Guest Post: Knitting in Motion

by Natalie Agee

Knitting has swiftly become my favorite thing to do, outside of teaching circus arts, and being an inter-disciplinary performer.

I'm a beginning knitter, and so far, each project has proven to be a very dramatic – dare I say say "theatrical" – process. Chunky yarn and larger needles are a special combo for me--they bring knitting to it's most physical; each arc, swoop, loop over, and tug feels hearty, satisfying, energetic and somewhat suspenseful, like performance.

...I bet John Cage would've loved to gather three hundred and one knitters together in concert, so musical are the sounds of those bamboo needles clicking...

On a more cerebral note: trace forms are the dynamic and invisible lines traced in space by a movement, or movement phrase. When I was beginning to study movement, I tried to draw these movement pathways so that I could "see" them for as long as I wanted. The trace forms of a knitter's path become color-saturated parts of a fabric that you can see, touch to your cheek, and give to another person.

Part of the beauty of live performance is that it exists in the moment. This, alone, makes it so completely amazing, and so worth doing. But that slightly-gone-awry, imperfect sweater, that I'll make for a special someone, may last a life-time. I feel so lucky to have the chance to experience and cherish the best of both these worlds. I can't wait for the day when I make my first knitting pattern!

Read more about Natalie Agee.

Photo by Aimee Norwich