Knit One, Haiku Too
By Maria Fire
3/5
()
About this ebook
The soft clacking of needles, the repetitive looping of yarn…you’ve fallen under the spell of knitting. For you, and for knitters the world over, this ancient craft is more than just a hobby, it’s a soothing practice with a rhythm and mystery that echoes its sister in poetry, the haiku.
Written for the passionate knitter, Knit One, Haiku Too is a tribute to all there is to love about knitting: the creativity, the meditation, and the contemplation.
Maria Fire
An Adams Media author.
Related to Knit One, Haiku Too
Related ebooks
A Stash of One's Own: Knitters on Loving, Living with, and Letting Go of Yarn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Knitter's Home Companion: A Heartwarming Collection of Stories, Patterns, and Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sharp Notions: Essays from the Stitching Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKnit Green: 20 Projects and Ideas for Sustainability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater: Essays on Crafting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti: Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeometric Knit Blankets: 30 Innovative and Fun-to-Knit Designs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/510 Easy Stitches: Embroider 30+ Unexpected Projects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pin Loom Weaving: 40 Projects for Tiny Hand Looms Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Small Loom Weaving: Easy Projects For Beginners (over 200 photos and diagrams) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Kogin Collection: Projects and Patterns for Counted Sashiko Embroidery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Irish Countrywomen's Association Book of Crafts: 40 projects to make at home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Knit Fingerless Gloves: with OWLS! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEight Slipper Styles to Knit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Needlepoint Book: New, Revised, and Updated Third Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guerrilla Kindness & Other Acts of Creative Resistance: Making A Better World Through Craftivism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/525 Stylish Knitted Slippers: Fun Designs for Clogs, Moccasins, Boots, Animal Slippers, Loafers, & More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Favorite Irish Crochet Designs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beginner's Guide to Canvaswork Embroidery: Over 30 Stitches for Canvaswork Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrocheting Rugs: 40 Traditional, Contemporary, Innovative Designs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Enlightened Cap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProtest Knits: Got needles? Get knitting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Neat Side Edges: Simple Ways to Keep the Edges of Your Knitted Projects Nice and Tidy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSashiko + Color: 23 Bright & Stylish Accessories to Stitch Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Literary Knits: 30 Patterns Inspired by Favorite Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knockout Knit Hats and Hoods: 30 Engaging Designs for Beanies, Tams, Slouches, and More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Crafts & Hobbies For You
Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kawaii Crochet: 40 Super Cute Crochet Patterns for Adorable Amigurumi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crochet Home: 20 Vintage Modern Crochet Projects for the Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rockhounding for Beginners: Your Comprehensive Guide to Finding and Collecting Precious Minerals, Gems, Geodes, & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5DIY Braids: From Crowns to Fishtails, Easy, Step-by-Step Hair-Braiding Instructions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crocheting in Plain English: The Only Book any Crocheter Will Ever Need Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Crochet in a Day: 42 Fast & Fun Projects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/540+ Stash-Busting Projects to Crochet! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Modern Amigurumi for the Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crochet: Fun & Easy Patterns For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Modern Crochet Bible: Over 100 Contemporary Crochet Techniques and Stitches Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bullet Journaling: Get Your Life in Order and Enjoy Completing Your Tasks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Dr. Julie Holland's Moody Bitches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFloret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Make Your Own Body Butter: 32 Easy, Inexpensive, Luxurious Body Butter Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The CIA Lockpicking Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Corner to Corner Crochet: 15 Contemporary C2C Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beginner's Guide to Crochet: 20 Crochet Projects for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn How to Play Piano Keyboard for Absolute Beginners: A Self Tuition Book for Adults and Teenagers! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Knit One, Haiku Too
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A small book of little stories and vignettes about knitting and the part it plays in the writer's life. The stories are nice little reminders to sit still and enjoy knitting (or whatever craft practice you're into). The haiku? ... Like I said, the stories are nice little reminders ... Three lines and a the right syllable count doesn't make something an haiku.(Read July 2008)
Book preview
Knit One, Haiku Too - Maria Fire
KNIT ONE,
HAIKU TOO
Maria Fire
KnitOneHaikuToo_1aAdams Media
Avon, Massachusetts
Copyright©2006 by Maria Fire.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews
Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street
Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-59337-571-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-571-3
Printed in Canada.
J I H G F E D C B A
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fire, Maria.
Knit one, haiku too ⁄ by Maria Fire.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-59337-571-9
1. Knitting. 2. Haiku. 3. Fire, Maria. I. Title.
TT820.F52 2006
746.43'2--dc22
2006014707
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-872-5627.
The Way It is
Copyright ©1998 by the Estate of William Stafford. Reprinted from The Way It is: New & Selected Poems with the permission of Graywolf Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Contents
Of Suffering and Delight
A Yarn
All We See
She Bet Right
Tough Grits
Along Came a Spider
Visiting Sugar
Wool Gathering
The Kindness of Her Hands
Knitting for the Brain
Where Babies Come From
Scout's Honor
Two Mismatched Mittens
Mixed-up Muse
To Every Season
Dumpster Diving
The Friend on a Hanger
Time Will Pass
Leaving Home
Different Strokes
Turn on Point
Island Traditions
The Practice is the Point
Call It Evolution
Wide Open
Count-to-ten Stitches
Matching Insides with Outsides
The Soul's Purpose
Remembering How Good Life Can Be
My Giant Grasshopper
Is It a Boy or a Girl?
Nursing Dad
Heart Strings
Being Loved
Listening for the Beat
Stitches That Danced
Beauty for Beauty's Sake
Living in the Body
A Knitting Century (Almost)
Broken Dreams
Sources of Yarn and Pleasure
More Bad News
Timeless Time
My Mother's Shawl
Losing a Mother
A Talisman in Yarn
A Few Good Men
Macho Knitting
Working at Home
Each in Her Own Way
Knitting in Public
The Sacred and the Profane
Yarn to Ashes
In Sickness and in Health
A Lost Needle
All Shall Be Well
The Angel's Hand
Love from Betsy
Things I Cannot Change
Monkey See…
Winds of the Canyon
Confessions of Fear
Jik Jik Jik
Greater Than
Healthy Selfishness
Nurse Whatley
All Thumbs
Who is My Copilot?
Looking for Men Who Knit
Boys Will Be Boys
Not a Family Legacy
Recycle and Reuse
Always New Territory
Playtime
To Celebrate the Self
The Way It Is
Goodnight Moon
Recommended Reading
Acknowledgments
Of Suffering and Delight
I discovered the broad magic of knitting when I was eight years old. The year I turned fifty, I was still knitting. That was the year my mother died and I learned to write haiku. I found the way of knitting and the way of haiku have much in common. Both teach focus, patience, and presence in a baffling world of suffering and delight. Both revel in the beauty of the turn
— whether it's at the end of a row of knitting or at the end of a line of haiku. Both practices help me loop my life together.
The glide of my hands
In my knitting I am free
It is my ocean
A Yarn
Yarn
can mean a strand of twisted threads used for knitting. It can also mean a long and entertaining narrative filled with adventures and lore. I hoped to write this book as a poetic and philosophical journey through my knitting life. Once I spun my yarn, I discovered I had knit myself into yet another shape. Whether you are a shape-shifting knitter or not, may the words I have poured through my heart and hands bring you pleasure. May they incline your own heart toward tenderness for yourself and the challenging life you face. I believe in the work we each do, that it serves those who came before, those who are with us now, and those who will come after.
With the words and yarn
How will I dance the right step?
Mystery leads me
All We See
As a child I read that Helen Keller knit. I put on a blindfold and felt my way through my house. For Helen, was all color black? Did the tap of her knitting needles pulse like a butterfly wing close at hand? Perhaps she felt the texture of yarn and smelled its odor more acutely than a sighted person. Today I cast my eyes down to look at my own knitting. What grace to see, in whatever way, creation's beauty.
Ineffable force
My unique experience:
Together we knit
She Bet Right
In 1960, the summer after second grade, Mrs. Warwick moved in next door. We lived in