I Send a Flower...

To Wendy, who was kind enough to come over and read what I had to say in response to her post. I am totally in agreement with her that we each one of us knit for our own enjoyment and our own purposes, and none of us is right or wrong and should not be judged in any way, shape, or form. Her post made me think about the purpose of what I do, why I do it, and am I able to let it go when it's done. I agree that a finely knit lace shawl is not necessarily an everyday wear item, and I also I know that I would want to feel free to wear one any time I want to feel wonderful in it, and not keep asking myself if I'm afraid to wear it because it might get dirty or -- horrors -- ripped or snagged. It would be a fine thing to have my little granddaughter someday inherit a beautiful lace shawl that I had made, and I would want to have her remember me wearing it while I walked along a beach or along the rim of the Grand Canyon in the sunset. And a snag or two wouldn't, and shouldn't, matter. I would want to have joy in anything I make, from the finest lace shawl to the humblest pair of socks, and believe me my socks are pretty humble still. But it shouldn't matter. If we aren't getting joy out of it, then why are we doing it? Wendy's sweaters and shawls and other projects are obviously a matter of joy to her, and certainly to the rest of us who read her regularly. The same could probably be said about every other knitter on the web -- at least the ones I've read -- and in my thinking ought to be an important factor in choosing what to make. If I can't stand to knit on large needles, then I won't have joy in making a project on them, unless the desire and the resultant joy in making something that a child or a dear friend wants overwhelms the discomfort of the large needles. And can I let it go when it's done? I know that I wouldn't make anything for myself that would stay in a drawer or closet all the time, but the gift I make for someone else just might do that. And I have to let it go. It's their choice. I had the joy of making it. That's all I can ask for from a project. The joy of it.

And that's all I got to say about that. Until the next time.