Thursday, June 15, 2006

A Dream Catcher

I have knit through some happy and joyous times as well as sad and tiring days, in sickness and in health. There has been so much laughter that it has been hard to hold on to the needles but also eyes filled with so many tears that is has been difficult to see the knitting.
When it has been impossible to find the words I have knit. This may sound a bit dramatic, but it is true. (While very mad and frustrated I can't knit, then I clean the house.)

I love knitting books and knitting magazines and wool and yarn. I keep adding these to my stash and want to have and to hold them. Always.

But all this having and holding gets very confusing at times. And I get so lost that I can't sing anymore of having done it my way.

Because I keep seeing all these beautiful patterns in front of my eyes and the yarn stash is like a storming sea, the order of yarn keeps changing and makes me seasick. Just when I'm about to get one particular skein a huge wave comes and takes it furher back. "Knit me! Knit me!" echoes all around and I turn my head to the direction of the sound and soon feel like a spinning wheel.

I push myself into this kind of situation quite frequently.
And have done it lately as well.
I had to have a time out with me and my inner knitter.

"What do you want to knit? What do you need to knit?" had to be discussed in detail.

There was an answer, the need to knit lace.
I did not race to the book shelf to pick out all the lace books I have but I went through my memory. Whether I could remember anything special I had seen as far as I could remember. The Fina Hyrnan from the book "Three cornered and Long Shawls" came to my mind and I went to the book shelf, picked up only that one book, refused to look at the other ones to see whether they would have something more interesting in them and decided to trust my instinct.

The nature, my inspiration, has turned green all around. This parade of different shades of greens, how could I not knit with green. But, not being a green person, I had very limited green stash. So I picked the handspun Merino I spun last spring.

And cast on.
Now I feel calm. This feels so right now.

While I have been knitting this shawl I have asked myself a question: "Why lace?"

Do you know the beautiful story of a dream catcher?

My lace shawl is my dream catcher.
There are times when you need a dream catcher not only for the nights but for the days as well.
When the shawl is done, I'll block it and take it down to the lake and let the sun burn away all the bad dreams from the lace net. According to the story the dreams will be turned into the morning dew to be hidden inside the earth.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous22:34

    Lene,
    You are such a poet!
    If you have time, can you tell us southerners what it' s like at this time of year? What is the light like? Do people get less sleep than usual? And, when does the sun rise and set?

    I'd really love to hear about this, if it's not too much to ask of a busy person.

    Margie (delurking from Maryland, USA)

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  2. What a sweet, thoughtful post. I loved it!

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  3. Here in Wisconsin, home of the Ojibwe, we have known about dream catchers for a long time. Kids make them in school, etc., My daughter's partner is Ojibwe. We have always loved the story of dreamcatchers. I believe they work.

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  4. I love the story and the concept. I need to designate a dream catcher project!

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  5. Anonymous05:25

    I never thought of a shawl being like a dream catcher. That is a lovely idea. I think I'd like to try to making a shawl sometime. I have a stitch dictionary with lots of lace patterns in it. I know your feeling of being pulled this way and that, when choosing a pattern. With me it is colour that calls me.

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  6. Lovely story about the dream catcher lace. We have lots of dream catchers made by the native people here on Vancouver Island. I have the pattern now for the Pacific Northwest Shawl, so perhaps that will be my dream catcher!

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  7. Anonymous08:25

    Beautiful!

    I know so well how you feel about the screaming patterns and yarn, I sometimes get overwhelmed and life just doesn't seem long enough!

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  8. That was so lovely said. I love dreamcatchers, although I haven't put mine in my bedroom. I had dreamcatchers painted on my motorbike tank - on the top and both sides, it is really lovely.

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  9. Anonymous15:13

    This was a deep post! I love it, and the idea of the dream catcher. I have decided long ago to make a lace shawl for a friend when she turns 40. This story and you connection to the lace fits so perfect in with what I had in mind, even if I hadn't thought it in those dream catcher terms.

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  10. What a beautiful post - I totally identify with that restlessness. I love the image of a shawl as a dreamcatcher.

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  11. Anonymous00:07

    Love your post! I am looking forward to seeing your dream catcher finished...

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  12. May your house never be spotless! :-)

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  13. Beautiful knitting--and a beautiful post!

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  14. We have dreamcatcher shawls here in south west Ireland - you spread them over the rocks on a summer evening when the seals are singing, and whe you bring the shawl home, it brings wonderful legends and stories with it.
    Jo
    celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com

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