WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM...

… to introduce a knitter extraordinaire and an amazing person Carol (seajean on Ravelry). Carol make shawls, huge beautiful shawls from the finest yarn in the world on the tiniest possible needles. I am not a big fan of superheroes mythology but Carol is a superhero in my book.

You see, I’ve made quite a lot of shawls myself years ago. And – to be completely honest - I hated every minute of it! Little by little rows become longer till at some point they are so long that I’d fall asleep in the middle of one. But sleep is impossible – you’ve got to keep focused and alert because it’s lace and you are bound to make a mistake if you stop paying attention even for a second. Sometimes you can breathe a little while making a wrong side row, yet, sometimes a pattern asks you to do something even then. Just kill me now!

No TV, no books or magazines reading, no talking, nothing… Plus at the end, you’ve got to spend quite a lot of time blocking the shawl which – and everyone who did it at least once would agree – is not easy. And then – ta-da! (insert a drum roll) – I would give this object of torture to someone as a gift. Not only because I don’t wear handmade shawls anymore (only store bought scarves) but because I couldn’t even look at it without cringing inside from unpleasant memories. I think with time I developed a sort of allergy to making shawls. That is why I am in awe of Carol and her crafty hands.

I believe knitters need to know and respect their heroes. We all have "special powers", as one woman in my knitting club said. Carol "special power" is making incredible intricate shawls. She hasn’t any finished project pages on her Ravelry profile but you can see some of her creations here (Carol gave me permission to publish her projects' photos).

Aren’t they amazing? If you believe Dostoyevsky (and, being Russian, I certainly do), beauty will save the world. Don’t you agree that our troubled world is in dire need of beauty and saving? And please, go to Ravelry and write a note to Carol. Maybe this will encourage her to get out of a “knitter’s closet” and start sharing her masterpieces with us.