Knitting with chopsticks

I had many knitters in my life before I came to Mexico: my mom whose first knitting project from years ago was a washcloth that ended up stuffed in her bathroom closet; my aunt Terri who has nurtured my knitting soul, Elizabeth, who knows how to knit a uterus and Sher who sent me and Liliana and me enough yarn to keep us occupied until the end of my stay here.

And in the last months, many new knitters have been added to my life: Liliana who knits faster than anyone I´ve ever met; Elena, who´s teaching me the embroidery techniques from her community, San Gregorio Huixtán as I teach her to knit; Erendida who just went through her first chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and still brings her knitting with her when she participates in workshops at INESIN; Doña Lucy, who is currently working on a sweater for her new baby grandson while the potatoes boil or the chicken roasts in INESIN´s kitchen. And then there´s Eduardo who doesn´t knit, but watches my progress intently and makes me laugh every time he calls my knitting needles "chopsticks."

I´ve realized recently, that knitting is not just something to keep my hands occupied when watching a movie or chatting. It´s also a powerful way for me to connect. I´ve been introduced to a bakery owner (also an avid knitter) who wants me to give her the pattern for a hat I made. I´ve spent rainy mornings sitting in the kitchen with Doña Lucy, exchanging knitting techniques. A few nights ago I introduced Liliana to the wonders of Ravelry, a social media website for knitters. Last week, Elena and huddled in the office after work to embroider, knit and talk.

Knitting has given me an instant connection with many people here. It has then proceeds to facilitate an even deeper connection, provides the space to discover commonalities and differences in a nonthreatening and organic way.

The women I´ve met here don´t use double-pointed needles and stitch Continental exclusively. I´ve yet to see them use a written pattern, something I fear to stray from. Their lives are quite different than mine in more significant ways, too. After all, I´m the youngest of the knitters I know here and we were raised in different cultures and speaking different languages. I´ve found that to fully appreciate differences, it helps to first find something that unites, because when you can see a piece of yourself in another, suddenly it becomes easier to rejoice in their triumps and refrain from instantly judging their flaws.

So when I experience moments here of feeling different, misunderstood or lonely, I´m going to remember to search for what unites us. And when I´m not, I´ll continue this search and also try to understand our differences and why they matter.

Either way, I´ll keep knitting because I really want to finish this pair of socks before my parents come in two weeks and it´s looking like I made a big mistake when I recently ripped out a big chunk. After all, it´s really hard to pick up the stiches with chopsticks.