Yesterday, my mother learned to knit! I had been wanting to teach her for about 5 years and she kept telling me she “wasn’t old enough.” This is her in a action! She picked it up pretty easily, even the long-tail cast on. I tried to teach her continental style, but she ended up sort of throwing the yarn with her left hand, so I showed her English and that was a much better fit. She even recognizes when she makes mistakes already. After this practice swatch, she got busy making the Hot Head pattern (but in this semi-solid color) from Stitch N’ Bitch. I’m so proud of her!

My mother, the knitter.

Many people still have associations of old ladies and knitting, but this is definitely not always the case, and even if it was…who cares?! OLD LADIES ARE AWESOME! I think if you’re an already an interesting person in younger years, the coolness factor can just increase over time. Most of my knitting friends in this town are over 55, (and I’m not calling that “old” by the way) and I treasure their knitting knowledge, senses of humor, and depth and breadth of life advice that I don’t get from younger friends. I still crave more younger knitting friends, especially those in the late 20s and 30s that are in this brink-of-adulthood confusion as well, but I love my older friends too. I also don’t like it when people make ageist comments (in either direction). There is value in the idealism of youth (don’t squash it yet, please…the world is working on that every day) and there is value in the wisdom of age (you can finally relax and not have to have everything figured out all at once…maybe).

I do want more knitting friends in this middle zone straddling adulthood and adolescence. I keep trying to convert my friends that aren’t knitters here…and thus, making more fiber slaves in general. Why is this so important to me? I love my friends, all of them. I appreciate the perspectives each of them brings to my life. I guess people (who enjoy being social) want people around to share their passion (or maybe obsession is more apt). I talk my bf’s ear off about knitting, all the time. He doesn’t knit (I’m trying) and I think it drives him crazy. I need a few more people in my life that get the madness. I should stop trying to convert the people I already know that don’t seem that into knitting, and just look for even more friends. I’m an extrovert. I can take it.

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