Keep Those Knitting Cards and Letters Coming
March 10, 2010 at 5:07 pm Tina Hay 8 comments
I’ve gotten a number of e-mails about my editor’s column in the March-April issue—a column about knitting.
Although I’m probably the last person in the world you’d think of as the Becky Home Ecky type, I recently took up knitting in the evenings as an attempt to cope with deadlines and other magazine-related stresses. I quickly discovered that, when you’re first trying to learn it, knitting is much more of a stress inducer than a stress reliever—but eventually, once you get the hang of it, it can be very pleasant. Addicting, actually.
I’ve been hearing from readers who also have found enjoyment—as well as mild trauma—in knitting. One person wrote: “I taught myself how to knit in 2005 in order to unwind from my wedding planning. At first, it was very stressful and I threw my needles down several times. Now, I can knit several items and am confident in what I can make.”
Another alumna told me about her niece, a current Penn State student by the name of Sarah O’Donald, who’s involved in a student activist group called Knitivism. And a Penn Stater in York, Pa., told me that he recommends latch-hooking rugs as another way to decompress at the end of a tough day.
The best so far was the greeting card I just got yesterday from my junior-high home ec teacher. I’m sure that when she had me in class, almost 40 years ago, she would never have predicted I’d ever take up knitting. I never knew that she’s a Penn Stater, so hearing from her was fun. That’s the front of her card in the upper right—you can’t tell from the photo, but that is actual yarn on the card, along with some very tiny knitting needles. Click on the image to see it up close.
If you want to read my column on knitting, you can download a PDF of it here. You might also be interested in this story that ran on the AARP Web site yesterday, about a woman named Betsy Lee McCarthy who gave up a high-powered job and six-figure salary because, well, she wanted more time to knit. A woman to admire, wouldn’t you say?
Tina Hay, editor
Entry filed under: The Penn Stater magazine, Undergraduate students. Tags: Betsy Lee McCarthy, Knitivism, knitting, Sarah O'Donald.
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1. liz fox | March 10, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Tina
LOVE the card from your teacher! “Becky Home Ecky” – LOL…that’s me (Not)…!
the column was excellent. so excited to see your next project
liz
2. yogahz | March 11, 2010 at 12:23 pm
so, are you on ravelry.com yet?
3. Tina Hay | March 11, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Liz — Glad you liked it! That card, by the way, comes from Itty Bitty Witty Knitties: http://www.ittybittywittyknitties.com/. Looks like they have some fun stuff.
Yogahz — I did sign up for a Ravelry account but so far haven’t had a chance to figure out how to use it. But I did go there to find some patterns for making hats for newborns; I’d like to make some to donate to a hospital.
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