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...
Posted by Jane on 08/15 at 07:45 AM
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Just Thought I’d drop into to see you on my way back from Ireland and other tales
Jane & Jo: old friends meet at last
A long time ago when the earth seemed new and I was a bit newer myself, I had a vision. Yes, this was an honest to goodness, lightning- bolt-brain-wave-straight-out-of-the-movies type vision, the kind that causes one's inner world to tremble and the eyes to blur. Driving along a rural road en route to visit a school at the time, the event had such a powerful effect on me that I had to pull over. I sat there in my car seized in this strange state for several moments trying to figure out what was happening.
A multidimensional scene played out inside my head, a multimedia montage of globes and maps and computers and faces. What did it all mean? Once I recovered enough to function, I called up my friend, Colleen, to describe the event but my attempts were woefully unadequate, reducing my larger than life experience to a fumble of words. Try describing a vision, something that effects you on several dimensions simultaneously but which defies the encapsulation: it's like reducing life to a cartoon. I couldn't do it and Colleen on the other end of the phone didn't know how to help me.
I wasn't to understand it that day or for many years to follow. In fact the faintest glimmer of understanding is only reaching me now. Here it is: I believe my earth-trembling vision had to do with...KNITTING! All right, not just knitting, but global knitting and connecting with like-minded souls across the world , forging friendships based on positive life forces linking together to help in some small way towards making the world a slightly more cohesive place. So, every time I receive an email, such as I did on Ravelry while Knit a Beaching down in Nova Scotia last week, that goes something like: 'Hi, it's me. I'm here from Ireland, mind if I drop in," I say yes.
Which brings me to Celtic Jo, owner of Celticmemoryyarns in Ireland, who just happened to be in the Nova Scotian neighbourhood last week so just happened to drop in to sing spinning songs and tell Irish tales to my knitters. And, as so often is the case, I feel as though I've known her all my life though we've only now met making it perfectly natural for us to plot and plan a Celtic evocative knitting excursion in the near future.
Ilga admires a shoreline
But, speaking of friends, Jo wasn't my only guest last week. I had invited my good friend and fellow designer, Ilga Leja, to lead the knitters on a foray into beachy, wave-like stitches. A wonderful teacher as well as a designer of gorgeous knitwear ( Ilgaleja.com ), she spent the day showing the Knitabeachniks artful ways to evoke the waves. The trunk-load of yarn she brought along went over well, too.
Years ago the two of us had fought many a stereotype together: two masters degree students fighting the fossilized notions that one can't be serious and knit, too. Ha! Have I got a vision for them...
To come....the beaches wait to speak.
Posted by Jane on 08/11 at 02:22 PM
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From the entry 'Just Thought I'd drop into to see you on my way back from Ireland and other tales'.
Oh! This happens to me sometimes when I drive! There was a road which used to bring me in that state more than others...! I was on the road, driving, and at the same time, on another road, or sea, in other places, other times...I can still describe the places, the clothes, the boat (a strange one!), etc… |
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| By Jocelyne on 2008 08 12 |
