Friday, August 15, 2008

IN THE COMPANY OF BEACHES…

Treefeather from Ravelry's Rocky-inspired Knit a Beach

As I stay tuned to the growing number of Ravelry members who have joined the Jane Thornley Group (started by Gelosimina) and listen to their stories, watch how much they bloom in rich creative play, see their projects unfold as little masterpieces that delight and surprise them, I ask myself 'what is it about knitting that unleashes such boundless self-expression? I can say truthfully that I haven't seen a single beach project yet that isn't absolutely stunning. And yet many of these knitters have never done this kind of knitting before.

And though Ravelry is a virtual social network, it's no less powerful a connector than all of us sitting around White Point Beach last week. In both the reaL and the virtual, we knitters share stories and put our fraying bits back together again, usually in kind miraculous ways. As Betty Lou said of her knitting experience at Knit a Beach last week:

'All the wonderful personalities seemed to be touched by magic as if
through knitting we all have found a way to release the inner pain
and turn it into a "piece of art." The fog was fairy dust and Jo's
spinning songs were the music we knit to. When the sun came out
everything seemed to have a luster and shine of pure gold.  I would
 not change a thing except to make the day's longer as time seemed to
just fly by.' Mary Lou La Grassa, August 2008

And it's true, so many stories unfolded, were shared, and knit it all into the fabric of our collective lives. Despite multiple divorces, abuse, heartaches and serious health issues, these women were strong and together. We laughed, we cried, we knit. The same magic that touched us at Knit a Beach seems to touch the knitters in my virtual world. I can't explain it, it just happens.

Mary Lou knits the black sands of Hawaii

Maggie Obert knits the exuberant foam wash of her incredible beach

Sheryl's 50th birthday beach washes to shore

In a knitters hands, magic happens...