Knitted Science and Reasons Why

I sit here with a heavy heart thinking of those families in Connecticut.  The courageous principal and school psychologist and 1st grade teacher, the first responders and their absolute despair, the children.... oh my, the children.  It was very difficult to take the MiMBY Girl to school today.  It is only knowing the people there, our community of wonderful staff and parents and kids, that makes it possible to move forward.  I wonder how many parents simply couldn't bear to send their little ones off to school this morning.  I was certainly tempted.

When I am feeling despair, I turn to the things that always give me comfort - Jane Austen novels, knitting, and ice skating.  A disparate group, no doubt, but each offers a chance to settle the mind and keep the brain from straying too hard to fathom thoughts.  Skating gives the most release because it requires absolute concentration to work on footwork sequences and not fall on my bottom hard.  The rink is calling right now.

Knitting gives peace in other ways.  The mind is not always at peace while knitting, but hands engaged in an activity do not wring themselves in despair.  There is a very good story about knitting in prisons that talks about the discipline and patience that knitting teaches, the fact that the men in prison are on a long waiting list to get into the knitting circle, that they knit dolls and toys for first responders to give to children on the scenes of accidents.   Yes, my thoughts went there too.

Knitting also gives people a new way to look at science.  Knitted Science is a photo essay in Discover Magazine.  

The pictures are pretty amazing and thought provoking, and though I am a knitter who prefers to wear what I make, I love that other knitters are inspired to make art for the simple reason that they can.

From a newly discovered blog:  The Knitting Needle and the Damage Done.  She has some interesting things to say about knitting and great reviews of current magazines.