The biological definition of ecology is "the relationships and interactions of living organisms with each other and their environment". Ecology is my field of study but I have discovered it is also my philosophy. There are many types of ecology; biological: population, community, landscape, field, behavioural, animal, plant, soil etc. and also anthropological: human ecology and cultural ecology.
I propose a new category: Knitting Ecology.
You see, knitters are connected through time and space, with other knitters, with the animals and plants from which fibres are collected, with people who craft the tools we use to knit and spin. Even the fabric itself is made of interconnected loops of yarn. Knitting, to me, is all about relationships and interconnections.
Knitting brings people together across time because it is such an ancient art form with a long and varied history. It also connects generations: my grandmother, my mother and me, and also to my niece (since I have no children yet). The connections are in the teaching and in the heirlooms and patterns passed down. My grandmother taught me to knit in 2005. My mother, before she passed away, crocheted me afghan. I will knit things for my children, and my nieces and nephews, and teach them to knit.
Knitting also provides a way to connect spiritually. One can take on knitting as a
mindful meditative activity, or one can use knitting to comfort and pray for others, like in the knitting of
Prayer Shawls. I'm part of a prayer shawl knitting group at my church and I know that the shawls bring great comfort to those who receive them.
Knitting can also cross cultures. A Korean woman from my knitting group was having trouble reading an english lace pattern, so I helped her understand the pattern visually, with no need for language.
Knitting can connect you to the resources you use. I used yarn from handspun yarn from Sheeples for my
sweater. I visited alpaca farms and made new friends there. (I've talked a lot about the things I'm knitting for WillowWind.) Through that knitting I feel connected to the natural world and the fibre I'm using because I've met the animals who produce it as well as the people who tend them. I also ordered a spindle from
Jenkins Turkish Spindles, which is made from a so-called "weed tree" in their part of the world, the big leaf maple. I felt good about my decision to stay away from the rare exotic woods and use a sustainably harvested wood source instead.
Finally knitting bridges space, both geographical and emotional. I have a friend who lives far away and I wasn't able to visit her when she had her daughter, so I knit her something to stay connected. Recently I found out that my mother-in-law, whom I've never met or spoken to, has been knitting all her life. Knitting provided a way for us to connect.
Knitting can mean so many things to so many people but to me, the connections are what makes the craft truly meaningful.
Happy knitting :)
