'This is a bit surreal', Jamie laughed, watching the very bizarre 'Severance' on Apple last week, with his wife knitting on one side and her best mate knitting on the other. What had his life become, he wondered, having knitters on either side of him instead of strippers?

It is a little odd. I find myself in a universe where I love knitting. Because I've never really been a crafter, and I didn't think I had the patience to do it, and knitting was for old ladies that had nothing better to do.

The thing is, when you have nothing to do these days, where do you end up? Scrolling through Facebook? Watching Netflix? Seems to me that knitting is a good way to fill those little gaps where I not only have nothing to do, but am too tired or disconnected to do anything else. It's a way of 'doing' but 'not-doing' at the same time.

I've found it's not just about the outcome - the end result, but the process. To knit, one must enjoy the simple act of doing, and forget about how long it might take or that sometimes you go backwards, unknitting or unravelling, because you've fucked up and need to redress the tangle.

As I knit - or 'tink', which is unstitching, and delightfully, 'knit' spelt backwards - I think that it's teaching me a good lesson about life. Sometimes you feel you're going backwards, because you've got sick, or you've got a speeding fine, or that life isn't going in the direction you expect. But you keep breathing, don't you? You're not going backward, but forward - just with a bit of redirection, perhaps, or with a little pause to unwork the tangled mess.

Of course I love the outcome too. I'm excited about the blanket I'm knitting. My Aunty, who knits gorgeous baby blankets, suggest I start there. When I asked why, she couldn't think of a reason.

I wanted to knit a blanket. Well, it's more of a throw - a smaller blanket for the couch - but it sounds better and more grand to say blanket. As it, 'I can't believe I'm knitting a fucking blanket - who even is this person?'.

I got the wool from Bendigo Woolen Mill, which is a yarn supplier in this state, and it's beautiful - the colour is called 'broadleaf' and it's a 12ply. The needles are KnitPro 8mm - and they were a bit of a learning curve as the yarn threatens to slip off. But I've got the hang of it, with a bit of careful attention and persistance. The trick, I've learnt, is to keep the stitches just below the metal tips.

I've learnt through this craft that I'm a lot better learning by doing, rather than reading about it. I used to learn everything by reading, but now I find I'd rather figure it out for myself. It helps new skills stick.

But oh - the wonders of AI to help you out! I've found that I can take a photo of the stitches and ask Chat GPT where I've gone wrong, and they'll not only tell me, but tell me how to fix it. I have also used it to help work out the pattern for me. As always, I try to problem solve myself, but in the absence of a knitting tutor, Chatty is a bloody legend. And for everything else there is Youtube.

A warning, though - sometimes Chatty tries to 'fit' an answer into something that doesn't fit. I was convinced I'd counted right, but was off by one stitch. Chatty just made up a reason why that was, but luckily I used my own brains and counted again, as I wasn't quite convinced. One should always use one's brain as back up.

I find myself knitting to calm down, finding it meditative and therapeutic. Turns out knitters weren't bullshitting when they said it's good for anxiety.

I had to beg Mum to start a blanket with me. She's opted for a beautiful desert red. She did it reluctantly - I wonder where I get my own stubborn reluctance from, the one that kept me from knitting all these yesrs? I wanted her to have a worthwhile project to give a little meaning to her life. These blankets will be heirlooms, I waxed lyrical. And we have a shared project so can motivate each other! Her wry grimace suggested she did not need such a project, but it was her that went and bought the needles for us last week, and she has eight balls of wool in her loungeroom ready to go.

Perhaps she'll get some good side effects from knitting too.

With Love,

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