Knitters Unite

I had my birthday this past week (thanks for all the emails and facebook wishes). I thought about blogging about it, but I really don’t like celebrating my own birthday (although Erich and my friends in China did a wonderful job surprising me with a vegetarian potluck party). So that’s all I’ll say about the birthday…because I’m much more excited about talking about my new hobby…knitting! J

Seriously. Itall started when I found some needles and wool in the art room and wished I had use for them. I asked my Canadian friend, Line, if she knew anything about knitting and her eyes lit up! We began making plans to purchase more supplies, and after talking about it to other friends, found that there was a whole group of people who knew how to knit. It was our job to unite the knitters of Beilun! So we met one Sunday after ordering needles galore and wool of many colors and thicknesses. I was surprised at the things my friends had made…gloves, leg warmers, hats, sweaters, socks and of course scarves. They all looked store bought and I was immediately inspired to learn.

We also had another source of inspiration. A friend we had made this year, Lisa Carducci (also an internationally published author who has lived in China for over 20 years), has been collecting winter coats and accessories for children in the minority cultures/provinces of China who need the added warmth but cannot afford it. She also provides funds for education for many of these children…a truly amazing person. Google her and read one of her books. Anyway, in our imaginations, our little knitting circle would knit until our fingers fell off to give these little ones some warm winter clothes. But realistically, Line is working on a pattern for a durable, warm scarf/hat that will last and be simple enough to make a lot of. Next year, we hope to mail a bunch of knitted goods to Lisa and the kids. Line and Kari (fellow knitter and Nursery teacher) are leaps and bounds ahead of me and have been making some beautiful and complicated things. As for me, I have successfully completed 2 scarves and am currently learning socks J Baby steps, but I am getting better with each thing I make.

So every Sunday at 4:00, we meet at Cup O’ Joe in front of the fire place, with mugs of tea or glasses of wine and knit away as we chat, laugh, pull apart mistakes, and teach one another new stitches. It has become something I look forward to all week. I knit at home and it is a relaxing escape from typing on the computer and lesson planning. But there is something about being in the company of good friends with a shared interest…bonding over something so simple and ending the evening with a big hug and smiles all around. In the States, they call it “stitch and bitch”, right? There was a recent resurgence of knitting and crafting when I was leaving that I loved. It’s a very authentic way of creating art that is practical and carrying on a tradition that has been passed down through families and friends over generations. Being able to literally “warm” someone with something you made is pretty cool and I am sometimes amazed at the things I see knitted here. Makes you look at the racks of winter hats and scarves differently when you go shopping now… “oh, I can make that…”

As we sit and knit, we have also struck up all kinds of conversation with other customers at the café as well. First, there are all of the Chinese women who come in and stare to see that the foreigners can knit. So many women here knit…you see them in storefronts or shops knitting away between customers. So when they come across our little group, they often ask to knit a row or two, learn a new stitch, or just want to praise you on your skills (even though most of them were at my level when they were under the age of 10). And then there are all of the European and British men who hang out at the café that reminisce about how their mothers and grandmothers taught them to knit when they were young or how they created some random knitted project in school as a child. I guess it’s like riding a bike, you never really forget. They even use the terminology as they poke fun at our knitting group…knit one, purl one…untangling our wool for us and asking to try on the finished pieces J We even joked (but are somewhat serious) about coming up with a knitting club name and creating little clothing tags to sew onto our knitted work once finished…it’s all definitely “Made in China”. So we’re open to any creative suggestions…