Embracing Needles

7/20/09

No, I’m not talking about the large, sharp kind they use for the amnio test (speaking of which, I got the all-is-well results on Friday. Yeah!). No, I’m referring to knitting needles. You know, that enduring motherly tradition that has produced many a lovely and less-than-lovely sweater, hat, and blanket. I decided I should try to keep the practice alive, rather than relying on “grandma” and knitting friends to do it for me. 

Luckily, I had some help from my mom to get me started. She already had a pattern for what I was looking for (an earflap hat) in Erika Knight’sKnitting for Two, so all I needed was the right yarn for my peanut’s little head. As it turns out, Patons yarns has a wonderful new product called Bamboo Baby that is super soft and eco-friendly because of the pesticide-free bamboo, which fits my needs perfectly. 

Set with all the ingredients I needed: pattern, yarn, and needles, I faced the actual task of doing it. I cheated a little, with my mom starting me out on the earflaps, but from there it was all me—flaws and all. At times knitting felt a bit tedious with the small repetitive movements, but I also found that eventually I would get into a groove and do it without much thought (although, sometimes chanting knit or pearl so I wouldn’t forget which one I was doing). 

Knitting turned out to be a perfect activity to pass the time when I was taking it easy after the amnio. And oddly, it seemed to bring out a motherliness in me that felt a lot like natural instinct.