It's not snarky like some online communities. It's not full of little old ladies sitting at home alone with 40 cats like some people may think. And it is definitely not as placid as the design would have one think.
So what is it?
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| From ravelry :) See the joy? |
It's all of that and more (well... maybe not the cats... at least, not for one person). It's a place where we can ask for advice, whether seasoned knitter or newbie at the craft. It's where you can garner medical advice that eventually culminates in "See the doctor!!" (But we'll always ask to see if everything is alright.) And it's where yahoo articles get dissected, not necessarily for the content, but for the knit scarf in the picture embellishing the model's neck.
Just as other social media sites have different groups, boards and topics, so does #Ravelry. On this particular board, I skimmed through the topic titles until I found one that seemed suitably humorous for the end of the day.
What not to say to a knitter...
Truly, how could I resist? Opening the thread was like opening a can of worms. See for yourself some of the comments which graced the article itself.
Now, I cannot say that her reaction was the most appropriate. Nor can I say that the continued insistence on the statement being a compliment was completely necessary. However, let it be noted, she has some good points.
I believe her last point is the one that speaks to me the most - "emotional connection." Not only that, but it reminds me a great deal of Mastercard commercials.
Yarn - $20
Needles - $5.49
Glove pattern - $3.99
The look on their face when they unwrap the box - Priceless
We all have our stories, hers involves her husband, yarn from another country and the search for the perfect pattern. Mine generally involve the people I love as well.
My first scarf took me three months to knit. It was 1x1 rib in a worsted weight wool on size 10 straight needles and a heathered forest green. With tassels. My second scarf took me just as long. Not only that, but I made a rudimentary pattern from a stitch dictionary and even wrote it up and offered it up to other beginning knitters. That was the beginning of a trend.
I knew from that day on, seven years ago, I would never again knit a scarf unless I loved them. Why, you ask? Because a proper scarf must be a minimum of 5 feet, or the recipient's armspan. Because a proper scarf must be able to wrap around their neck twice to offer the most amount of warmth. Because the same pattern gets just the teeniest, tiniest bit boring by the time you reach two feet, 3 balls of yarn, however you wish to quantify it. I even went so far as to proclaim that I would knit a laceweight shawl before I ever knit a scarf again.
To look at the recipients of my scarves would be indicative of the place they hold in my heart. My best friend from high school. My mother (she got a scarf AND a shawl... and a hat...). My grandmother. My brother.
But to be fair, any recipient of a knit or crochet item holds a place in my heart. From the time I choose a pattern, match the yarn and cast on... to the weaving of ends (which I hate - another sign of love if you don't have dangling bits of yarn), I knit a little of my heart into each piece. Memories soak into the fabric, reminding me of the past. Pictures of the final product with their new owners fills the hole that was left behind when gifted. And stories of their use, misuse and garnered compliments remind me why some people will always be knitworthy.
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| True love <3> |
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