December 3, 2003

Each Other

My e-mail is letting me know I have another new message. It's from one of several local knitting groups: small enclaves of women who meet weekly or biweekly in living rooms or around kitchen tables, bringing show-off homemade desserts, bowls of fruit, crackers, gourmet cheeses and flowers. It is the second invitation I have received this week. If I had the time, I would go.

That's what got me thinking. What is it about knitting these days that has everyone so gung-ho? It seems to be spreading across the country like wildfire. Craft Yarn Council of America substantiates the surging trend. According to recent tracking research, the number of new knitters and crocheters 18 years or older, the number under age 35 has increased from 3 percent in 1994 to 15 percent in 2000. Women are knitting on buses, in board meetings and during lunch breaks.

When I am able to gather with other women for knitting, I am always surprised -- this is no forgotten pastime for older women in rockers. This is a craft of the young and lithe of finger. This is the "craft nouveau" of a vibrant movement -- one that inspires American women of all ages to get in touch with a common thread, born first of necessity but reborn from the need to slow things down, to unwind, to gather our girlfriends around us and weave our lives together.

Knitting is an act of defiance, in a way. One that boldly states: I will wind and twist this yarn together and what will come of it none can be sure, but one thing is certain, it will be mine and it will be derived from passion and commitment, something unhurried, non-instant.

Yet it is a gentler act than defiance. It clears the mind. Knitting helps you think -- the feel and movement of the needles, whether bamboo or metal, is meditative.

Throughout history, women have gathered, made weavings, made baskets and pottery together, sewn together. The collective need, perhaps stamped onto our very DNA, brings women to each other, through talk, through comfort and maybe even a little good old-fashioned gossip. In our daily modern lives, women are expected to assimilate, domesticity be damned. Somewhere along the line in the late 20th century, the number of women who gathered for hearth and home activities diminished. As extended families spread travel-days apart, gatherings of women began to disappear. In our struggle for independent success, we lost each other. But now, as we begin the 21st century, we come full circle, starting knitting groups in record numbers, and through all the dropped stitches and tangled balls of yarn, we find therapy in the presence of other women. The knitting group allows modern women to have it all -- to be bionic businesswoman by day and creative domestic healer by night.

Knitting not only becomes an outlet for the stresses and expectations of our daily life, but it also becomes a great way of expressing yourself to those you love -- the perfect Christmas gift.

One easy fail-proof beginner project is the scarf. There is a lot of creative leeway in knitting a scarf. Don't limit yourself to one stitch; use the scarf to practice different stitches. It will come out looking kind of crazy but definitely stylish and wearable.

If you are ready for a little more challenge, try switching colors every ten or twenty rows. A neat trick to try for creating a really thick January scarf is to use two balls of yarn and knit the two strands together as one. To learn the stitches and the methods for casting on and finishing, buy a book with color illustrations. I recommend "The Yarn Girls Guide to Simple Knits" by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs (pictured) or "How to Knit" by Debbie Bliss. Both of these books offer clear illustrations and easy to understand descriptions.

Feel like doing some charity while learning to knit? Create hand-made bandages for victims of Leprosy. Using #2 needles and thin 100% cotton yarn, (white or off-white), cast on about three inches and knit a simple stitch about 40 inches long. Send your finished bandage(s) to:

Latter Day Saints Humanitarian Center
1665 Bennett Road
Salt Lake City, Utah 84104

Include one safety diaper pin per bandage and enclose both in a resealable plastic bag. This is a good project to have sitting around the office. Whenever anyone is feeling a bit undone, they can grab the project and knit themselves back together again.

Send your questions to MaryJane Butters, c/o MaryJanesFarm, 1000 Wild Iris Lane, Moscow, Idaho, 83843. Questions may also be e-mailed to maryjane@maryjanesfarm.org. Please include your name and daytime telephone number. For more information, visit www.maryjanesfarm.org

• Commentary: Boys Who Crochet January 20, 2004
• Commentary: Wax, Wick, and Wavering Light January 8, 2004
• Commentary: Gifts from the Home December 10, 2003
• Commentary: Each Other December 3, 2003
• Commentary: Gather Up October 31, 2003
• Commentary: Rethinking Venison September 19, 2003
• Commentary: Rethinking Salsa September 5, 2003
• Ask MJ: squash harvest August 7, 2003
• Commentary: S'more Fun Around a Campfire July 31, 2003
• Ask MJ: garlic scapes July 24, 2003
• Commentary: Garden Hoses July 18, 2003
• Ask MJ: make your own toothpaste, drying flowers July 3, 2003
• Commentary: Sharpening and Caring for Your Garden Tools June 26, 2003
• Commentary: Hard-to-Find Gardening and Farming Tools June 19, 2003
• Commentary: Dried Food is Simplicity Itself June 12, 2003
• Commentary: See You on the Front Porch June 6, 2003
• Commentary: Simple Hanging Baskets May 30, 2003
• Commentary: Apron Strings and Purse Things May 23, 2003
• Commentary: Graduation May 16, 2003
• Commentary: Family-Friendly Travel May 9, 2003
• Commentary: Take a Kid Camping May 9, 2003
• Commentary: Gone Fishin' May 2, 2003
• Commentary: Give the Gift of Time — To Yourself! April 25, 2003
• Ask MJ: natural easter egg dyes April 18, 2003
• Commentary: Welcoming the Day April 11, 2003
• Commentary: Nesting April 4, 2003
• Commentary: Sprouting Sprouts March 28, 2003
• Commentary: Creating Photo Collages March 21, 2003
• Commentary: Mothers March 14, 2003
• Ask MJ: potted bulbs March 7, 2003
• Commentary: Grow Your Own Winter Greens February 28, 2003
• Commentary: Something About Buttercup February 21, 2003
• Commentary: Heirloom and Antique Seeds February 14, 2003
• Ask MJ: mild bathroom cleansers, starting plants from seed February 7, 2003
• Commentary: The Art of the Egg January 31, 2003
• Ask MJ: winter herb gardening, stevia January 24, 2003
• Ask MJ: antique sewing machines, fragrance free dish detergent, oils for baking January 17, 2003
• Commentary: Green Power January 10, 2003
• Commentary: Salad Spoon December 27, 2002
• Ask MJ: poinsettias December 20, 2002
• Ask MJ: whitening laundry, indoor plants December 13, 2002
• Ask MJ: entertaining children December 6, 2002
• Ask MJ: home canning November 28, 2002
• Commentary: Grow a Simple Holiday Gift November 21, 2002
• Commentary: Take a Vacation at Home November 14, 2002
• Ask MJ: eating out, furniture polish, composting, sweaty feet November 7, 2002
• Ask MJ: eating organic, indoor pollution October 31, 2003
• Ask MJ: cutting back on coffee, Valentine's Day and flowers, non-toxic nail polish October 24, 2002