Today I was asked to introduce myself with an item that has special significance for me or tells something about me. Of course it took ages to settle on an item. I"m not one good at decision making when there is a choice. I thought about picking a running shoe, which holds significance because running made me turn around my weight and fitness issues, turning from borderline obese and ever-last-to-be-picked-for-sport-teams to a slimmish marathon runner and aerobics junkie, losing a third of my body weight in the process. But I don't run at the moment so thought it inappropriate. Next came a jar of rhubarb jam, made with rhubarb that I'd grown myself, representing the satisfaction of growing and enjoying the fruit of a year's gardening. Then there was the handpainted Mexican wooden monster which I bought in San Cristobal de las Casas, which stands for my travel itch and the most interesting trip undertaken so far.

I settled on this:
I'm not a mad knitter who spends nights finishing an item. But knitting has many meanings to me. It was a skill passed on to me from my mother when I was very young, passed on to her by her mum, and I'll make sure to pass it onto Cubling. It's about learning from each others, across generations, as so many skills used to be learned. It's simple yet can be complex, it links and transforms. It is beauty and the satisfaction of working with yarn, often spun and died by similar handycrafts. It uses materials which are sustainable (well, if you choose to). Knitting is never about the efficiency of using time for maximum financial gain. Rather it takes time, persistence and hands. The product of knitting keeps loved ones warm and protected. The joy of making, creating, and seeing something grow slowly but steadily is extremely satisfying to me. Knitting links people across cultures, continents. I'll never forget how I was taught by a Somali woman how to cast on her way, how we all learned from each others, shared skills in a supportive and warm environment, across language barriers. I've seen the positive effect on mental health that knitting has, how it balances people, empowers them to make something beautiful in lives which are determined by external circumstances and powers and which have little space for beauty. The generosity of knitters who I've come across is overwhelming. Knitting will never be a profitable activity, it's all about the love of the handmade, the love of making and transforming, of connecting and caring. It's an antithesis to our world of consumerism and time is money attitude. It is slow, domestic, universal, and female (although I'd be very happy to see more male knitters!). Personally, I like the relaxation it gives me and that it's portable, and it's the one thing where I don't get competetive with myself - I only knit when I feel like it and as much as I feel like it.

What do you like about knitting?

Oh, and here is a Christmas knit I forgot to add. It's a bag I knitted for A. who I hope likes bags... I really liked knitting this one. The pattern is Lemon Zest from Emma King's 25 bags to knit (a book with lovely bag patterns) and I had photocopied the page, then bought colours from memory only with the description on the sheet. When I revisited the original pattern I was surprised at the difference. And I was very pleasantly surprised that I preferred my version. It was a hard bag to give away because I really liked the result, but I'm simply not a handbag person and A is a very worthy recipient.