This issue marks six years of writing for Neapolitan Family, and September’s arts issue is always my favorite. As a type-A, task-oriented first born, I never considered myself an artist. However, I do consider myself a lover of beauty. I love art for its own sake, and I love supporting artists; for me, art is the creation of something we collectively lacked – something beautiful that didn’t already exist, and the perfect expression of the reality that we – as human beings – were created to create.
My paternal grandmother (affectionately named Yoyo) lived in a perpetual cycle of creativity. A maker at heart, she kept several projects going at once: quilting, knitting, crocheting, baking, cooking, painting, gardening, the list goes on. Yoyo lived to make the world a more beautiful – and delicious – place. She was constantly learning and making; there was nothing she couldn’t do. And though she and my grandpa never had extra money, they lived like the richest of kings – celebrating at every turn, embracing visitors at any hour, and walking through life with open hands. As a child, I sought to emulate Yoyo, and when the time was right, she taught me to crochet and knit. Sitting on a faded floral sofa from the 1970s, she waited patiently through my eagerness, frustration, and eventual lightbulb moments when everything came together. There, in the freezing cold lean-to room my grandfather had built, learning from her and creating together, my confusing, adolescent world somehow made sense.
Knitting in Florida
I neglected knitting and crocheting for some 20 years, except for the occasional free crochet pattern. In January 2020, though, I got a call from my mother: My dad, the half marathon-running, healthy-eating, hard-working, invincible patriarch, was scheduled for a quadruple bypass in three days’ time. The news shocked me, and if it could happen to both my grandparents and my father, it could happen to me. I began eating mostly plant-based food, and I re-ignited my love of knitting – a calming, meditative, daily practice that brings me so much joy. As it turns out, my knitting renewal happened in the nick of time – knitting (and running) contributed to my well-being during pervasive shutdowns in 2020. As many knitters say: “10 rows a day keeps the crazy away.”
And yet, knitting may seem like a bit of a head scratcher in light of the subtropical climate in Southwest Florida. Though we still gravitate toward wool sweaters at various points in the year, usage of these items remains thin. The answer for many knitters lies in fiber and project selection. I visited Hooked on Ewe Yarn Shop in Fort Myers. Susan O’Reilly, a shop associate, shared various fiber suggestions for our sweat-inducing weather: silk, cotton, linen, and various blends all provide garment properties appropriate for Southwest Florida. “Ravelry (an online social network of fiber artists and designers) provides a wonderful community of designers and fiber artists with hundreds of thousands of projects – including garments we can wear year-round in Florida,” O’Reilly says.
Hooked on Ewe provides in-person instruction, along with weekly knitting circles. “We have many seasonal knitters, as well as knitting tourists,” she notes. As such, the shop offers fibers, colors, and patterns that work well in our climate.
Through a program at my church, I connected with Mariette Hayden, an experienced knitter. She taught me that we knit projects one stitch at a time. She places Post-it notes around the section or line she is working on and doesn’t let her eyes read what is coming next. “That way, I don’t get overwhelmed trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do next or trying to discern something new that I don’t know how to do. I knit one row at a time.”
Hayden encourages beginning knitters to buy quality yarn. “I enjoyed my finished projects so much more when I invested in high quality yarn. It’s easier and more comfortable to knit.” She also advises new knitters to start with the basics. “Even though it’s more exciting to start on a pattern, it is best to knit a large square, purl a large square, and finally, practice the stockinette stitch (knit a row, purl a row). Creating three large squares will encourage muscle memory and provide a frame of reference.”
Knitting designs
When I began to knit regularly again in early 2020, I still didn’t understand the importance of project selection and purchasing yarn. Yarn weight, yardage, and fiber make all the difference to the finished project. In the past, I would choose yarn I liked and hope I found a project to match it. This misguided process caused frustration and a level of dissatisfaction with the end product. Now, pattern selection drives yarn purchases. I choose patterns with many sizes from accessible designers willing to help when I have a question – patterns I will love creating and using.
One such designer is Jennifer Parroccini in Portland, Oregon. “I started knitting seriously about 15 years ago, and since then, there have been huge changes in the craft. There’s been a trend toward giving knitters more information about the finished garment, including information about the yarn and its structure, size and fit, and techniques. I think designers are responding to this by providing more access because knitters expect it, but also because we want to welcome new people into the craft and see them be successful with our designs. I love teaching and coaching, and so providing lots of support to knitters is nourishing for me. Seeing a knitter grinning ear-to-ear in their finished sweater is what keeps me going.”
Parroccini advises beginners to knit for the sake of knitting. “We’re so encouraged in our society to do what we’re already good at, and it can be tough to learn something new,” she says. “We’re also taught that craft is only worth doing if we can leverage it for an income or for social media. There’s something beautiful about learning a new hobby and recognizing that it’s a journey.”
Visiting Maine as a knitter
Knitting informs my travels. I visited my parents in Maine this past summer, and my passion for knitting spurred me on to venture out beyond my typical comfort zone. I discovered the Maine Yarn Cruise, an annual yarn shop crawl where fiber artists can get stamps in their passports at local shops around the state in hopes of winning prizes. Through this, I met with Corry Pratt, the owner of the Maine Alpaca Experience farm in Unity, Maine, and her more than 40 alpacas. Their thin, hollow hair fibers keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter, making it an ideal fiber with which to knit – and alpacas boast 22 distinctive wool colors across an array of neutrals. Pratt echoed so many others in her love of knitting: “It’s meditative. I love creating. I often bring a chair and my knitting to the middle of the alpaca pasture. There’s nothing I love more.”
I also visited Shirley’s Yarns & Crafts store in Hancock, Maine – a shop with a rich history of providing yarn and craft supplies to local families. Alicia Thomas, one of Shirley’s relatives and a store associate, encourages beginning knitters to pick a small project they’re excited about. “We want knitters to experience success. We suggest smaller projects for beginners so that they can quickly see projects come together.”
Resources for the beginning knitter
Unlike many other pursuits, knitting is not restrictive. You can bring your project bag wherever you go. (Hello, Tom Daley knitting at the Olympics!) The sun doesn’t have to be shining, and you don’t have to sit in a certain place or use expensive tools. Additionally, YouTube has made skills available to the masses. Knitting is accessible – starting out doesn’t involve a giant investment of money, time or space.
These days, the national craft stores have moved instruction almost exclusively online. And though there are plenty of YouTube tutorials, it is best to seek personalized instruction, particularly when just starting to knit (or crochet).
• Hooked on Ewe Yarn Shop, www.hookedoneweyarn.com. This local yarn shop offers a reasonable hourly rate on individual classes for knitters of all levels. Beginning knitters can purchase 3 1-hour sessions for $60, which is a reasonable amount of time to learn the basic skills and get started.
• Alliance for the Arts, www.artinlee.org. On Sept. 18 the Alliance for the Arts in Lee County is hosting a beginning knitting workshop for ages 12 and older.
• TakeLessons, https://TakeLessons.com. This website connects individual teachers with prospective students. Various knitting teachers offer individualized, in-person knitting instruction in Naples.
• Knit Picks, www.knitpicks.com. A great middle-of-the-road site offering quality yarn at reasonable prices.
• Ravelry, www.ravelry.com. This site connects designers with fiber artists, and fiber artists with each other. Knitters can rate patterns for clarity and difficulty, making selection a breeze.
To my fellow knitters, let’s make the world a more colorful, artistic, beautiful place together.