House of Manatee Project

 

 

For more information on Knitting and Crochet Blog Week IV, visit Eskimimi's blog here.

I've decided the House of Manatee best describes my knitting, and hopefully this post will allow me to show some examples of why I decided to choose this house even though it sounds most like the stereotypical Granny Knitter.

The description for the House of Manatee is, "Manatees are gentle, calm and cuddly. Relaxed and unflashy, they represent the comfort and soft side of knitting and crochet."

For the second post of the week, I'm supposed to think about what sorts of projects fit my idea of this house.*

I as manatee showered my dear friend Holly with handmade things when she was having her first baby (and I plan on showering every other child she has as well. None of that firstborn-gets-all-the-awesomeness stuff around here. Yes, I am the youngest child. Why do you ask?) I made her a beautiful blanket, a Scottie Dog sweater and hat, a quilt, and a hat with bunny ears. For me, being a manatee means that I spend time making things that other people are going to find useful.

I as manatee knit Andrew socks that are boring and ribbed, because that's the way he likes them.

 

I as manatee make ornaments because I want one on my Christmas tree, and I make seven more because I know other people will, too.



If I had to choose, I would call myself a product knitter. I want to make things that I believe someone will love. That someone is often me, but lots of times it's not.

I believe that when I knit, I am declaring that this is a valuable way to spend my time. If I'm knitting for myself, that means that I am saying that I am worth all the effort and cursing and frustration and time spent making something lovely. If I'm knitting for someone else, that means that person is worth all those things.

For me, knitting is about showing other people (and myself) that I love them, that they're special, that they're worth so much that I am willing to spend hours and hours interlocking loops of yarn to create something uniquely beautiful just for them.

Maybe I have more in common with Granny Knitter than I thought. Go dig out that hideous sweater she made you and wear it with pride. It means she loves you.

*Other people may read what we're supposed to be doing very differently than that. That's a-okay.