Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Karen720 — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:47:17 GMT

I loved the assay in Virginia Woolf. I love her writing and I was not really aware that she was also a knitter. With the rest of the posts here I can attest to the calming effect knitting has on one. I would like to knit the Pearl Buck Swing sweater!! Where can we get the pattern?

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Zoe — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:00:31 GMT

Hi, Kathleen, you really outdid my admiration for you. I did know that Virginia was a knitter but some comments did make me take another look at her knitting and how she holds her hands. I knit continental and when I count my stitches, I hold my hands identical to hers. Perhaps she was counting her stitches and pondering the "saving" grace of the same! It is much like the Mona Lisa's smile, very engimimic!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Lloydsgirl — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:17:31 GMT

I am an avid reader as well. Recently I was asked to list the two people I would have liked to meet -- Pearl S. Buck and Mark Twain were the first people I listed so I admired the swing jacket pattern as well. Thank you for the inspiration! Carol Kuhlman, Winlock, WA

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

BethC@5 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:43:01 GMT

While I was familiar with the painting of Virginia Woolf and knew she was a knitter, I found myself studying the painting to determine whether she was holding the yarn in her left hand or her right hand. I think I have decided that she was a "thrower" but I'm not 100% certain.

Thank you, Kathleen, for your article today and every day.

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

sharonknits — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:04:33 GMT

I think you should do a KAL for the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket...it has great potential!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

sarahjigiri@gmail.com — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:33:33 GMT

Now we know the real reason she needed a room of her own: to keep her stash in!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

jlschutt — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:26:58 GMT

I was introduced to Virginia Woolf and knitting at the same time summer of 2009. I read To The Lighthouse -- in it the protagonist, Mrs. Ramsay knits socks. The beauty of this writing is how Virginia sets the pace with the lighthouse light and Mrs. Ramsay's knitting. I did not realize it at the time, but the two interplay setting the meter and timbre of the writing which sets the mood and pace for the entire book. Subliminally it whetted my lifelong desire to learn how to knit. After finishing To The Lighthouse, I was left with a gaping hole and learning how to knit filled it. I have since knitted over 15 items and am hooked!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

art4Joan — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:19:56 GMT

Thank you so much for including this brief essay on Virginia Woolf as a knitter. In spite of the simplified formal style, it is an intimate portrait and very touching indeed. Recently we watched the Hours, with Nicole Kidman playing VW. I don't remember if they had her knitting -- she did smoke a lot.

There is research being done in the UK on the psychological effects of knitting and potential therapeutic benefits for mood disorders etc. It is very interesting. This can be followed at stitchlinks.com:

"When the seeds of Stitchlinks were sown the idea was to support those who felt isolated or lonely by circumstance or illness. But it has blossomed from there to include people who believe in preventative healthcare, carers and healthcare workers. The benefits can help everyone to find balance in life, to take control, as well as better manage illness.

The tools we use are knitting, cross stitching and crochet. A large number of people already use them to manage a range of medical conditions."

Recently it was reported a woman in the USA, following a stroke, recovered use of her right hand by knitting.

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Bev@2 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:01:07 GMT

Your topic really touched me. As a knitter and a person with clinical depression, I certainly empathize with the "saving grace' of knitting.

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Lee — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:32:05 GMT

Thank you for a beautiful post. I have never seen this painting of Virginia Woolf and didn't know she was a knitter!

Her quote about knitting as salvation rings true for a lot of us knitters. It's touching to see this sentiment verbalized so long ago, and it's still true for many of us today. It's nice to see how we all share the same pleasure and therapeutic benefits of knitting. It may not be something non-knitters can understand, but we all share a bond through the ages. Thanks for sharing this!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

ChanellG — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:17:05 GMT

I don't think I would ever have pictured Virginia Wolf sitting and knitting. Thanks for sharing this and the info on her sister. The Pearl Buck Swing Jacket is awesome!

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

PeggyCope — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:13:07 GMT

Kathleen, thank you for this nugget of information about Virginia Woolf. I never knew she was a knitter, either, and I find it fascinating. I also agree that it is the "saving of life." I have been housebound and out of work for a year, following an illness involving a disorder of my inner ear, for which I'm about to have surgery. I started the year crocheting a lot, which I have always done, but I began to get frustrated by the limitations that seemed to attend it (the stiff drape, lack of great patterns that you get with knitting but not so much in crochet) ... so I took up knitting a few months ago.

It is indeed saving my life. When things feel stressful beyond bearing, I pick up my latest project. And my husband, seeing my fascination and knowing it made me feel better, started buying me every knitting pattern book he could find that would intrigue me. What a bonanza.

I'm enjoying your thoughts on knitting in its many permutations, but I think this is the best one so far.

Keep up the good work. :)

Peggy Cope

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

JKW24 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:05:27 GMT

I am an historian major (degree) and women's studies minor (degree not offered at the time in 1985) and I never found this information. I am a crochet and knitter. Good grief thank you so much for this information. Blessings, Janet

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

Cheryl@143 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:18:36 GMT

I don't know if I could say knitting was the saving of life, but I sure know that it is a venue for stress relief. In Virgina Woolf's case, it probably was a saving of life.

Many times thru the years, when reality became ugly, knitting helped me remain calm and allowed thoughts to flow and resolutions to be formulated. Many that I have taught to knit will comment how relaxing it is (even when they are struggling to get the basic stitches down).

For me it is the ultimate "chill pill".

re: Did you know Virginia Woolf was a knitter?

tamarque — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:17:36 GMT

I was really touched by your essay on Virginia Woolf. Such information makes the knitting experience so much richer and more global. I loved the way you interpreted the painting colors and techniques as an expression of the caring relationship between Virginia and her sister, Vanessa.

This morning I read about the knitting project Afghans for Afghans. This, on an even larger scale and level, shared how knitting built some strong bridges with the people of Afghanistan through kniiting. A teacher seems to be the impetus behind this project which organized knitting of sweaters, blankets, hats and mittens for children, and shawls for women in that war torn impoverished country. For me, it is a little gesture of payback for the damage we have caused. There were some wonderful photos accompaning the articles.