The Black and White Sweater

Prafulla Giri

 It's not a hidden fact that, I love knitting. Everyone who knows me  knows very well about this special skill and talent of mine. I am good at it and I sure do take pride in a skill that allows me to convert a wool thread into a dress that screams for attention. Eye catching design is what I take real pride about my this skill. What may be hidden is, why I am good at it. One plain truth about me being so good at it is practice, practice and practice and I can say this about knitting I yet have to meet a person who could have made more mistake in trying than I have made during my learning process. I pick patterns fast but I have made more mistake in trying new neckline all the time. Eeven I knew how to knit perfectly, perfect finishing was not that easy. It took me years to make a perfect sweater. Even though, by thirteen I was already wearing the sweater that made people say wow. Once I make a sweater I know I can wear it over the next ten years of time. Therefore, when I make a sweater I always keep in mind that it will last next ten years and if I make mistake it will be seen in this sweater for more than ten years. this makes me do it perfectly and give my level best. This perhaps is the only thing I am good at in true sense. Its really good that thousands  my readers likes my writing to and for me both of it is as good as meditation for me.

I have been knitting since I was very young, I mean ever since I was about five or may be six years old ! I did knit long before I was old enough to work on real needles. As a learners, I started working on broomsticks and wools that was joined probably more than 100 times. To make a small hairband; with which we started learning how to  knit.  Even this small one and half inch width and about fourteen inch long product used to have about 20 plus joined knots and for a muffler the multiple color wool added more ‘design’ than my plain knitting skill. Later on I was self promoted to barb wire and then umbrella wire before I really was able to own my one needle.

On my recent visit to my youngest brother's place his youngest daughter Rachana asked me where did you learned it ? I said, Bal Mandir. And I was younger than you when I started learning how to knit. I knit every year during winter; without fail. I knit even if I really don't need a new sweater. I knit, even if I do not have any new ideas in my head. Sometimes, I just knit for the sake of knitting. now the habit has grown so much that  I knit and then I like giving it as gift or as a charity. Everyone who knows me knows that I love knitting. My knitting do not have anything with my basic need of warm clothes on my body because knitting have become more than basic need. This simple skill, which I have learned when I was so young have turned into a passion over the long period of time. This has been my passion, my talent, my pride, my skill which helps me to remain stress free. just like writing it's like a therapeutic and It's almost like meditation that help me to distress my otherwise cluttered brain with thoughts.

Sukdev Giri

This time, when I am here at my brothers place for dashain break; Prafulla pulled one old picture of his father. Prafulla is the oldest boy amongst the three children of my youngest brother Sukdev. In this picture my brother looks young. It is before he was married and he looks like as if he was about 20 -21 in that picture of black and white era of photography.

What is more special about this picture is, Sukdev is wearing a sweater, which is his favorite one. I have made that one for him long time ago, more than 20 years ago. I must have been in my teen years when I made that sweater for him. Now, all he has about that sweater is, this picture reminding him how much he likes it. Looking at this picture I now know, that I did not even knew how to make a perfect neckline but prafulla wants that very same design sweater made for him; including the imperfect neckline that is seen in the picture. For him, he just wants to relive the life that was lived by his father; long before he was borne. It's like time machine which allows anyone to travel back in life and relive that moment. So, my brother bought some wool for me and then I started making that same designed sweater for his son.

Prafulla turned 21 this week and he has been the most argumentative nephew of mine and he shoots back five questions, if I tell him one thing. I find this habit of him very unnerving because it's not easy to deal with a young college boy who has half knowledge, full open mouth and loud opinion. His reasonings are derailed and I can call it logical errors. But he is dead sure about what he knows about most of the things. May be it's his age or may be it's his nature. Prafulla have one complain with me all the time, you are not like my mom or our aunts. Why he expects me to be the carbon copy of rest of the women he knows. That is unnerving !

When I started making sweater for him, I noticed one thing that Prafulla has turned quiet and now do not argue with me unnecessarily.  This really makes me think that boys/men secretly wishes the women in their life must take care of them and love them and if they don't feel it they get agitated and it shows up in vague way. That lack of argument from his side is his way of expressing. Expression of his expectations and crying for love and care. When I finished the sweater, he really liked it. And suddenly his arguing habit is gone.

Now, he wants me to teach it to Rachana, Rachana is my twelve year old youngest niece.  Will Rachana be as interested as I was to learn it ?  But, she was awestruck when she saw me knitting without looking at the needle and my eyes on the television screen or on computer screen [youtube]. She wanted to know where did I learn it and how old I was when I learned it.

For me knitting is best time pass, stress buster and I can call it my meditation. I love it because I can knit when I am watching TV. With knitting I can try new ideas on my sweaters and I can try new color blending in my sweater and I always loved to try the new thing or design even if very few may want to wear it. It's so refreshing to try new thing with the help of a wool thread. I really like the core concept of making a whole new dress with a thread and then converting that thread into a dress. That really makes me happy and feel proud of the skill I learned long time back.

The best part of knitting is I can watch a movie on TV and I can knit at the same time or I can chat and my hand still works.