am i just a creepo?
February 17, 2011
as a rule,
i don’t really believe in knitting prayer shawls.
i’m not sure why, exactly. perhaps it’s simply my inner cynic.
but, with all the many tragedies occurring in my periphery,
none has ever compelled me to knit a damn thing.
for me, knitting is about happiness,
the joy of beautiful yarn,
the mediation of repetitive motion,
the focus required to execute a high degree of difficulty.
simply put,
knitting is a selfish act.
at least for me.
and while i do give most of what i knit away to other people,
i’m only looking for that smile on their face.
it’s the best drug.
recently, though, i read a blog post that literally brought tears to my eyes. and, for whatever reason, i finally felt that need to comfort through knitting. three days later, a boneyard was born.
i decided to use the handspun tina gave me for my birthday.
she made me promise i wouldn’t treasure it;
i had to knit something with it.
this felt appropriate.
we all know that, with handspun, you have to be extremely careful.
if i ran out, i couldn’t just call tina and be like,
“whip up some more of this yarn please!
i’m making a shawl and need to bind off.”
believe me when i say i cut it close.
i was weighing that ball after repeat.
and following a sewn bind off that took me three hours to finish,
i had this much yarn left:
it’s roughly a yard and a half.
not bad, right?
the shawl went out in today’s mail,
and should arrive by saturday.
but now i’m all worried.
we’re not exactly real friends.
yes we tweet back and forth,
and occasionally comment on each other’s blog.
it’s . . . . a ravelry friendship i guess you’d say.
two people brought together in cyberspace because of our mutual love of all things knitterly.
but there’s a fine line between doing something touching, and plain old-fashioned stalking. and that line is always drawn by the other person.
is it weird to just send a knitter i’ve never met a prayer shawl?
am i just a creepo?
Bitches Get Stitches 
February 17, 2011 at 10:46 pm
I think most knitters are a special breed, especially with the advent of Ravelry, in that we tend to look past the creepy-stalkery aspects of communication and just enjoy each others skill and effort. I’m sure you had a good reason to send the shawl to that person and they’ll appreciate where it’s coming from.
February 18, 2011 at 12:55 am
No, definitely not. I think it’s a kind and lovely gesture. The world would be a better place if there were more random acts of kindness, like this one, out there.
February 18, 2011 at 3:45 am
So NOT creepo…I think anyone would be thrilled to receive such a gorgeous gift.
Absolutely no creepo/stalkerish issues that I can see…. if you want to test the theory knit up something else that is gorgeous and send it to me… just to test the theory of course. 😉
February 18, 2011 at 6:37 am
Oh, it’s lovely! And a knitter would especially appreciate the gesture. Not creepo at all.
Knitting is a very comforting thing, isn’t it.
February 18, 2011 at 6:41 am
Definitely a lovely, caring gesture.
February 18, 2011 at 6:52 am
lol your no creepo xx
February 18, 2011 at 7:06 am
Totally NOT creepo. Very sweet!
February 18, 2011 at 8:27 am
Not weird/creepy at all. I think it’s a kind and wonderful and lovely thing to do. I did something similar about a year and a half ago, and I worried it would seem kind of weird to the recipient, but she was so touched. I hope you get a similar response!
February 18, 2011 at 8:28 am
Nope, not even a hint of creepo. In fact, it further supports what has long been suspected – you’re really a big ol’ lovebug. But no worries, your secret is safe.
February 18, 2011 at 9:05 am
definitely not creepy. you’re a wonderful friend to anyone who’s lucky enough to be one. ❤
February 18, 2011 at 9:45 am
not creepy in the least bit, it’s very sweet of you to do……..I believe that everything we knit and give away carries with it our good thoughts about the knitting and the person we did it for….xoxo the shawl is lovely
February 18, 2011 at 9:48 am
Nope. Not creepy…a sweet caring gesture…
February 18, 2011 at 9:51 am
No, you’re not a creepo. You’re someone who wants to do something to acknowledge someone else’s hard time. That’s not creepy. That’s caring.
February 18, 2011 at 3:03 pm
nope. it’s sweet.
February 18, 2011 at 5:39 pm
A generous, kind act, not creepy at all.
February 18, 2011 at 5:43 pm
the tin man has a heart!
definitely not creepy. not creepy at all.
(although… blogging about it where this person might see it sort of solidifies your anti-creepy status through the positive reinforcement of your commentors. right?)
’cause we’re the creepy ones, really.
*I think*
February 19, 2011 at 9:18 am
no, not a creepo. Just seems maybe a little empathy and compassion crept in when you were not looking…and overcame the inner cynic! I do not call them prayer shawls, per se, but “hugs” for when I cannot be there to deliver the real thing.
February 19, 2011 at 10:02 am
No, you are a kind and lovely person. It is seven kinds of sweet and I feel sure that the recipient will be touched.
February 19, 2011 at 9:44 pm
A friend of mine knit a prayer shawl for my mother and it meant a lot to her even though they don’t know each other.
You give comfort by doing something you are good at.
February 20, 2011 at 12:15 am
Definitely NOT a creepo! Knitting and giving such a beautiful shawl is such a sweet, kind thing to do . . . I can’t imagine another knitter who wouldn’t be thrilled and honored to receive such a lovely gift. What a sweetie you are!
February 20, 2011 at 11:50 am
Not creepy at all – just plain good, human kindness being shown to someone else. I once posted on my blog that one item I wanted to purchase for my kitchen last year was an immersion blender. A few week later one showed up in the mail from someone who found my blog through someone else. She happened to have an extra one that she never used. Blogging has opened up a different way to meet people all over the world – and, it opens up a new level of kindness to one another.
February 20, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Creepo? No Thoughtful? Yes
February 23, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Not creepo at all… I remember you wondering whether one should knit for another one hasn’t met. I can’t believe I am the recipient of this shawl. And this shawl specifically, it’s like Steven/Stephen cubed. Thank you, Steven. More later… I have to run to catch a plane.
March 21, 2011 at 7:35 am
No, you’re a sweetie.
April 26, 2011 at 7:20 am
There is something to be said for sending ‘good energy’ out in to the world. Sending something beautiful that you made (with something beautiful that someone else made) is totally fine.
And definitely NOT stalking–in most states you need a distinct pattern (I’m a criminal defense attorney, I should know). Now if you dropped it off to her yourself and waited on her doorstep until she tried it on we might have a problem. Just remember don’t make any statements to the police. EVER. That’s good advice.