My pride, my passion

This year, winter season did not crept slowly, but it seems it came with a jump. This is the beginning of November, not December to be so cold here in Kathmandu. I am quite not sure how cold its going to be, in the late December and beginning of the January this year. I can only guess and prepare for the worst.


Unlike for others, for me winter is; a long day as I have the habit of staying till late to give a complete look to the new work I start. I do knitting as soon as the winter creeps in. In fact, saying I do knitting is not fair , knitting is my passion & pride too. Its my favorite pass time also, which helps me to get rid from stress; so knitting is kind of a meditation for me, it works as a stress buster also. During winter season, when I watch my favorite programs on television, most of the time I find myself knitting. For me watching television and doing nothing is pure waste of time.

Its really hard for me now, to remember how young I was, when I started knitting; I could have been as young as eight years old or younger than that. When I started knitting I started broom stick as a needle and the wool. I [we] get a chance to work thrown by others only and it must have been joined from hundreds of places, but we used to wear those hairbands and mufflers anyway. We have made it, so the satisfaction of wearing those things, was thousand percent higher, than the one; which could have from the best designers of the world or high priced goods.

Now, if you give me small balls of five different shades, my mind instantly stars working, how I will use those colors and blend it, into beautiful designs. However I was not much appreciative about the beauties of rainbow colors, then, we are not happy about that rainbow designs, instead it reminds me [us] that I was growing up in Bal Mandir. I [we] grew up, doing the needle work on umbrella, then barn yard wires. It was not easy to make our custom designs needles, from those available sources, but still we did it.

Who had money to buy needles or new ball of wool ? It was years later only, I got a chance to knit on real needles but while learning it was okay. One more good thing while learning knitting was its late 70s or the early eighties, so there was not much television to distract us to to waste time much. We used to do this during long winter vacation, like all others I started making hairbands and then mufflers as these two are the easiest to make one.

Being able to convert a thread, into a dress is some thing gives me so much satisfaction and pride too. I, not only get a chance to pick up my choice of color, but pattern for it and then design for a sweater. I knit, all kinds of woolen wears, like sweaters, even if I really don't need one. I have to see, the design, that comes in my head. As soon as it comes in my mind and have to see it in real and touch it and feel it also. Its not that I can come up new designs for sweaters, every year. Some times its time for caps or dozens of new bandannas or try out new patterns or designs for mufflers. If there is nothing to do and make new one, I make woolen socks, even if I already have one, for every day. All I have to do, is to knit.

I have so many caps and mufflers and socks and bandannas and of course sweaters too. Normally, I give it to my friends, who are nice and kind to me. Usually, I give them small items, like mufflers, caps and bandannas. Everybody appreciates my work and designs and color blending so much. They speak very highly of my talent and skill, but if they want some of my designs, they find it very expensive and choose not to pay for it. So, now I have a huge collections of woolen wears.

After reading Loren Cunningham, on his book ‘Daring to live on the Edge’, to give and not ruling out giving, even if I myself at the receiving end, gave me an idea, to give those stocks to a charity. Yesterday, I went to a church, which is in my area and gave some bandannas, caps, mufflers and tubes.

I also remember, a line from Rich Dad Poor Dad, God does not need to receive, but we need to give, so before next Saturday, I am going to give a dozen sweaters also. It so happened that church runs an orphanage also with about 15 children. Rajan Neupane, the Church Leader asked me, “is it for children ?” I responded, “Yes, but sorry for sweaters, because they are big enough, suitable adults only” then I added, “but those caps, bandanna and mufflers can be sued by all age people.” I am sure there are some adults, who needs to wear some decent sweaters during this winter; when the winter is so ruthless than before. Or, this is some thing I am thinking, but I keep asking people around me and then they agree with me, that this winter is very cold and it has not even started yet.