A knitted poem project contribution, from London knit shop Prick Your Finger
FROM THE “OH, HOW WE WISH we’d thought of that” files comes this project, both inspired and oddly moving: the knitted poem. Yes, a poem. Rendered letter by fastidious letter in knitted squares.
Hundreds of knitters around the world are taking part, and the whole project is the brainchild of England’s Poetry Society. Director Judith Palmer was quoted in the UK newspaper The Guardian as saying, “A poem is often a small thing that packs a larger punch than its scale suggests–it’s not big and shouty.”
We couldn’t agree more; as you probably know by now, we love poetry precisely for its ability to make enormous connections in a few carefully-chosen words. We also love knitting (though summer is a slow time for me, at least, on the needles), and Margaret, well…Margaret doesn’t knit at all. (But that’s another story.) We think Palmer said it perfectly: “With poetry and with knitting, you work line by line, and if something goes wrong you have to unravel it.”
The poem that will be spelled out from the knitted alphabet is a secret, known only to a select few. If you were going to have a poem, writ large, in the craft of your own hand, what would you choose? Let us know, and don’t forget to check back–as soon as the secret is revealed, we’ll be sure to report it.
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First time here? Here's the idea:
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Um, PS, Paige Smith (PS) Orloff.
We know why you liked this one. :)
Seriously, though, even as a non-knitter this project really moved me. Thanks for it.