Motivations and motivators
In a previous post, I mentioned my deep respect and admiration for Debbie Stoller, a motivational guru of the yarn universe. Today I’d like to comment on another goddesses of the knitting world; the Yarn Harlot aka Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. You can connect with her energy, good humor, awesome decency and common sense via her blog or one of her books. If your knitting has lost it’s mojo, you’d like a knitterly pep talk, or need knitting insights from around the world, a dose of Harlot is the best prescription.
In addition to being one of knitting’s front-line cheerleaders, a Yarn Harlot forte is helping normal people to decode the knitting world. This was bought home to me one day when I was out with Mr Pascale. Browsing through a bookstore, I picked up the the latest in the Yarn Harlot oeuvre. Flipping through the book, I came across an essay where the Yarn Harlot channels a husband writing to a yarn shop owner. The husband plaintively states his viewpoint of his wife’s yarn addiction situation and his forlorn hope that the yarn shop owner might aid his quest to restore sanity to the household. I read aloud some snippets to my husband. When I behave like this he usually listens and makes some nodding grunts or little asides. This time however, he turned quite pale, rushed over to my side, grabbed the book out of my hand and started reading avidly. His face registered an expression we call “gobsmacked” (technical British term). This writer TOTALLY understood him! She was RIGHT THERE inside his mind, precisely articulating his very thoughts. Amazingly, he then proceeded to purchase every Stephanie Pearl-McPhee book available. With someone this insightful he wanted to know what she might have to say about other pressing issues. What would her position be on global warming and how to convince toddlers to wash their hands after using the toilet? I did not discourage his actions although I had a fair idea of the content of those books, noting drolly to myself his assumption that so many books could not possibly be exclusively devoted to the subject of knitting.
That night, Mr Pascale studied Pearl-McPhee, making the incredulous discovery that although she has written a substantial amount, it really is pretty much devoted to a single subject. If this woman ever turns her attention to decoding triathlons she will be his guru. Although he does know considerably more about knitting than he used to, I think he is still immune to the bug; “I can’t imagine ever wanting to knit, but then again you probably don’t want to do triathlons either”. Very true, and anyway, one yarn habit per household is probably QUITE enough.
If you are the domestic partner of somebody who is fond of yarn, I urge you to rush out and buy a copy for yourself right away. The bon mot in question is on page 72 of “Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off“.
