Hats Off to Women's History Month

March, once again, is Women's History Month.  The link goes to the "official" place.  Mine is personal and the personal is always political.  Ron Bloom, spinning spouse, and I stayed up a bit too late Tuesday night to watch Hillary Clinton make another unexpected return from what many thought might be defeat.  He knits a hat from his spun yarn, or spins.

What kicks off latelife creativity in men?  Observing women is my modest theory.  He thinks, "She seems to do this so easily.  Is there something here for me, something more in tune with things from an earlier life, when I tinkered with machines?"  The wheel.  He began to spin.

Enjoyed that till woman suggests he needs an end product:  using the wool he has spun.  Here was the creative struggle:  learning to knit.  After he'd tried, stopped, something clicked.  Made a scarf and hat for his grandson.  We went to a Maine knitting retreat and he fell under the spell of Bill Huntington of Hope Spinnery.  And Bill's "Button Hat" which he's adapted to his own yarn, topped with vintage buttons from my own obsessive collecting in Baltimore.  Lately he mixes in an ounce or two of yarn from my stash.  The beat goes on.

Always documenting, I try to take photos as he gives them away.  This is our neighbor, Lee; the two of them are co-chairs of our apartment building.

Marian, clay artist who runs the pottery studio here, lives in another of the six buildings at Morningside Gardens.

Mike McMahon, General Manager, of the Gardens who is in awe of Ron's knitting--as one should be!

Pearl Chin of Knitty City,** like Marian, was asked to choose between two of his most recent permutations on the original.

When we traveled to Portland, Oregon last December, Ron carried HATS for friends there--Lee, Olivia, Carl, hat-maker with closed eyes, and Moira.

With this group, we had conversation that added to my  thoughts about a woman running for President.  But that's another post.  Hats off to my spouse of 42 years, a guy comfortable knitting in public.  Here's to the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft who believed in living one's theories..

[Check out "This Opportunity Has Been Brought to You by Feminism" by Marie Wilson at the Huffington Post.]

**Sunday, March 22, "Knit a Hat with Ron," new class at Knitty City.

Comments

[sahara]

Mr. K, who's lived in his head most of his life, has decided in mid-life (with some prodding from me), to start glass blowing. I found an artisan in Brooklyn with a studio where he'll try a coupla' classes.

I think that handwork puts men back in touch with their bodies. The women in my family were constantly using their hands creatively, for necessity. Office work and middle-class living, has led folks away from this connection, so maybe the only time you have to return to it, is in later years.

42 years? That's great! I'm on a measly 12, which still seems better than a lot of my friends (whose men would've never knit in public; hmmph). My great aunt Alyse and my great uncle Francis made it past 50 years, until he was called home; he carved wood.

[Kay Dennison]

Ohhhhhhhh these are so cute!!!!

[Martha]

I was all for supporting Ron when he was making yarn (for you), but now that he's dipping into YOUR stash.....I can't sit idly by!! This must stop.