Guest Post: What I Talk About When I Talk About Knitting

I like to knit, as does my sister, LouBug. I also like to run. LouBug does not. In fact, knitting is probably the only part of our lives that overlap. There’s a great book I read recently by Haruki Murakami – What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. A whole book about why he loves running, what he thinks about while he is running and how running is integral to his well-being. I guess this is the point of our blog, LouBug and KnitWit. We write about what we’re thinking while we’re knitting (and about the amazing things we knit, of course!).

Shawl by LouBug, free pattern available on LouBugKnitWit

We started the blog a couple of years ago in very different circumstances. At the time, I was buried under a couple of small children and LouBug was preoccupied with the workload from a very stressful teaching job. Having a creative outlet, something to show for our day and something separate from our drudge and daily lives was really important for us. Fast forward a couple of years and the doom clouds have now lifted – now we just knit and blog for fun!

LouBug and I are like chalk and cheese, Laurel and Hardy. I studied science; she studied art. I like gritty dramas; she likes science fiction. I like running; she likes… erm, not running. You get the picture. What we do have in common is the love of having something to show for our time. We sisters are busy bees; we like order and plans. We do share some genes after all. LouBug’s love of knitting started way before mine, however, as her skill and mountain of knitted produce duly shows. 

Sock Scrap Pillow by LouBug, free pattern available on LouBugKnitWit

In the spirit of order and lists, here are my top five reasons why I love knitting:

1. Nobody is watching. A botched stitch or two is not going to get my pay docked. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. There’s not much in life that you can truly say that about.

2. One row or 100 rows, it doesn’t matter! Only got 15 minutes? Who cares, all of these rows add up in the end. As if by magic, something wonderful appears.

3. People think I’m clever and artistic, even though I really am NOT! I hated art at school and have a lower-than-average artistic ability. And yet, here I am, adorned with beautiful knitted creations.

4. It gives me an excuse to write. I knit a bit, then write a lot. Oh, how I love to broadcast my thoughts and opinions. Knitting is my vehicle. It could well have been something else. Now, of course, I’m addicted to the knit. Save yourselves, there’s no hope for me now!

5. Hmm, number 5… erm… well, I get to watch people who really love knitting and have spent a lifetime perfecting their skill. It’s like a secret world that I’ve just about scraped into. And it’s quite fascinating… 

If you’ve got this far, then well done. As a reward, you can have some images of knitting. The good, the bad and the ugly (namely the accidental “knitted bib”).

KnitWit’s knitted bib

Out of all the things I’ve knitted in my knitting life, scarves are by far my favourite. I feel a list brewing…

1. They are easy and portable. Or perhaps not-so-easy and portable. Either way they can be transported in my bag to random events and worked on.

2. They are a cheap-skate’s option for plastic surgery. I’d like to add I’m not at that stage of life yet, but they do have an excellent way of hiding a scraggy old neck, or a fat neck, or perhaps even a neck covered in lizard scales. Very handy.

3. They are almost at eye height, attracting the maximum amount of compliments (shallow, I know).

4. They can try complicated stitches, which in my case involves perhaps a cable or two, without fear of botching the whole thing and chucking millions of pounds worth of yarn in the bin in a hissy fit.

5. For the commitment-phobic, scarves are the perfect project. Garter stitch, cables, chunky lace – all of these can all be achieved in just a few days with the correct yarn purchase. You could even try your hand at super chunky yarn if you’re prepared to use giant 15mm needles. The downside to the super chunky yarn is that it’s so massive that one can’t see one’s feet or indeed crucial coat zips or buttons. Oh well…

For more knitting ramblings, see the KnitWit posts over at the LouBugKnitWit blog. If you don’t like ramblings, skip the KnitWit posts and head straight for the more informative LouBug posts and free patterns. She does far more knitting, and far less rambling…

KnitWit