knitting, yo

I find that whenever content creators give advice to newbies there's usually a 'start with what you know' sort of part. Starting a blog or vlog? Write/Talk about what's important to you, your hobbies, your interests, etc. Dream of penning a book? Write what you know.

Actually, John Green said something in a live broadcast the other day about writer's being unable to write anything else. Like, giving the advice, 'write what you know,' simultaneously suggests that it is possible to write what you don't know. And if you don't know it, how can you write it? He said it better, but the idea is there.

That was a tangent. Back to the point at hand. You're supposed to write about your interests because it infuses your content with a feverish passion that's nearly impossible to imitate. Yet I feel like I've never really written about knitting which happens to be a hobby of mine.

Sure, I wrote this poem. I might have mentioned my knitting club in passing. But I've never written a post about how I love taking yarn and twisting it around itself until it's something wearable. I love the kinetic part of my brain being occupied while other sections get to chat or watch a movie or laugh at another banana cozy joke. It's so mediative and lovely. And sometimes frustrating. But the thing about knitting is that it's pretty transparent. You can look back at the first hat you made and it tells a story, the errors aren't immediately apparent but easy enough to pick out. You can tell when you were tense or stressed out--where the stitches are tight--and when you were preoccupied and lazy--when the stitches are... not as tight. I guess I also like it because it's one of the things I have in common with my friends and it's just such an effortless thing to do together.

Knitting just generally brings back good memories. My mom's aborted plan to get me and my sisters to knit different coloured squares for an patchwork blanket. A summer spent in The Harem, drinking tea and knitting practice swatches. Fruit cozies, "Just wait until I finish this row," and the simple synchronicity and synergy.

Knitting is just another level of my nerdiness. And I'm not sure what other epic thing to write to finish this blog post. Goodnight. See you on Sunday. If we live that long.