May the Circle be Unbroken

In Sedona there is a wonderful knitting shop. It is small and set back from the busy road, with colorful banners and knitted clothing hanging near the doorway, and a wonderful rainbow of color to greet you as you enter. It is called the “Sedona Knit Wits” and is run by a charming German woman named Petra, and her equally pleasant helper whose unusual name, I’m sorry to say, I did not retain. The shop comprises several rooms of what may have been a small house, the initial space being the check-out but also with some specialty jewelery and buttons on display. The next two rooms have cube-shaped shelving along one wall in which all varieties of yarn are arranged by color rather than by brand or weight. It gives a lovely impression and results in a wonderful graduation of color and texture across the wall. These women are not compulsive about what goes where, so if you remove a skein and are not sure where to replace it, they say it doesn’t matter. The result is an array of color, shade and texture that pushes your boundaries and tantalizes your fingertips. There is a central alcove with a lot of sample knitted items so that you can see various completed projects, and there are patterns for many of these available (generally) for the price of asking. Petra wears some of these around the store to demonstrate them and can make the simplest project look smashing. The back room has a large work table around which classes are given, and it also seems to be used to sort and price yarns as they arrive. Best, there is a large bin in this back room of yarns at reduced prices, most of which was variegated sock yarn! Yummy!

 Travis and Bill came to visit us in Sedona, and Travis and I went off to Knit Wits on the following morning. She too was impressed with the look and feel of this darling shop, and after an hour or so of exclaiming over, and feeling, nearly every ball and skein in the shop, we both purchased yarn for projects and came away with knitting instructions. We both bought wool and beads to make a lacey little shoulder shawl, but have both since quailed at the instructions. I think we may need to concoct a knitting retreat in order to figure it out!

It left me realizing once again the interesting and tenacious bond created amongst knitters, and the intense pleasure of seeing, feeling, and imagining the yarns in a variety of possible creations. I feel the same way about beads. The combinations of hue and heft are endless, and sometimes the most unlikely mixes make lovely malleable fabrics. Of course, what I really wish is that I could capture all the wonderful women that I meet in a little treasure box and carry them around with me everywhere I go. Then anytime I wanted I could just open up the lid and out would spill the rich and luxurious mix of talent, chatter, laughter, nurture and creativity. Also yummy! Let’s knit on….