Five Little Things : Knitting

A bag of wool in the post

There are few things that bring me as much simple joy as wool and mail. I love getting post, particularly packages but also letters and post cards. When the two combine together as in one lovely package from the great people over at De Rerum Natura it makes me one very happy person.

De Rerum Natura's wool makes me especially happy because of their humanist ethos which means that the lovely wool I get to knit with comes from sheep who've been very well treated. It feels great to be knitting with wool from happy, loved sheep.

And the endless possibilities it announces...

The thing I love most about wool is the possibility. From a simple string of twine you can make almost anything - socks, mittens, sweaters, hats, leggings and tea cosies. And that's a very tame list. This wool was destined to become a sweater for Noah and it's knitting up beautifully if slowly. But even the slowness of (my) knitting doesn't really bother me because for me therein lies the beauty. Stitch by stitch, row by row I can see something growing and even if I only knit one stitch or one row, I am moving forwards I am making something.

Noah's new sweater, a work in progress

This slow but constant progress has been a lifesaver to me over the years when with a young family I often didn't have long stretches of time to create. But I could knit. And I did. I took it to the park in a bag and knit while I stood around watching the kids play. I knit on the train and the bus. I knit in the little snippets of time I had between naps or when everyone was finally sleeping in the evening. And it made me feel better. It made me feel okay that my days went round like a fixed loop endlessly repeating the same gestures as I fed and cleaned and played and slept.

So I'm grateful for sheep and I'm grateful for needles and I'm so glad you have your whole life long to learn new things and that knitting and I found each other. And I'm so, so grateful for one more ball of Malabrigo Rasta to finish my first shawl. I know it's going to keep me warm for many winters yet.

Malabrigo Rasta Azules

My Offhand Lace Shawl