After seeing the new Tim Burton version of “Alice in Wonderland” this past weekend, it got me thinking about knitting and the lessons and connections that could be drawn between the film and the craft. Here’s what I came up with:
Be wary of big parties.
Being an introvert, I always enjoy smaller gatherings of close friends or knitterly folk to work on our craft and share tribal knowledge with each other. If you arrive and there’s more than 100 people, many of whom you don’t know, take your craft bag and get the heck out of there!
An unfamiliar space can take you on a great adventure.
Knitting along on a project, discovering a hole in your knitted fabric can bring on the myriad emotions Alice may have felt as she fell through the space in the tree. It is extremely frightening. It is mysterious, as you try to figure out what has happened. It is disturbing, as you begin to realize the only solution is to take your project OFF THE NEEDLES (YIKES!) and frog a few rows. It is confidence building, for when you’ve done what you need to do, you close up the space and carry on with your journey.
Caterpillars and other creatures are bad news.
Just as I wouldn’t begin to trust Absalom, an opium-smoking purple caterpillar, so too should you not trust any creature with wings or legs near your yarn or beautiful items made of yarn. I get ill just reading the section in yarn guides about moths, roaches and other mean creatures who munch on your merino or start a suburb in your silk/wool blend. Should you come across one, especially with an opium-exuding bong, it might be time for a sedative after all.
Follow your instinct.
One of the biggest lessons Alice learns is to trust herself, to believe that she can, in fact, battle the Jabberwocky, and even the demons she faces in “the real world.” The greatest challenge to learning how to knit is going into it with the belief that you can’t do it. Have confidence and believe in yourself and your abilities – millions of people have learned how to knit over the centuries, which should tell you there’s absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t be able to figure it out as well!
With these lessons in mind, I wish you Happy Knitting!
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but will certainly look at it with a different perspective when I do. Enjoyed your creative take on it! Happy Knitting to you, too!
I like your analogy…and I have to admit that since I learned to knit last year, I have been on some amazing adventures I would never have had if it wasn’t for knitting.
Love your post!! Knew there was something to be learned from the movie….
Hear, hear. Lovely blog post. I totally agree with you about the big parties and not giving up when learning to knit!
I loved this post so much, haha.