“Nothing can stop the words so well as the mute alphabet of knit and purl. The curl of your cupped hand scoops up long drinks of calm. The rhythm you find is from down inside, rocking cradle, heartbeat, ocean. Waves on a rockless shore.†– Ann Hood, Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting
Knitting is more than yarn. It is a calming joy in the journey of life. Just watching others knits calms me – these are the deft hands of Cookie McGrath at the Fine Needle booth, showing Kollage needles at Stitches East, a knitting extravaganza in Hartford which is no more. However, Stitches United – produced by XRX, Knitting Universe (the same people who did Stitches East and Knitter’s Magazine plus other regional Stitches events in the USA) will unfold in Hartford April 2017 at the Connecticut Convention Center.
As a knitter (knit daily, hat with I-cord tassel, seen above), quilter, embroiderer, writer, author, maker of things in many mediums, love this description from the event site: “Many of us are multi-crafters. We might be experts in quilting or knitting, beginners in crochet or garment sewing, and eager to try embroidery. At STITCHES United you’ll find a market that feeds all our choices, a gathering of kindred hearts and hands with instructors and classes to inspire any level of interest.”