Miracles still happen. I've been inspired to knit. Well, at least to make an effort to find the local Stitch 'n' Bitch. And even if I can't find a Knit & Knatter kaffeeklatsch, I will feel I've begun the journey.
Loani Prior's zany and heart-warming book was at the front of the bookshop, and the drunken tea cosy on the cover sang to me. I bought the book, ostensibly for my sister's birthday, but accidentally spied Pauline's transformative story of Prison&Purl.
Somehow, I found myself reading a knitting book. Which is odd. I don't like knitting. All those recipes with indecipherable instructions. Like recipe books. And cooking. Which I also don't do. But there I was. Reading about the Spotted Gourd with Felt Balls. And wanting to cook her. Sorry, knit her.
Materials
3 x 50 g (1¾ oz) balls Nundle Collection 8-ply wool
2mm-diameter (1/8 in) bonsai wire
Equipment
two sets 5 mm (UK 6, USA 8) circular needles, 60cm (24 in) long from needle tip to needle tip
I can do this, I thought. Just pop into Lincraft or Spotlight. And so I did. Then, feverishly replaying a YouTube guide to basic knitting, I began.
Method
Knitted in the round, using two sets of circular needles
Gourd (make 2)
Work increasing round, as follows:
Round 1 (and each alternate round): Knit
Round 2: Increase by knitting into the front and back of every stich.
Hmm. I said, I began. That's stretching it, a bit. Actually, a huge exaggeration. In fact, I gave up.
I admitted I needed some help. A great deal of help. Something like a personal trainer. A personal knitter, who'd knit one and purl one and make soothing, clucking noises.
A friend had recommended a knitting wiz who lived just two streets away and who, yes, could come over for a home visit. She asked me what I knew. (That was easy. Nothing.) What did I want to achieve? (Knitting magnificence and independence.) What had I bought so far? (A great deal of very expensive wool and needles.)
This knitting trainer saved my life. She clicked and purred, clucked and purled. She did not patronise me. She did not try to sell me any more help than I wanted, or was appropriate.
It was during one late-night session that I had my epiphany. That this is what a good financial adviser is like. A person who sits beside the student, guiding, inspiring, purling, decreasing, increasing, casting on, casting off . adjusting, trimming, shaping to the vision and the circumstances as they change or as stitches are dropped or mistakes are made.
Prior's book inspired me. And my knitting adviser is giving shape to that vision. So much so that I now plan to sell my creations to fund my ever-increasing longevity. «
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Clarification
In What's What (issue 599), the third story should have read: The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and CPA Australia have endorsed evoTV's series, No More Practice. The series is produced and distributed by evolution media group
