Productiveness
I always dabbled but there've been three intense knitting outbreaks in my life so far – one in childhood - very short and to the point when I was sick, but spectacularly prolific in multicoloured acryllic tea cosies with pompoms; this current middle+ years one - fairly voluminous and still on-going. Another took place back in the ‘eighties....
When I was a student, I'd worked part-time for a charity. And a few years later down the line I heard that one of its main movers was making a total career change and setting up a yarn shop. As she'd been so established where she was, this was a courageous and unexpected step. And so the first time I called in, it was to offer moral support and congratulations, and with no serious intention of knitting. Which is why in the ensuing weeks nobody was more surprised than me when I actually started to knit .. and kept on knitting.... through what seemed like everlasting skeins of butter coloured cotton which started out pristine, but ended up very grubby by the time I was done (winding, knitting; cursing) (ripping; rewinding, re-effing-knitting) x umpteen...
And in spite of all the pain, I finished the sweater and wore it for many years afterwards.
Looking back now, it also seems as if I accelerated from the butter sweater very quickly indeed to a point of being on personal terms with every stitch and strand of most of the knitwear in all the old photo albums from that era in my home - and I remember each one very well - this was a great pattern; this was murder to work with; the one she had on was dreamy, but I was violently allergic to that wool... and so on
On the photographic evidence too, many of us were knitting at the same pace at that time, and due in no small part to the shop owner's enthusiasm for her craft and also her new lifestyle. It was incredibly infectious: the shop became a hub in a way that was ahead of its time, and she was eternally supportive in taking time to unravel and explain our mistakes.
A beginner should aim high, was her theory – absolutely no point in starting on something unchallenging – take on something amazing to motivate you to keep going through the rough patches and to stop you from becoming bored - Great advice on a lot of scores, actually, but which I've always been happy to pass on to anyone who ever asks - in the knitting sphere at least.
So thanks for a lot more than the memories, Barbara!