Knitting
I started righting this on November 29th, but it was kind of late and I was really tired and this one’s pretty long so I’ve been working on it for a few days or so. Enjoy!
Most of you are probably thinking that I’m about to start criticizing your grandmothers and such, but here’s a shocker for ya’ll. I knit. That’s right. Sweet Pea Heretic knits. And so does my bff, The Georgia Knitter. Also known as Margaret. We both live in Cordele, GA. So we get together and knit alot. She and 2 other of my best friends know my true identity. Anyways, Margaret and I were talking and she and I somehow found ourselves on the topic of stereotypical knitting and such. And I got a brainstorm. Why not do an interview of a modern day knitter to stop the perpetuation of the knitting stereotypes? I quickly dropped my knitting (a cute azure hat using Margaret’s Top Secret Hat Pattern), and reached for my notebook to jot down Q & A’s. So, Margaret and I sat in my living room with the radio playing some of our favourite radio station (96.3 WJIZ) and my cats trying to steal our yarn, drinking our hot tea and doing the Q & A. So here it all is “in black and white” so to speak.
Note :: Some of the answers are really long because the answers are really important.

Knitting and its place in present day life
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
So, Margaret, when did you first start knitting?
¤ Margaret ::
I first learned to knit when I was a little girl in preschool. I was about 3 or 4 years old. But I have ADD and ADHD and let’s just say I quickly lost interest in it. I even forgot I had learned how!
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
But obviously you picked it back up, otherwise, we wouldn’t have met or anything, right? So, when did you “relearn” to knit?
¤ Margaret ::
The end of May 2005.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
What made you come back to the knitting fold?
¤ Margaret ::
Well, it all started way back on April 13th, 2005 when my mom put me in the car and we went for a drive up to Walmart, just the two of us. She told me that something bad had happened and she couldn’t think of an easier way to tell. She told me that my brother, Seaman Recruit Quinton LaRue Ridley, had died of a heart attack on April 9th, 2005. He was 19 years old. He wasn’t my real brother, he was a surrogate brother that had just sort of adopted me as his little sister like the rest of the football team. I’m bipolar and I have severe depression. And the news hit me hard. I kind of shut down. I barely spoke. I barely ate. The world just sort of kept bustling about and I just sort of stopped. I remember crying nonstop for about a month and then I just ran out of tears. My psychologist put me on suicide watch. I was rarely left alone for longer than 10 or 15 minutes and I was watched like a hawk. Everyone was sort of walking on eggshells around me. And people kept thinking they were going to read my obituary really soon the way I was acting. At the funeral, everyone was going up and viewing — I can’t even say it now. They were looking into the coffin. Some people were crying and others were comforting the criers. I absolutely refused to go anywhere near the coffin. I sat way in the back of the auditorium where they held the funeral. I couldn’t bear to see him that way. Because then it would mean that he was really gone and that there was no way that it could be a mistake. After the funeral, alot of my surrogate brothers came up to my mom and I asking how I was holding up. All I could do was hold onto them when they hugged me. And now comes the easy part. Towards the end of May, my family and I went to Americus and I was wondering Walmart, bored out of my mind. I somehow ended up in the Crafting Department. And I saw these cool looking sticks and I thought “Wow! Those would make some real lethal drumsticks.” So I grabbed a pair off the wall and I’m holding them, looking at them and this old lady comes up to me and asks me if I knit. I vaguely knew what knitting was, but I guess I looked kind of puzzled so the lady opens up this big bag in her cart and shows me this beautiful baby blanket she was making. I mean it had cables and lace and bobbles, it looked really neat. I asked her what I needed to learn to knit and the lady walked over to the yarn, grabbed a skein of Red Heart Royal Blue, some size 7 straight needles, and a how-to booklet.She handed them to me and I thanked her and went off to find my mom. I went up to my mom and I asked her if I could learn to knit and I think she was so stunned by the enthusiasm I was showing that she told me to wait until we get back to town to get the stuff. That night, we went to the Walmart here in Cordele and got the same stuff. And my mom stayed up all night helping me figure it out. Meanwhile, she’s a righty and I’m a southpaw. So it was fun and it took me about a month to finish that one square of garter stitch. But I mastered it and I started my first real project that I still have today. And that’s about it.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
Wow, Margaret. My readers will have some reading to do with that answer. And my next question is actually a follow up of that answer of yours, girl. What was your first project?
¤ Margaret ::
My Rap Wrapghan, of course. I got a whole bunch of yarn from Ms. Frankie at church along with some crocheted pieces that were pretty long. I picked out the second longest, went and bought some skeins of the 3 colours in it (off white, royal blue, and rose) and without knowing what I was doing, I picked up all the stitches along one side and I started knitting in garter stitch. It was my first real project and it was actually an intermediate beginner endeavour. Knitting with a circular needle, colour change, picking up stitches, and it was huge! I can wrap it around my body beginning at my head and ending at my toes, if it wasn’t horizontal stripes I’d wander around in public wrapped in it on a cold-ish day. (we both laughed here)
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
That’s cool, Margaret. Now this is an important question and answer that will help us stop the perpetuation of the little old lady sitting by the fire in a rocking chair, knitting stereotype. Though I do at times knit sitting in a rocking chair…..Why is it called the Rap Wrapghan?
¤ Margaret ::
Oh! Yeah, I guess I kind of forgot to mention that, huh? Well, it’s actually pretty easy. I only listened to rap while I was knitting it.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
That’s okay. That’s why I love ya, girl. So what’s so special about your first year of knitting?
¤ Margaret ::
That’s easy. I learned how to do so much in that first year. Why, the project right after my Rap Wrapghan was a pair of socks on double pointed needles. And any knitter worth their salt realizes how big of an accomplishment that is right there. The k1 p1 ribbing, the k1 sl1 heel, and oh, the picking up of stitches! But I crashed my way on through it with a few muttered curses or 2.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
Honey, I met you a little before you started that pair of socks. You didn’t mutter any curses. You shouted them from the bloody rooftop with a microphone and a sound system Radio City wishes they had! So, I’m loving the sweater you’re wearing right now. I know all about it, but let’s rub that beauty in the readers faces, shall we. What are you wearing, girl?
¤ Margaret ::
My Ocean Breeze Tunic and a pair of my handmade socks. I knit the tunic after I knit a few dozen pairs of socks that are wandering about.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
That’s cool, Margaret. Now for my favourite question I love to answer on online myspace surveys. How did we first meet?
¤ Margaret ::
At Walmart. We kind of grabbed the same skein of Lion Brand Fun Fur Lava Print. And we kept running into each other like that for about a week or so after the same yarn, we were both apparentally making scarves out of it. We got to talking, found out we were actually alot alike and now, we’re the best of friends. Who knew?
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
Ah, sweet memories. Okay, now for more knitty questions. What’s your favourite yarn that you’ve knit with so far?
¤ Margaret ::
You’re making me decide? What part of yarn whore don’t you get, girl? I love yarn soooooooo much. That’s 8 o’s mind you. I can’t decide.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I should have seen that answer coming. So what’s the knitting stereotype that you hate the most?
¤ Margaret ::
Which one I hate the most? Hmmmm…..Lemme think for a minute. Oh! I know! I hate the one where the girl knits, she has cats, she has no social life, she has no friends, she has nothing but yarn, needles and cats. That’s the one I hate the most. I’m 18 years old, I’m a Sunday School Teacher, I love to swim, I’ve got major chemistry with KC, but I’m not going there, I love reading and I love books, I blog, I sing, I go to football games, I go to basketball games, I collect surrogate brothers and sisters like keychains, and don’t get me started on my anime! There is more to a knitter than knitting. Yes, I have cats, but I had a dog too. And I plan on getting another one soon. Yes, I’m addicted to knitting, but there is more to a knitter than knitting…it may not seem that way at times, but get to know them and they could very well be the love of your life, your new best friend, your current best friend, hell, they could even be you if you tried it out! Stop and think for a minute people, knitting is not —-
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
And this is why people keep you medicated, Margo. Okay, so onward to the next question. I’m going to torture my readers into proclaiming me Empress of the World. (again, the two of us laugh, Margaret’s the rightful heir to the throne of the world. I’m the Royal Toturer when Margaret ascends the throne!) So, what’s your favourite project you like to make?
¤ Margaret ::
That’s a bit of a toughy. I’d have to say my Top Secret Hat. It’s a pattern where I don’t have to look at what I’m doing 90 percent of the time so I can go on my walks at night and not bother looking at what I’m doing. But if you mean my favourite project that I have to pay attention to, well, I like my Blue Snow pattern best.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::

Okay, so you said that you like sports. Does attending sporting events interfere with your knitting at all?
¤ Margaret ::
Nope. Not one bit. In fact, I take my knitting along to my mom’s students’ games. *Go Dodge Co.!* And I knit while I watch the game. I even knit up a few hats for some of the cheerleaders last month. It was cold and the football team was in regional playoffs.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
But didn’t people look at you weird or anything? Or pick on you?
¤ Margaret ::
Yeah, for the first quarter of the first game I went to they looked at me like the aliens had just beamed me into the stands or something. But they got over it and some of them even wanted to learn. And even strangers know not to pick on Margaret when she’s holding long, pointed objects. (We laugh for a few seconds)
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
So, have you taught anyone to knit? Or are you just a knitter?
¤ Margaret ::
Actually, I’ve taught one of my best friends, Lesli, to knit. And I’ve taught one of my Sunday School students, Robbin, aged 6, to knit. And I’ve also taught half the children at my church to knit or crochet. Even the righties.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
That’s awesome, Margaret. I hope they’ll be at the knitting meeting this Saturday. Okay, one last question, Margaret. What do you love most about knitting?
¤ Margaret ::
That’s easy. Back when Quinton died, it was really rough for me for a while. But then I learned to knit. I started knitting in church, while I was shopping, while I was in the car, everywhere. And I started meeting fellow knitters and crocheters in my community that I’ve known for a while but never knew they were knitters or crocheters. I met new people all over that knit. And I made new friendships from out of nowhere. I’ve come out of my shell a little. People may think I’m not shy, but actually, I don’t have that many close friends. But I’m making friends through my knitting. People at my church are finally beginning to understand me. I’m not an antisocial, obnoxious girl. They’ve come to realize that I love being around the kids and the kids love me, that if they start talking to me about knitting, I can really start talking and they can count on me for a lot. They’ve learned that there are reasons why Margaret is the way Margaret is. Knitting has helped me discover that the entire world is not against me. It just seems that way. Now that I’m a knitter. I’m a part of a sort of “secret” society where every member of the society contributes something important to the society and that when one member of the society is in the hospital, sick, upset, or whatever, everyone else cares. That’s the thing I love the most about knitting. A sense of belonging and understanding.
♥ Sweet Pea Heretic ::
Thank you, Margaret.

And that is why I asked Margaret to let me interview her. See, people, knitting isn’t just someone knitting. It’s a community that cares about one another. It’s a way of conveying who you are. It’s a sense of belonging and a sense that you’re understood. A sense that you’re accepted for you. And I couldn’t have conveyed that to you all if not for the help of Margaret, because, she’s better at explaining something like that than I ever could. I’m more of a facts, figures and logic kind of girl and Margaret’s a facts, logic, and quirky ways kind of girl. She knows how to get people to listen to her and understand what she means. Knitting brought Margaret out of that dark place she went to after her brother died, it kept her going even though all she wanted to do was give up, and it helped her to come out of her shell. Knitting isn’t just something old ladies do to pass the time. It’s something everyone of all ages does. And that’s just one example of the innumerable types of knitters out there in the world.
So why not just pick up some needles (US 7 or 8 to begin with), some Red Heart regular yarn, and a how-to book at Walmart sometime and try it out. You may just become a knitter yourself.
And as always…..
Stand up!
Stand out!
Be you!