destiknit™

Recently my husband had the unique opportunity to watch me knit. Unique because rarely does the man have a moment of rest and I do not seem to get more than 30 minutes of knitting in a day.

We were with the kids at the playground, and I remembered my knitting. My husband sat watching me for roughly ten minutes. At first, it was just plain annoying – I am not used to someone hovering and watching and this is for Me. Then, I felt somewhat flattered – he seemed to admire my handi-work. But my ego was squished abruptly. He opened his mouth.

WMH*: “What are you knitting?”

DK**: “Oh, just a hat.”

WMH: “Who’s it for?”

DK: “One of my nieces. Do you like it?”

WMH: “Yeah.”

crickets

WMH: “Are you knitting as fast as you can?”

DK: *quiet*

WMH: “When I was little, I use to watch my grandmother knit. She would sit in her chair and knit, knit, knit. She was a fast knitter. But, you probably don’t have the dexterity she did.”

DK: *quiet* “Well, being a lefty, I think I am quite dexterous since I have had to do most everything as a righty in my life. Besides, I never thought about how fast I can knit. I enjoy knitting – that is why I do it. If I were in a race all of the time, I do not think I would enjoy it as much.”

WMH: “Hm.” walks towards kids

*WMH: Well Meaning Husband

**DK : DestiKnit

Is the ability to knit fast a goal for most knitters? The idea never entered my stream of consciousness before this conversation and it has not left since. I have a flurry of questions now such as, do knitters ‘clock’ themselves? Is there such a term as SPM (stitches per minute)? Is a fast knitter a seasoned knitter? Can a novice do it? Must I knit 35 SPM in order to join the Knitting Olympics?

Silliness aside, I do see the benefits in being able to knit fast – you finish your WIPs faster, you probably do not have any UFOs, you can wait until October to begin knitting gifts for the Holiday Season. In a way, I envy you.

As for me, I think I keep trudging along.