You know. I came up with the title of this blog post about a week and a half ago. I had planned on going into detail about all the ways you can connect with other knitters in a more personal level, from SweetGeorgia’s First Mystery Knit-along to a monster spinning week called Spinzilla. Fiber community, at least in the online sense. But … and I hope you’ll forgive me here … I feel compelled to go a little deeper than what I had planned on.
The world … feels a little topsy-turvy, especially as of late. Regardless of where you are, the uncertainties, the impact, the experiences, make ones heart heavy with the weight of it all. For you, it all might even be extraordinarily personal and you are simply putting one foot in front of the other. I can only imagine and right now, talking about yarn seems almost silly. And yet …
And yet …
Talking about yarn feels almost like a lifeline, too (in quite the literal and figurative sense).
Back in 2001, Gordon Hinkley said,
“Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.”
We can be the influence for good in this world … I read that line over and over again, and I think about how yarn is that outlet for people like us. Yarn, with those simple twists and endless colours and heart-melting softness, is a strand that easily pulls us together. Stitch by stitch. Melding our hearts into the very fabric of this life.
We aren’t just wandering around, knitting aimlessly. No, indeed! Our hands craft in earnest for those we love and those we don’t know – without question or judgement. Our hearts beat in unison with the rhythmic motion of spinning wheels, shuttles, needles, hooks, creating beautiful works of art in what is often a messy world. We come together, both online and in person, to share with passionate delight the new patterns, colours, fibers, or notions we’ve come across. For us fibre artists, it isn’t about what divides us, but rather what we can make together.
You say acrylic and I say wool, but the end result is “Oh my, look what good we made.”
Whether its knitting hats for preemie babies or scarves for the homeless, selling patterns for hurricane victims, spinning yarn for a charity, sharing articles about craftivists, crocheting blankets for your family and friends, weaving for grandmothers, sweaters for your kids, shawls for your best friend, knockers for breast cancer patients, flood victims, penguins, chickens, earthquake areas, dolls, poverty, war-torn countries … we make. And we heal. Inside and outside and all around, our work has the power to heal divides, hearts, and hurts.
And it’s because of love. It comes forth like an ancient grace, alive in our fingers and spreading out into our craft and then to the world. One person, one stitch, at a time. It’s all we need.
So, whether you are participating in Spinzilla, found a fantastic knit-along to join, get in there and connect. This community wouldn’t be the same without you and your craft.
Look at the good we literally make. Together.
