Mixing Catalysts
Darth Knitious was a hooker.
It was 2004 that I learned how to crochet. I was working at the time in a nursing home and we had a very special resident – Miss Buella Belle – who had a lot of trouble sleeping at night. I have always had a great respect for my elders and loved spending time and talking with our residents. Working the 11pm to 7am shift, however, made that a rare occurance. So, when Buella couldn’t sleep, she’d come up to the front and chatter with us and crochet. I always admired her work, and watched in amazement as blankets, scarves and hats would work up so quickly and perfectly in her fingers. One night, she came down the hall with a small bag of her crochet needles and extra yarn and told me that she was going to teach me how to hook up a scarf. I did, and then I decided I wanted to make myself an afghan. The beautiful blanket I envisioned ended up being an hourglass shaped monstrosity of wool and chenille and my crochet hook and I went our separate ways, never to speak of that mess again.
Let’s shift just one year later. I very sadly said goodbye to the nursing home and began a career as a truck driver, driving across the country in an 18 wheeler. While trucking was my dream, it also has it’s downfalls. For one, you’re only allowed to drive a certain amount of hours in a day, and there are sometimes ridiculously long waits while the truck is being loaded or unloaded, or even to get into a dock. I sat in the parking lot of a meat packing plant for eight hours once, waiting to be given a dock. I ended up turning to crochet again to pass the time, and my old flame and I fell once more in love. This time, we were more practical, and have been together ever since.
I can’t remember just how long ago it was that I found knit graffiti, but it’s something I’ve been enamored with for a long while. I had ideas of leaving my mark everywhere I drove as a trucker, but never acted on the impulses. Now that I’m in Richmond, and not traveling the country, and have better access to more than just a truck stop or a shipping dock, I felt that it was here that I should dip my hand into a new well of fun and adventure.
It was when I started thinking of logistics of the pieces, and getting measurements, I realized something. MOST of the yarn bombing I’d seen was knit, and it made sense. I never hated knitting, but I did realize that both knitting and crochet had their places in a project. I had always been told that if you want to do some lacy detail work or sturdy amigurumi, use crochet. If you want something stretchy or clothing that could cling and accentuate curves, use knit. Here, wrapping things whose measurements may or may not be precisely what I’ve knitted, it would likely help to have more of a stretch.
So a few days ago I went and picked out a pair of aluminum knitting needles. I chose them the same way I chose my first crochet hook – based on what color I liked best. 
Yesterday I knitted up my first tag. I can’t wait to wrap it around something, and as I stitched a tiny Vader onto the attatched felt signature, I realized that though my crafty ventures started with a hook, I’m not really a hooker anymore.
Darth Knitious is a yarnbomber.
