From mary.tandem@gmail.con Hi Stan I have told you already all about what I’ve been up to at this Conference on Irregular Numbers,I thought you might like this article on Structuralism I attach to the email along with a photo of Wittgenstein in bed eating a meringue with a cake fork justlike ours Love,Mary [your wife] From stan.tandem@ymail.comb How delightful to know you are thinking of me today and thank you for taking the time to write when you are busy.I am also busy now with the baking but I shall put the doc somewhere safe and take a look later; however,as I have said before,Structuralism is not something that I have found interesting.. it may even be a very bad, destructive development of modern thinking.Since I value your judgement I shall at least read the beginning in case it is presented in a better form than I have seen before…. I care for you,love you.So despite my prejudice I shall not ignore your offering if only to keep you happy Oh,For God’s sake,let’s top this stupid game and be honest It’s just rubbish…and I wonder why you bother with it.Still we can’t all be geniuses so I suppose I ought to be more patient with you as you have such a sweet smile and singularly lovely eyes and will do anything I want, more or less, except sending me photos of yourself in silk lingerie lying on a bed holding a rose between your teeth I am sick of intellectual discussions and wish only to kiss your hands and your lips and then fall gently into a big bed with silk sheets Who did you say you were?Your tone sounds over familiar… don’t say you are my wife!I thought I’d got lucky for once irately yours ,Stan and Emile [he can swim now]
Hannah Arendt, an émigré from Nazi Germany. “The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth,” Arendt wrote in her classic volume The Origins of Totalitarianism, “is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world—and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end—is being destroyed.”
Mary went to the hospital to see the rheumatologist.The entire hospital had been re-built and half the site was full of so called “Executive Homes” Mary and Annie took a cab as it was raining hard.Although Mary was wearing her new green raincoat, she did not like to get it wet. Where did you buy your mac,Annie enquired jauntily? Cotton Traders,Mary admitted nervously.It looked lighter than it is and Stan liked me in green You already have two trenchoats and a nylon mac,Annie told her. And Stan is no longer here What’s it to you?Do you want me to give all my money to the poor? Well, some of it,Annie responded anxiously.You need to pay your utilities. My utilities!That sounds like something sexual that cannot be openly named,Mary cried You are confusing it with urethra, Annie laughed What is my ethra? whispered Mary No, the urethra is a little tube for the bladder to empty itself through Isn’t the human body amazing? Mary acknowledged using a cliche for better effect Definitely, said Annie and I love wearing beautiful clothes like velvet Where do we draw the line though, between looking good and giving money to the poor, tortured or victimised,Mary pondered It is hard now because we can see what the rich have and we want it.Annie shouted calmly Or in your case you can see all those philosophy books on Amazon and buy them with one click she continued. Mary could see in her mind’s eye her living room piled high with books but if she were rich like Michael Frayn she could have a huge house full of shelves and desks. Adam Phillips,’ room looked more full than Mary’s and he must want it like that In the waiting room Mary looked at Wittgenstein’s biography by Ray Monk on her kindle while Annie read The Sun. Soon Mary was called in Hello, said Doctor Morse.How are you? In the pink , she cried shyly.I don’t understand that, he said in his kindly way It’s an old English saying.It means I feel fine, but I don’t really that’s why I am here He looked at her left hand. and said there was no cartilege between the the thumb and wrist. Where has it gone,Mary asked but he remained silent Then he said,I think steroid injections will help.Would you turn your chair round by 180 degrees so you can put your arm on my desk? Mary turned round and felt a bit dizzy It’s hard getting older isn’t it, the doctor said in a tone rather artificially kind like a bad actor on stage and afraid of forgetting his lines or whether he was in King Lear or a Comedy Mary burst out laughing to her surprise. You are a weird person, the told her thoughtfully with his glowing eyes shining like the sun over Lake Windermere in a heatwave Well, we can’t all be exactly the same ,she told him foolishly Then she had to turn her chair round again. despite her poor hands Why don’t you have swivelling chairs ,she asked pointedly They won’t give me enough money, they doctor said even though I a Consultant and I have published lots of papers Can’t you buy a second hand chair? Mary wondered politely No, it has to pass Health and Safety,Dr Morse whispered cautiously yet angrily I see.Well don’t blame it all on the EU. I love the EU, he told her.I hope Brexit fails Me too she croaked sweetly They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes until his next patient arrived I will see you in September, he told her optimistically his smile making her giggle inside so her body shivered with suppressed laughter not fear Miaow, cried Emile from Mary’s designer handbag What in G-d’s name is that, the doctor asked nervously Don’t worry doctor.I forgot to leave Emile in the Waiting Room Emile stuck out his head and smiled at Dr Morse Good morning, he said graciously.Is Dave the paramedic here? No, they are not here they have their own Ambulance Station down the road Emile began to sob as he liked to get his own way by any means possible.Why he was almost human Mary apologised as she shook hands with the doctor. Thank you for helping me, she murmured.I feel better already And so say all of us
“As much as we might admire what is fresh and innovative, we all learn by imitating patterns,” writes Irina Dumitrescu in The Times Literary Supplement. “To be called ‘formulaic’ is no compliment, but whenever people express themselves or take action in the world, they rely on familiar formulas.” It’s true. For her review-essay, Dumitrescu reads 5 books about writing and explores how writing advice is caught in a paradox: to get people to communicate clearly, logically, and find their own voices, instruction must first teach them rules and provide enough room to learn by copying. This is why most of us writers begin by imitating established writers. We find someone whose style or subject reflects our own – someone in whom we hear our ideal selves, someone who sounds like we want to sound one day – and we mimic them. This could start with a parent, move to a cool friend, then end with a famous novelist or memoirst, before we emerge from the pupae of literary infancy. In other words, to facilitate originality, we must teach formula, encourage imitation, and push for eventual independence. She explores the value of craft, structure, exploration, and formula, and the way sticking to rules erodes a writer’s style, their character, even the essence of the art. She contrasts John Warner’s book Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities with the book Writing to Persuade, by The New York Times‘ previous op-ed editor, Trish Hall.
Why do you run from me and hi behind these old walls,?
Yes you are not here but I sense you from the corner of my eye I see you moving away running..
You’re a child again playing with me.
I almost hear you laugh now you are free of all your burdens and the pain.Ii may be happy for you leaving you in the world garden with the old bricks in the wall and the benches by the rosebed.
I see a shimmering light maybe it’s migraine
But I think it might be you teasing me.
Now the world is empty of you yet I’m still here.
You should be there or there or there but you are not.
When he went away He said,”Lehitraot,mama.” Do vstrechi. He died, but I’m still here Yes,in my heart I feel his love. But why did I live, And he did not? Auf wiedersehen Lehitraot. Yes,darling,I’ll see you later ,When the sky turns black and all the stars blaze bright I’ll see you shining in the night. I’ll see you in my dreams alas. Do vstrechi. But why you and not me too? Araka I can’t understand .Lehitraot,beloved. A plus tard Some where in this world,you fell But no-one,not even God, can tell. God was absent then or in some other place He’s gone again .They said He’s died too ,But He didn’t have a mother like you. Do vstrechi. My breasts ache and my heart and soul, My breasts were made to make you whole. To feed, give love and to console. A plus tard And now they ache with grief as my tears fall .A bientot My body trembles in the night As dreams may bring my lost ones to my sight. A plus I’d walk across the roughest bleak terrain If l I could find my loves and hold your hands again. Do vstrechi .The bell rings on the ancient clock As time goes on as normal, never stops. Araka I wish the hands of time could be reversed, And I was not living with this curse. People forget that I once had a son. They think my grieving has been done. Araka.But grief and loss and pain will never end Until the curtain of my death descends Auf wiedersehen. Meantime I look at flowers and birds and trees ,But it’s really you my deepening insight sees. Lehitraot. The inscape of my heart is shown to few. An artist of the lost would know this view. I know I want to see just you. Do vstrechi. But for me there is noAuf wiedersehen Never again will you say What you said that day Lehitraot,Mama.Papa A plus tard Tot ziens. See you later See you ,darling See you soon
How can it be that he is never here? How can it be I do not hear that voice His presence haunts from his old ,battered chair
Though I have money and no need unbare I feel the grief , the affect of his choice. How can it be that he is never here?
What is the world when loss turns to despair. When every sheet by weeping is made moist? His presence haunts from his beloved chair
Now we learn the symbol of the hare Unpeaceful, hunted, jugged or potted roast How can it be that he was ever here?
Into the real we stand and long time stare We’re begging, blaming,badgered and then gassed His presence feints with ours in death’s own lairs
Now the world of man has long surpassed The time we could blame God for what we‘ve missed How can it be that He is never here? His absence haunts , symbolic , suffered, real
Annie the nubile,sexy and colour fancying neighbour has persuaded Mary that as Stan has run away shem should find someone else.Mary is doubtful First of all,Annie cried,you need some new shoes.No man will be charmed by those chunky comfy flatties.Nor do your socks show sophistication She herself wore a pink tweed suit and some high heeled boots in purple patent leather. Well,Mary,answered,I thought I should be myself because a man might be annoyed being tricked like that.I believe in honesty. That’s their problem said Annie rudely. Well.where do I get the sort of socks a man would like,if indeed all men are the same in that way?I’d stick with silky black ones,said Annie kindly.Then some smart black pumps. But if I look at Soul-mates online the men will not know what shoes I have got on. That’s true,said Annie.At least until you meet one. Anyway if it is called Soul-mates,why does my body matte Don’t be so literal,dear.You know it’s just a way of indicating they want a lover. Well.in that case it’s my lingerie that matters. See here,said Annie bossily.With those shoes and socks nobody will want to see your lingerie. Just as well said Mary.I don’t have any. Are you telling me you have no underwear on,Mary whispered Annie cried franticaly I am wearing some woollen vests and underpants I got for Stan,Mary said shyly People might think you are a transvestite,pardon the pun re vesI have heard of transcendence but not transgender,Mary admitted ruefully.I did used to have a purple bra, she continued nervously.Anyway, what about my job? Don’t put anything about maths on the form.They hate clever women. Surely they are not all the same,Mary answered. Mary Archer is very clever.And Jeffrey is very rich. You can’t generalise from one example ,Annie informed her academically
How about my love of Wittgenstein,shall I allude to that? If you wear men’s woollen underwear and love a dead gay philosopher it will cut down the pool of men available,one might guess,Annie shouted.
I don’t think I’ll bother,Mary whispered.I’d rather have a cup of tea.Or maybe I’ll enter a convent and never come out again . So Annie put the kettle on and they did the Times Crossword from November 12 th 1956.Eventually they will crack it.Or die trying.
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
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Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
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But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
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To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
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