Thoughts on Inspiration

I think it is pretty clear that I love to knit. grin

Last night I was thinking about some of the things I've gained from the KnitList since I joined it in 95 (sheesh, that was a LONG time ago, it seems!)

When I joined, skp was the the standard left slanting decrease. There was a great deal of discussion and delight when ssk (slip, slip, knit those 2 together) came along. I no longer skp, but automatically SSK.

As I mentioned last night, Joan Hamer's sock pattern swept the list and, the online knitting world, to the point that enough interest was generated to start SockKnitters. Looking at my list, I'm bemused at how many pairs of socks that I've given away. I wonder how many of those socks are still in existence. The thing that really baffles me? From that list I made a LOT more socks for myself than I remembered. So where are they? I only remember a few pairs of socks that wore out, I know that some pairs were "acquired" by others (Hi, Serena!) But what happened to those others!

So many people over the years have donated patterns to the KnitList patterns pages.

Actually, before I joined, I was struggling to knit again after crushing the left wrist. I think I've written here before how Kathy and Katherina taught me(insisted that I learn) to knit Continental, instead of the English method I had learned when I was in Elementary School. That happened just before I did the wrist in. Serena was in college. Once I was out of the cast and struggling to knit again (my occupational therapist even made me a brace to wear while I was knitting, the Velcro straps caught on the yarn, but it helped me do it.) Anyway, Serena joined the List and asked for ideas to help me with tension. And some of the suggestions worked. I still knit at a much looser gauge than I did before, but the stitches are consistent. I just need to make a gauge swatch. No problem.

One year, while at college, Serena had a terrible, awful, no good birthday, with the campus post office closing before she could get her birthday present, she fell on the ice and badly sprained her ankle...you get the idea. I wrote something about it on the list, and she was flooded with supportive e-mails.

I've gotten together will so many nice listers! Made dear friends with several of them. You know, the friend who, when you get together, the conversation and fun picks up as if you have never been apart. The nice thing is that our husbands like each other as well! That is definitely an added bonus.

We've had listers stay at our house. We've stayed at other lister's homes. We've visited other listers. There is a common thread in our lives (pun intended) that knits us together. But deep down, almost all of the knitters I've met are just plain nice people.