Leaving you in Stitches

Many thanks to guest author Mary Posey for this week’s article…

It’s Tuesday morning! The Knitters, Crocheters and Thinkers meet today.

Lately I’ve been wondering why, when we talk about knitting and crocheting, we always say knit first! Is it because the word is short and easy? Crochet is the first in the alphabet. Is it because we prefer knitting to crocheting? I don’t know, because I know people who only knit and some who only crochet. But I’ve noticed we never say crochet first.

Those of us who both knit and crochet always say knit first. When I was typing this, I found it awkward to say crochet and knit. We are creatures of habit, and the phrase is “knit and crochet.”

I like knit items. They’re softer, and they drape better. But I like crochet too. Crocheted items are usually sturdier. They are often stiffer, and hold their shape better as you work. What’s my favorite? It depends on what I’m making. It also depends on how sore my hands are. Crochet seems to aggravate my carpal tunnel. I can knit for longer periods of time than I can crochet. My hands don’t get sore as fast when I’m knitting. And now that I use the European method for knitting, it doesn’t take forever to make something. I used to dislike knitting because it took FOREVER! After an hour of knitting, it seemed that my item had grown by half an inch, while what I crocheted seemed to grow rapidly. And since I always have too much to do, crocheting was more satisfying if I wanted to get something done in a hurry. Nowadays, though, I prefer knitting. It grows just as fast, and I can get a project finished in practically no time, it seems. That’s not true, of course. I just happen to be fast, and when I get obsessive about finishing something, I focus on it and get it done.

I really like going to the knitting club, as I call it. I was unable to belong to one when I was living in St. Paul – too busy raising the kids and working. I believe my move to Moberly was ordained by God. I was able to rest and get healthy after some serious health issues, and to become active in things I like instead of just working all the time. We all need social interaction and relaxation. At knitting club, we all help each other when we get stuck on directions or on how to do a certain stitch or have a glitch in our pattern. We talk about our kids, our gardens, our trips, even a smidgen about politics and religion, although we find it’s better to keep those subjects to a minimum. Several of us who go to knitting club have little interaction with other people outside of our own little circles because or work, home schooling our kids, or running a business, or even retirement, and this gives us a chance to socialize. It’s a life saver (or maybe a mental health saver). We teach newcomers how to knit, or how to crochet. We also help each other and get help with our projects. What’s more fun than to show off something that challenged us a little beyond our personal expectations? We tackled a project that we weren’t sure we could finish, and we finished it! And who can encourage you better than someone who has had a similar experience.

So Tuesday morning, if you can carve some time into your schedule, come visit us at the library between 9:30 and 11:00. We’re a social group. We like to meet new people. We like to hear your stories. We love to see what you’re working on. And if you don’t knit or crochet, but do embroidery or plastic canvas or any other type of craft, come join us anyway. We like to see what other people are doing. We’d love to see you, and have a nice visit.