In the company of Greatness

Dear Cynthia,

A graduate student at the UW has put together an exhibit highlighting Elizabeth Zimmermann, and what she has brought to modern knitting. Yesterday afternoon was a reception for the event, which included a question and answer session by Meg Swansen. The lecture hall was filled to overflowing, and the high turnout surprised one of the professors there, who apologized for not making enough handouts for the exhibit. During the question and answer session, it was revealed that Meg's kids were there, as well as her grandchildren. Also, at one point, Hazel Carter stood up in the audience and started commenting on one of the things Meg said. I wasn't sure I heard correctly, and had to ask the lady beside me if "..that is Hazel Carter?" She is from England originally, which I didn't know. There were several other knitting "knowns" in the audience, not to mention that many of the people there were wearing gorgeous sweaters. And Meg herself is a woman of class, smiling the whole time, gracious, kind, and funny. I left the event a bit choked up, and I'm not even sure why. It might have been because Meg's grandson, Eli, was wearing a sweater which Elizabeth had made for Eli's father when he was a little boy, and what a beautiful legacy that is, and how that sweater is being used. It might have been because Hazel Carter held up an aran sweater which she made more than 45 years ago using a pattern which Elizabeth had published in Vogue Knitting. (I must point out, too, that Hazel Carter mentioned that she, herself, is a "thrower", and doesn't think that it is slower than any other way of knitting.) I just started thinking about knitted garments and the meaning they hold, for the knitter, for the wearer, for the wearer's posterity... Okay, I'll stop blabbing on and on...

Speaking of a knitter making a special garment....the Hardangervidda for my husband's Christmas gift is moving along, with slower progress now that I'm back doing colorwork. Though the pattern here is symmetrical from right to left, the back and front are not the same, and I must refer to the chart for every stitch. The good news is that I achieved my goal to be halfway as of this past Wednesday. Right now, out of 20 skeins that I started with, I'm currently pulling yarn from skein numbers 11 (black) and 12 (heather).

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)