Knitting a Family Together

Janet Swenson

I’m not sure when I began to knit (I think my older sister taught me), but I still remember those funny early pieces—scarves that had more bends than the Mississippi River and potholders that created new geometric figures. Over time, I learned to recognize when I had dropped or added extra stitches, how to rip out existing stitches and build new ones in their places, how to create fancy patterns that brought several different strands together in unusual configurations, and still, just as importantly how to love my imperfections as a sign of my humanity.

Knitting has provided me with occasion for contemplation and action. I tend to think about those who matter most to me when I knit since they are most often the recipients of the pieces I’m developing. I also think about the knitting as a physical manifestation of the love I have for them.

I’ve thought about knitting, also, as a metaphor for life. The skein of yarn as our length of days, and the needles as the work that we do with those days. It is possible to create something by simply knitting every row, but the most beautiful patterns are created when we introduce the work of other needles into ours, when we introduce the yarn of other lives, when we take risks and try out new ways of working the yarn.

When Megan and her husband, Jason, told us that she was pregnant, I headed to the yarn store. I began a baby afghan in green and white—Megan met Jason at Michigan State University , she was the fourth generation from our family to attend that school. As I knit, I find myself lost in thought for hours as I replay important moments in my life as a child and parent, and as I think about the various shapes effective mothering and grandmothering take.

Last weekend, when Meg and Jay were at our cottage, she asked if I would teach her to knit. She wants to make something to give the baby. Something that will be a physical manifestation of the love she feels for this baby even before it is born. What a joy it is to share her anticipation, and now to turn all four of our hands to one task—creating a loving environment for this already loved baby.

This is one of my favorite knitting sites

Grandma Jan