Dear Friends of The Blue Purl,
There is a quote by a philosopher of ancient Greece, Heraclitus, that we will explain before we share. Basically, it says that when you wake up each day, and step out of bed, it may feel familiar, same floor, same furniture, same surroundings. But the reality is different, the reality is life keeps moving; there is always change. Sometimes it is imperceptible, sometimes it is obvious, but it always just is.
Here is how Heraclitus puts it: "We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not.’’
Now you see why we explained it first, it’s kind of clever if a bit of a puzzle. The water in the river keeps moving, so when you step in, it is never the same, even if it is the same. Get it?
Change is natural, it is to be embraced, it is good.
Designers are constantly innovating and keeping us on our toes. They invent new cast-on and cast-offs, stitches, lacework, cables. Make 1 right and left didn't popularly appear until about maybe 15 years ago. Backwards cast-on is even more recent.
That is part of the fun and excitement of knitting and crocheting. It is what keeps us interested, challenged, always looking ahead. It is always a metaphor for life in general. These emails are not intended to be meditations, but they are about our craft, which is in so many ways represents the rhythm of our lives, even if we don’t mean it that way.
Think about the popularity of top-down sweaters and the many iterations of short rows. Yes, yes, thank goodness for our Blue Purl experts who can offer advice, classes that can guide you, and in a pinch, YouTube videos.
You are all adapters, we know that, because we, as a community know how to adapt.That is not just useful these days, it is essential.
This pandemic winter – hopefully the last we will have to experience – is a challenge. But we can get through it, together.
We step in the river, and it is the same, but the water keeps moving, so it is different.
We are all crossing this river together and soon will make it to the other side.
connect + create
Patty, Wendy & TBP Team
