There are a lot of people who can inspire you, but how many can put their challenges into words that inspire? Here, above, we have the book Handywoman, by Kate Davies. Eight years ago she had a stroke, and went from an agile, athletic, academic woman to someone whose world was suddenly in upheaval. This book is about her recovery, but more than that, it is about the trials and tribulations, the mental and emotional and physical challenges. Being inside another’s mind in all this turmoil is one of the gifts of this book.
Simply put, it’s one of the best books I have read this year.
And, that made me get out my needles and yarn. I decided I was going to learn to knit with both hands. My preferred method is English – throw the yarn with the right – and have struggled numerous times to use my left hand to any useful degree. Continental knitting leaves me befuddled if I only use my left hand – but using both is pretty simple. (Mirrors? – read Kate’s book to find out more!) I have a problem transferring learning from the right side of my brain to the left, probably remnants of a very serious head injury when I was a kid.
Kate went from being an academic to a woman running her own business, writing books, creating patterns, and developing her own line of wools. Take a look at her blog if you don’t know who she is – I’ve been following her for years and always enjoy what she has to say.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 