Scraps of Hedonism

A long time ago, I bought a small stash of yarn. Not high-end yarn, but not run-of-the mill yarn, either. (Wool, soy, cashmere, and a bamboo blend.)

Hint: If you use a 50 % off coupon you can get a beautiful ball of yarn from Michael’s for around $2.50.

Over the winter months I have learned to knit and have delved into this stash. One of my first projects was a sweater for Mariam. It was a smashing success, to the point that it is almost embarrassing when I take her to the store while she is wearing it. We walk a few feet, and women freak out over the sweater. We walk a few more paces, more freaking out…. It’s gratifying, of course, but makes for slow shopping. Jeff pretty much refuses to shop with me if she is wearing that particular sweater.

The next time I dipped into the stash my hand came forth with a bamboo yarn. Yes, you read that right. Bamboo! This particular yarn is by Bernat, and is 89 percent bamboo/11 percent acrylic. And look…it promptly jumped on the needles and knit itself into this little 12 month size pullover sweater. Hmmm……

It is the most unimaginably soft yarn I have ever touched. My father (age 83) and an uncle and aunt were at my house this week, and I showed them the sweater. Such fun to see two older men (wearing flannels and blue jeans) rubbing their hands over a baby sweater, exclaiming all the while at the softness!

It feels like a warm silk. The glory of this yarn is not in its finesse, for it fluctuates between thick and thin. Instead, its beauty is in its fluidity and softness. It is almost liquid.

My knitting certainly leaves much to be desired, but I have been amazed at the pleasure that can come from a few scraps of yarn. To create something usable and beautiful for a few dollars, simply by using two needles…that is quite pleasurable indeed!