newsletter. (As a matter of procedure, the poll function takes you to another page to submit your vote, so if that happens to you, you’re on the right track!)
Question 1: What’s a motif?
Question 2: Which of your dad’s sweaters was your favorite and what did you like about it?
Question 3: Based on this experience, what would you tell knitters (or their significant others!!!) who are struggling with justifying “how much” to spend on quality yarn for especially meaningful projects like these?
Happy knitting,
Kiersten J
