Knitting in China

"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing ... not healing, not curing ... that is a friend who cares." (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Out of Solitude)
 

As I mentioned, I saw women knitting all over China, especially in Jiangxi Province. And every child was wearing a hand-knit sweater. They were always knitting in the round with very long (about 18 inches) double-pointed needles.

Our guide in Jiangxi  was surprised that I was a knitter. She said knitting was not popular among young people; it was mostly "Grandmas" who did it. In fact, her mother-in-law had already knit many things for the children she and her husband hadn't had yet! (Since she and her husband are both only children, the government allows them to have two children.)

This is a woman knitting at the yarn store in Nanchang. More about that in the next post. Let's just say I came home with some yarn!