Knitterly

In Knit Knit, Teva Durham says that she looks for knitters who knit in a way she describes as 'knitterly'.

"The primary thing about my approach to knitting is the process, the actual making, the energy of the hands," she explains. "My knits should be knitterly in the way a painting can be painterly.... This is the magic. Tight, mechanical-looking stitches are a no-go with me. Give me expressive texture. I create designs to bring out this expressive quality, but in reproducing them, not every knitter has the touch. There are two levels," she continues, "the design and the implementation or interpretation - like a Chopin nocturne needs a feeling pianist."

In response I hauled out some of my more touchy-feely yarns. I know what she means; sometimes, when I'm trying to crank out enough dolls to fill a market table, it's all about colours and speed, not about texture and that elusive knitterliness that makes the yarn live. I'm slowing down (a bit) and enjoying the feeling of the knitting in my hands.

I'm also going away for the weekend, because I haven't had a holiday yet! There'll be nothing but reading and knitting till I get back on Tuesday, hopefully with a new stash of dolls and a shop update too.