Saturday, August 09, 2003

Knitting away on the back of the Circus Pullover (it's a Norah Gaughan pattern, one from JCA/Artful Yarns). I have perhaps 6" done so far. One thing I do like about the pattern (this may be typical of hoodies with simple pockets) is that you knit the pocket of a piece with the front, and only have one seam to attach it with.

There's also something oddly satisfying about having a big "softball" of yarn you can chuck across the room to make unroll further (I have hardwood floors and I have been striving to keep them clean so no, the yarn doesn't get dirty).

One of the many reasons I knit is the fact that it's a very sensory experience. There's the color of the yarn, the feel of it, even the smell if it's a good natural-fiber yarn. Dealing with nice yarns is like cooking a good meal or baking bread - you have the smell and the feel and the authenticness of it, and it is very good and very satisfying.

Perhaps another reason I like knitting is for the same reason that I like cooking: there's a certain basic predictableness to it. You combine a certain set of ingredients a certain way, and you know what you get. Very unlike human interaction, which more and more seems to be a minefield of things that one (at least THIS one) can't expect or fully understand). Sure, there are cakes that fall, or loaves that come out lumpy, or knots in the skein, but somehow those are more easily surmounted than a lot of problems.

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