A Shared Passion

This week, at a meeting about websites and branding and so on, there was some talk about a shared passion for knitting (and crochet). It really stayed with me. I wrote last week about the sense of joy at the East Anglia Yarn festival because everybody was there because they love knitting, and all week I’ve had people coming in because they search out yarn shops when they are on holiday and just cannot be without yarn and needles or hooks for even a weekend. Just this morning a customer came in hoping that I would save her Easter by having a 5.5mm crochet hook in stock. Luckily we could help her out.

Passion is a strong word. It’s associated with extreme feelings at both ends of the spectrum – love and hate. My mother used to say that she hated things (such as gravy) with a passion, but she was a person of extremes. According to the online Cambridge Dictionary, it is also has the meaning of an extreme interest in or wish for doing something, (such as knitting). And of course, this weekend is the Passion of Christ – Easter. In this context, passion is associated with suffering – the word comes from the Latin patior to suffer – but the passion leads to exaltation, so I suppose that is why we talk about having a passion for the past-times that we love. There is a little bit of suffering involved in them and that is what makes them special.

It is true that most of the people who come through our doors have a passion for the craft. This can take different forms. Mandy has a passion for the process. I love listening to her think about new patterns with different techniques and she is always doing something amazing. As I write she is wearing a beautiful jumper made up of triangles knitted in scraps of sock yarn (the Signa Sweater by Helen Skov). My passion is for the craft as a whole. I am fascinated by the textiles, the processes of spinning and dyeing, the history, the politics, as well as getting so much joy from creating beautiful garments out of a piece of string using two needles. Some people have a passion for lace knitting or for cable knitting, or for making hats for premature babies. It doesn’t seem to matter, the fact is that we all share it and that is what makes it such a pleasure.

We enjoy giving people the space to share their passion as well, in our regular Social Stitchers sessions, our Summer Retreat and other events. Today is Easter Saturday and in all honesty we expected that the usual session would be quieter than usual, but that is not the case. Also, Mandy and I spend quite a large part of every day talking to people, admiring their beautiful creations, and revelling in the shared love of the craft. I am lucky to have found a business that allows me to indulge in this and to have found so many like minded people.

Happy Easter!