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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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KNITTING LESSON
I watched from across the room as the woman sat in a straight chair knitting. Her red hair, pearly-white smile, and twinkling eyes gave her a mischievous yet grandmotherly countenance as she focused on her handwork. What really caught my attention, however, were her knitting needles. She had one long, wooden needle that was wider than my little finger. The other needle was much smaller and connected to a twin by a nylon cord. I tried not to stare, but I was mesmerized by her steady knitting and fascinated by the different sized needles. She would knit one long row with the big needle and then two long rows with the smaller set. From time to time she would change the yarn she used, varying from something frizzy that looked like wildly colored hair to a black fringe with metallic flecks in it. However the pattern remained the same: one row with the big needle, and two rows with the smaller ones. Occasionally she would look up as she pulled more thread from the skein or switched yarns. I would try to avert my eyes so that she wouldn't catch me staring, but I always saw her knowing smile peripherally. Finally, when only the two of us were left in the room, she called me over to see what she was doing. I sat next to her as the woman straightened the stitches hanging from her needle. The two rows of tighter stitches from the smaller needles made a puffy bulge between the loose, flat rows from the bigger needle. That simple difference in the pattern, along with the diversity of colors and textures, created a very intricate looking fabric even though the stitches were all knit the same way. It made me wonder if Martin Luther King, Jr. and other proponents of human rights and acceptance of diversity ever watched someone like my new friend knitting.
© 2005 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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