What's Knitting Got To Do With It?

For those of you who read my recent mini-blog about World Wide Knit In Public Day, you may be asking yourself what the heck knitting, in public or private, has to do with being "on the path."  Knitting may have gotten more glamorous in recent years, what with Julia Roberts and David Arquette and all sorts of other famous types taking it up, but still it's pretty mundane, isn't it?  What's it got to do with being on a conscious spiritual path?  Lovely question.


Well, one of the ways to define meditation is as a time of focus, of letting the chatter of the world (and our own minds) drop aside and putting our attention on ONE thing.  This process fosters a sense of calm and relaxation, and can be found in any repetitive activity.  Runners, people kneading dough, folks chanting,planing wood, or playing the same riff over and over, often report getting into a mind/heart space in which there's an experience of timelessness, of being one with everything, of inner peace. . .and so do many knitters, at least until you drop a stitch and swear.  Truly, though, one of the reasons new knitters find themselves becoming a little obsessive about knitting, taking it to work to do at lunchtime, pulling out the knitting when watching evening t.v., etc., is because it IS calming and relaxing, which is pretty cool!  


Also, it seems to me that mundane and spiritual are not opposites, and it's the intention we bring to any mundane activity or event that imbues it with spirit.  Haven't you ever been grumbling along through an activity, say mowing your lawn, and suddenly you notice a neighbor mowing his lawn, singing away, big smile on his face?  And if you quiz him on what he's so bloody happy about, he says something startling - and possibly annoying - like "I'm just so glad to be able to do this for my family," or "this reminds me of my dad doing this every Saturday, and that makes me smile," or even "I used to grumble, but since my heart attack I just feel so grateful to be up and about. . ."  Same activity, but a totally different perspective.


Knitting has changed a lot in the last 60 or 70 years, at least in this part of the world.  What I mean is that just that recently, most families still knit their own socks and sweaters and even swimming apparel, if you can believe it, which is why they took such great care of them and mended holes.  Nowadays for many of us, it's completely optional.  Not being something you HAVE to do if you want to be warmly clothed  makes it easier to have a more relaxed take on the activity;  certainly no one in my household will go sockless if I stop knitting!  So it's easier than ever to see it as a blessing, a pleasure, a lovely way to express your creativity.  


But from journals and other first person accounts I've read, down through the ages when women and their men and children were all involved in the spinning, weaving and knitting of clothes, many DID find a spiritual element to it.  It could be the sense of service to others (which was certainly beefed up during both World Wars when all at home were exhorted to knit for the boys!)  It could be the opportunity to express one's creativity in the choices of color and pattern -- anything that enables us to express our inner creative fire gets us in touch with our inner spirit.  And then it's back to the calming influence of a repetitive activity.


I'm certainly not the first to write about the potentially spiritual side of knitting. THE KNITTING SUTRA by Susan Lydon, ZEN AND THE ART OF KNITTING by Bernadette Murphy, and THE KNITTING WAY;  A GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL SELF-DISCOVERY by Skolnik and MacDaniels are just a few of the books that have come out on this subject in recent years.


Lest this make you run out and get some needles and yarn so you can become a better person, hold on!  I believe that knitting is, more than anything, supposed to be a pleasure. OK, maybe not every minute, not when you discover you dropped a stitch 8 inches up and have to unknit that whole section, but over all it is meant to be something you are GLAD to be doing.  My daughter asked me to teach her to knit for the first time around 10 years of age, and within a day or two she was so frustrated and angry I said "step away from the pointy things!"  I had happily learned to knit at age 8, but she has always been much more active than I was, riding horseback, training dogs, hiking and camping.  She asked me again at other times, with similar results.  It just wasn't for her.  And that was fine.


Then one day she asked me, I showed her, and it took!  Within months she was learning all kinds of techniques and patterns it took me years to explore, and had found many Internet sites that she enjoys and finds useful, such as Ravelry. Today, she is a superb knitter and belongs to a knitting group that meets regularly, as well as knitting at home and when she's out and about.


Most any activity can prove spiritual: it can ground you, enliven you, relax you, help you feel at home and one with everyone and everything. . . especially if that's your intent.  


And Guidance is always reminding me, a key to being truly spiritual is to lighten up and have fun. 


See you next week!


PS I love your comments;  THANKS!