Monday, July 25, 2011

Secondhand Knitting

This is a secondhand story, told to me by someone we'll call Sara (because that's her name). 

Sara commutes to and from work on a ferry.  Every morning the ferry fills up with familiar faces on their way into the city.  Later in the day, the same weary commuters pile back on to migrate home.  True to human nature, folks tend to sit in the same spots, and as a result, Sara has grown to know and love the folks around her.  She says they're like family to her.  They share news from their family, their workday, their personal lives.

Sara is a knitter.  She uses her ferry time to knit socks mostly, while chatting with her ferry family, or not chatting (because comfortable quiet is important too).  Her knitting helps her to unwind from her workday (if you're a knitter you understand).



One day on the trip home, Sara was not knitting for some reason ... I forget the why, paperwork that needed finishing I think.  One of the members of her ferry family had endured an unusually difficult day.  He stirred in his seat.  He was unsettled, searching.  Exhausted from his bad day, he finally queried,  "Why are you not knitting today?  I really need for you to be knitting today".

It seems knitting is soothing to others.  Secondhand Knitting.

5 comments:

kimmiekat on ravelry said...

Sara's story is wonderful...and beautifully told. I could picture it happening in my mind as I read.

Sandra said...

I love that story - and I completely understand it.

magnusmog said...

Lovely story, makes me think of the times I've sat with a drop spindle and realised that the rest of the household had stopped watching tv and started watching me!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for telling my story -- I remember that day and how touching it was to me to have something that I do every day help sooth someone else. Knitting is my therapy for sure! Sara

mary jane said...

i love this story!