Thursday, October 16, 2014

Beautiful plumage: wearing handknits

It's fall, so people are wearing lots of black again.  On the subway recently I spotted a woman impeccably attired in black everything, including a rather dashing brimmed hat, and as I knit away at my sock I felt just a little envious because I never feel quite comfortable in that much black, even though I often find myself in it.  Because black is such a safe colour.  It doesn't go out of style and it helps you look coordinated and polished.  You don't call attention to yourself from a distance when you're wearing black.

Thinking that, it struck me suddenly: in a sea of ever-popular black outfits, it takes a lot of courage to wear colour.  Immediately afterward, it occurred to me that it also takes a lot of courage to wear handknits.

Not a new knit, but my brightest

I mean - you can tell, as a knitter, when somebody is wearing a storebought knit scarf or a handmade one. If you're like me, it's often because you recognize the yarn!  But non-knitters can often tell, too.  That's because handknits attract attention, and not in an Oh Dear, Poor You sort of way.

They look better than what you can buy machine made, for a start.

They are often not black - because few of us have the stamina and/or sharp eyes to knit a big or interesting project in black.

They must often be worn in a way that puts them on display - hats, mittens, and scarves all show around a coat, of course, but nobody is going to knit a complicated lace shawl and stow it out of sight under a jacket.

Of course, some people don't mind being noticed, but lots of others do - and yet we wear our knits as proudly as anybody else.  Isn't it great, how knitting can give even the shyest souls the courage to stand out in a crowd?


Knitting: is there anything it can't do.  I mean, other than make me a really delicious tuna sandwich, of course.

Just kidding (though I would totally train my needles to open a can of tuna if that were possible.)  Hope you've got a really delicious eye-catching knit ready to wear when the temperature gets a bit cooler, and I'll see you tomorrow.


ps if you're wondering what on earth this gorgeous shawl is, it's the Roxanne Mystery Shawl by Liz Abinante - I made it a little over three years ago and gave it to a friend who is super confident, travels a lot, and could use a pretty shawl for keeping warm midflight.  I wonder whether she wears it?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's the best looking object that you have shown you knit.

Mary Keenan said...

Yeah, I usually lean more toward the everyday than the fancy :^)