Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Nunavut

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Different ways of seeing

Staying connected

What literacy means to me

Yukon

National

Saskatchewan

Staying connected by Sheryl Harrow

I adore knitting; my life feels like it has always been filled with wool, needles and patterns. Knitting is what relaxes me, takes me away from my job's stresses and reminds me of my grandmother and mother. It is my family's history.

I carefully contemplated how to describe my wildcard. Talking in metaphors seemed to weave its way into everything I tried to say:

• Experienced knitters aren't afraid to unpick a project. But they will always stay true to their original vision.
• Perfection is strived for, but rarely achieved. We learn to live with imperfection, always focusing on what we have become skilled at.
• Knitting is about the process, not the final project. What did you learn as you knit? What new stitches did you discover? What would you do again? What wouldn’t you do?
• Experienced knitters are considering each part of the project as they knit. Is this the right wool? What about the colour? Will it fit Olivia? Alice? Should I add some more cables? Should I change the neck from a crew to a turtleneck?
• The most rewarding knitting projects are those that have the most personal investment. There is nothing more rewarding than giving a hand-knitted gift to someone who understands the work.
• You must always respect the wool. You are moulding something that is already a natural fibre.
• The more experienced a knitter, the better the garment. Experienced knitters can work without a pattern; they intrinsically know what to do.
• Everyone starts with two sticks and wool.
• We need our mothers or grandmothers to guide us. Without guidance we get frustrated and the project gets put in the back closet.
• A knitting project is about “finishing”. The world's best knitter may not make the best garments. You have to be able sew, wash and shape it. It is the final touches that take it from a craft to a piece of art.
• Knitting is more fun when shared with people who understand the passion.
• A project is never truly finished. The great thing about knitting is that even years later, as fashion changes, the wool can be unpicked and reused in another project.
• Knitting has always been around and it will always be around. Just because you have just discovered it, doesn't mean that it wasn’t happening.
• Knitting is about the application of what you learned. What will you share? Who will you guide?

  “Knitting is a process craft. Anyone who sets out to knit with the sole objective of wearing the finished work will soon be disappointed. If the finished piece were the sole aim, one would purchase a mass-produced garment at a local mall for a fraction of the cost and time required to make a sweater. The true joy comes from discovering the individual beauty of each segment, the feeling of accomplishment when completing a particularly difficult section and the sense of challenge that lurks as you plan the next project. In other words, knitting is like [research in practice]. We have to enjoy the journey if we expect the destination to mean much.”

  —Bernadette Murphy, Zen and the Art of Knitting: Exploring the links between knitting, spirituality and creativity. Cincinnati: Adams Media Corp., 2002.