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MY KNITTING MEDITATIONS A pictorial exhibition Kunda Silimkhan POORNAM- CENTRE FOR HOLISTIC WELL BEING Panaji-Goa MY KNITTING MEDITATIONS A pictorial Exhibition Kunda Silimkhan ©author January 2014 Panaji-Goa ZÜtà|àâwx I thank my paternal aunt, Mrs Malini Daimodker, who on a very busy morning found time from her cooking chores to find knitting needles and some wool to give me my first instructions in knitting. I made a hair band in blue woolen yarn. My second guide was Mrs Arcangela Fernandes, my crafts instructor in school who taught me to knit baby socks. Then my next big project was a woolen coat for my mother under the guidance of my neighbor Mrs Rudrangi. Earlier attempts at learning to knit sweaters had failed because another neighbouring teacher had found me wanting in skill. Mrs Rudrangi had great patience with my impatience. I love the cables I knitted under her guidance. after that,I kept knitting from books but never really completed anything big . My specialty during those days was to leave everything incomplete unless I wanted to gift it to someone. The next teacher was my grand aunt Mrs Kalyan Bhandari. I had gone to see my cousin’s trousseau and instantly fell in love with a circular doily she had knitted. Soon after the wedding, I pestered her for instructions and made two doilies under her guidance. If she had not lent me her needles and books I would not be able to place this book before you. Following a busy schedule in Internal medicine for twenty years left no time for knitting. I would occasionally crochet some doilies to gift. Then, in 2006, my friend Mrs Philomena Barreto gifted me a knitted doily getting back old memories. She was even generous enough to lend me her bamboo needles and her collection of patterns. Seven years had to pass till I could get back to some intense knitting. I have also picked a few patterns from Yarn Over and other friends. I thank all these people in my life because knitting for me is not a hobby or pastime but a means to get beyond time…. a journey across time. Some patterns in this book are copyrighted, others are in public domain. I do not know the original creators in most cases so I have refrained from naming people. But I sincerely wish to thank all the creators of lace. They have made my world very beautiful. I still dance a jig when I complete a doily or do a Sufi swirl and it amuses my mother. So, thank you all again for making my mother and me happy. Another person I have to thank is my brother. During school days, when I left my half done work in the sitting room, my brother would pull down the whole work with a twinkle in his eye. I would have loved to pull it off myself. Sometimes his goal was to get me irritated but I would guess his ploy and mockingly hit him without losing my cool. A free lesson in Anger Control…… And today, he did all the photography for this book. Wxw|vtà|ÉÇ This book is dedicated to all the followers of Sant Kabir and others who believe in and practice Communal Unity. jhini re jhini re jhini chadariya, jhini re jhini re jhini chadariya ke ram naam ras bhini chadariya, jhini re jhini re jhini chadariya ashta kamal dal charkha doley, panch tatva, gun tini chadariya saiin ko siyat mas dus lagey, thokey-thokey ke bini chadariya so chadar sur nar muni odi, odi ke maili kini chadariya das kabir jatan so odi, jyon ki tyon dhar deen chadariya Sant Kabir Sant Kabir, referring to himself, This cloth is very fine. It is woven in the essence (soul) of the name of Ram (Chanting) The Charkha or Spinning wheel spins with its eight- petaled lotus (asthada Prakriti or the eightfold aspects of manifestation) Composed of five tattvas and three Gunas as the pattern or blue print Sai took ten months to weave ( in the womb) Pulling the threads to give the right weave(tension) Worn by the Gods, men and sages ( all who take a body) They soiled it with use. Das Kabir says, I have nurtured with care And one day will leave it(body) here. Prologue I mentioned knitting meditations in one of my book and my friends wanted to know what I actually meant by it. My maternal aunt was visiting one day. She loves knitted stuff but has not learnt knitting. She suggested I build up a collection of knit doilies and then have an exhibition. I don’t have time to organize an exhibition plus I am still just learning to knit. I have yet to create my own signature designs. They are hibernating in my head. Until I get to actualization of all that is dormant, I thought I will set up this pictorial exhibition on the web and make my aunt happier. If it inspires at least a few people to tap their inner talents, whatever they may be, I will consider the effort of this book well rewarded. Introduction The year 2013 was a year of intense activity for me writing or editing so many books. Writing too many books at one go would have driven me mad if I did not have my knitting to fall back on. The coming year, 2014 is going to be more hectic and I hope I find time for some bobbin lace. My friend, Mrs Cassia Paes and family have gifted me a pillow and bobbins that belonged to their late mother. I am lucky to meet such kind and generous people. I believe in the law of attraction but for those bobbins I had to visualize for over thirty years. Nevertheless, I am fortunate to get them at all when I had learnt bobbin lace-making through the internet. It was one lace I had craved for since childhood. With bobbin lace, I could say all my lacey desires have found completion. No need to be born again to knit and weave. For a healthy functioning of the brain and stress free life, balancing right and left brain is very important. The right brain is responsible for imagination and the left for creativity (see Study Less Score More for more on brain) Of all the activities I do to balance my left brain, knitting and crochet stand prominent. When I have no time to do them, I have to be satisfied with singing or dancing. The question will arise in the reader’s mind Why knitting of all things? Firstly, I am passionate about lace. Knitting brings me joy. Knitting inspires me to create. Any lace brings out the beauty of creation. Though I am fascinated by the laces of the 3Dworld, they are nothing when they are compared with the exquisite designs seen in the Tapestry Room of higher dimensions which is worth a visit if you love designs. Secondly, knitting or weaving keeps me aware. If I miss a stitch, the whole effect is lost. Sant Kabir and his message of Communal Unity had attracted my thoughts since childhood. Sant Kabir weaved his way to ‘Selfhood’ No big ashram, no display of disciples, no show … no renunciation of the world…. No mountains , no Himalayas No risk , no loss of money Utter simplicity.. mundane practicality Just ‘ here and now’ That is what lace is, Here and now Shift from here .. shift from now …and.. Oops ! I have dropped a stitch. In the patterns I have showcased, if there is a line of irregularity along a radius, then it is because of my short needles but every time there has been a mistake otherwise, it was because my awareness had wavered. Another group of people who have aroused my curiosity are the self- effacing cloistered nuns. The best needle work of the world and especially lace can be traced to the cloistered nuns. You may have a masterpiece from Duchrow or Niebling today but the basic stitches were still part of the Nuns’ creations for centuries. And their greatest attribute is that they have done it anonymously.. Just for the love of God. I wanted to get that effect in my life while knitting my doilies. This could be an opportunity for me to pay a tribute to their many sacrifices. I owe them a lot, trying to learn from them the art of letting go competition and struggle and living a life of surrender . Thirdly, India is faced with a job crunch. We have an affluent, upcoming , aspirational middle class with growing needs. And the Chinese have built a strong export industry to cater to these needs. China supplies the world’s lace at a very cheap rate. The quality of Chinese lace is so poor that I would feel it humiliating to gift someone with it. Every blouse that is made in India is embellished with such laces. People are seeking quantity, so quality is compromised. If Mr Narendra Modi is serious about his 5 F program, then lace should feature at the centre-point. FIELD FIBRE FABRIC FASHION FOREN I am not for the final F though. The why of it I have discussed elsewhere. Now, either Mr Narendra Modi or the MODI THREAD COMPANY could take this issue seriously. Lace has the capacity to provide employment for nearly one lakh women and they can even sell lace online. Add to it, the thread manufacturers and farmers and rest of the people involved… How many in thread making? How many in cotton cultivation? 5 lakhs?....quite an achievement of the humble lace.

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