Knitting

It didn't look like a difficult sweater, and I knew my mom had knit baby blankets for us many years ago so I figured she could teach me to knit. I asked, and she said she'd give it a try, so we went out and got some yarn and needles. (Just a test, you understand; I had the sense not to buy all the supplies for my supposed project before I had acquired the skill to complete it.)

We struggled for about an hour. The yarn didn't feel natural in my hands, the needles didn't seem to fit in my fingers and I couldn't get it right, at all. After a while Mom gave up. She said "Amanda, you have to be at peace with the needles."

Those were her exact words, and I will never forget them. I don't think I was at peace with anything when I was 17; I don't know that anybody is capable of peace at 17. I do have some aptitude for needlework, I mean, I'm fairly skilled if out of practice at embroidery; there are several sewing tasks I prefer to do by hand, such as hems and button holes. Oh, and I wouldn't set in a lining using a machine without hand basting first, no way. When thread goes through a hole in a needle, I'm good; when there's no hole in the needle, I'm lost.

The process by which a person takes string and some sticks and comes out with a useful object... that's just beyond me. I'm amazed that anybody could knit, but it seems to take a lot of time, and there's that peace issue. This is why I don't knit.

before - after