Pastor Paul
In 1962, the year I turned 10, my Nanny (Rebecca – my maternal grandmother) who had been working her way through her nine grandchildren offering the chance to learn to knit – offered my cousin Leslie and me the opportunity. Despite my father’s rolling eyes and negative comments and the fact that my two older male cousins had shown zero interest, Leslie and I eagerly accepted. The four cousins who were older had taken to the art easily. Leslie and I thought it would be a cinch for us as well. What Nanny and we hadn’t taken into account was our handedness. Both Leslie and I were the only lefties in the entire family. She had an advantage in that she was actually ambidextrous with left handed leanings. I am a true lefty who according to my mother from the very beginning always reached for things with my left hand.
Leslie was able to adapt enough to learn the basics. But despite Nanny’s best attempts at reversing her handedness to accommodate mine it was a challenge all around. I just couldn’t get my fingers to do what my eyes saw my Nanny attempting to get her fingers to do in the reverse of her normal knitting method! Frustration won the day. My knitting career a blip on the screen.
Fast forward to 2016 when Barbara, a member of the Plantsville Congregational UCC Prayer Shawl Ministry and expert fabric artist, bored by the same prayer shawl knit with the same yarn to the same size and look, challenged the group to try a few new things. She publicized the start of a new group open to all knitters of all ability levels. Barbara – a retired Special Education teacher in Waterbury – was always someone who loved to teach. She got some of the women to join her and started them on some new projects. During a coffee hour one Sunday, three of us guys cornered Barb and started ribbing her: “Hey, what about the guys! “Where’s the equality?” “How come it’s only for women!” We all laughed – we were so proud of ourselves.
Barbara didn’t miss a beat. “You guys can join us – or do you want to have your own group?” We all looked at one another and her (with her cat swallowed the canary look that we would discover was a standard affect). She had called our bluff. We all started joking and then one of the guys said he was a lefty and that his wife won’t even try to show me how. The other man said, “I am left handed too!” “Ditto!” I added. Barb started to nervously laugh, “Well, it’ll be a challenge, but I am willing to give it a try.”
Well, when I retired four months ago, the Men’s Knitters (four of us known as the Knit Pickers) were still gathering for two hours every Monday afternoon. Sadly, our guru, instructor, cheerleader, risk taker, and dear friend Barb died in December of 2021 following heart surgery. She has left a tremendous hole in the fabric of my life. This Saturday will be her memorial service – a gathering of people on the lawn of the Plantsville Church when we will sit under a tent on the occasion of “National Knit in Public Day.” We will knit, talk, laugh, share, and honor Barbara who taught me not only how to knit but also demonstrated the blessing of how to knit people together.
Now, whenever I knit two, purl two I am in communion with Nanny, Barb, the Knit Pickers, and God. They are incorporated into every stitch, part of every project I keep, gift, or donate. They are all manifestations of love and therefore too valuable to hoard. Such love is a blessing that needs to be spread around – gifted to others.
(And by the way all three of the Knit Pickering lefty guys knit right handed much to Barbara’s relief!)
Leslie was able to adapt enough to learn the basics. But despite Nanny’s best attempts at reversing her handedness to accommodate mine it was a challenge all around. I just couldn’t get my fingers to do what my eyes saw my Nanny attempting to get her fingers to do in the reverse of her normal knitting method! Frustration won the day. My knitting career a blip on the screen.
Fast forward to 2016 when Barbara, a member of the Plantsville Congregational UCC Prayer Shawl Ministry and expert fabric artist, bored by the same prayer shawl knit with the same yarn to the same size and look, challenged the group to try a few new things. She publicized the start of a new group open to all knitters of all ability levels. Barbara – a retired Special Education teacher in Waterbury – was always someone who loved to teach. She got some of the women to join her and started them on some new projects. During a coffee hour one Sunday, three of us guys cornered Barb and started ribbing her: “Hey, what about the guys! “Where’s the equality?” “How come it’s only for women!” We all laughed – we were so proud of ourselves.
Barbara didn’t miss a beat. “You guys can join us – or do you want to have your own group?” We all looked at one another and her (with her cat swallowed the canary look that we would discover was a standard affect). She had called our bluff. We all started joking and then one of the guys said he was a lefty and that his wife won’t even try to show me how. The other man said, “I am left handed too!” “Ditto!” I added. Barb started to nervously laugh, “Well, it’ll be a challenge, but I am willing to give it a try.”
Well, when I retired four months ago, the Men’s Knitters (four of us known as the Knit Pickers) were still gathering for two hours every Monday afternoon. Sadly, our guru, instructor, cheerleader, risk taker, and dear friend Barb died in December of 2021 following heart surgery. She has left a tremendous hole in the fabric of my life. This Saturday will be her memorial service – a gathering of people on the lawn of the Plantsville Church when we will sit under a tent on the occasion of “National Knit in Public Day.” We will knit, talk, laugh, share, and honor Barbara who taught me not only how to knit but also demonstrated the blessing of how to knit people together.
Now, whenever I knit two, purl two I am in communion with Nanny, Barb, the Knit Pickers, and God. They are incorporated into every stitch, part of every project I keep, gift, or donate. They are all manifestations of love and therefore too valuable to hoard. Such love is a blessing that needs to be spread around – gifted to others.
(And by the way all three of the Knit Pickering lefty guys knit right handed much to Barbara’s relief!)