Hobby Week–Knitting – Hive and Nest

Ten years ago I begged my friend Nancy to show me how to knit. I learned the very basics and started knitting this hideous thing:

It’s a bandage for people with leprosy. Not joking. Our church sent them to lepers in very poor parts of the world. Making leprosy bandages seemed so noble, at the same time being kind of cute and quaint. I had all these visions of people looking at me as I stoically knit bandage after bandage (“Isn’t she just amazing? So selfless.” They would sigh.)

I know what you’re thinking:

1) Jennie, you’re an idiot.

2) There are still lepers?

3) Why don’t they just use gauze bandages?

Who knows. But I decided that I would selflessly knit bandages like some sort of Civil War heroine. But the bandages are knit from string, not yarn. And they are plain white which is not only hard to look at for hours on end, but boring. In short, I have spent the last ten years knitting that one bandage. And not doing a very good job of it, I might add. Earlier this year my bandage was finally long enough to send to Church Headquarters. Wouldn’t you know it, they have stopped accepting leprosy bandages! All that artistry for naught! The Church must have finally figured out that it would be cheaper to just ship over some antibiotics and cure the people. (So if anybody needs a shoddy piece of knitted string about 3 inches wide and 4 feet long, let me know!)

I have always meant to get better at knitting but it never really gelled with my schedule. (You know, taking care of babies is such a time suck!) But now I have several hours of free time and a neighbor who is a knitting wizard. Once school started I wrangled my neighbor into showing me the ropes. She has been more than patient with my knitting 911 emergency calls. I’m a real dunce at knitting and I have to watch refresher videos on You Tube a lot, but I must say that I love to knit. Love it!

Unlike sewing, knitting is all about the process for me. I’m not so much interested in the final product as I am the zen of knitting. I have been bringing my knitting with me everywhere, which means I suffer a lot of eye rolling from my husband. (You know that bag I sewed? The one I just posted about? That’s for my knitting.)

I have made tons of little square swatches of knitting, but this scarf was my first real project. I’m dying to wear it but it needs to get down below 85º sometime. I love the autumn colors.

I have now graduated to socks. They are a strange affair, knit on many kneedles from the top down. But knitting socks makes me feel very grown-up and accomplished. I have always had this dreadful fear that one day I will need to make socks for my family. Now I can! Not that I would ever waste such labor on my children who consider all socks to be disposable. But I could. That’s the important thing.

This yarn is dyed in such a way that it stripes itself. Pretty nifty.)