Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

It's no wonder that I haven't wanted to knit. That there's been no spark, no fire, a knitting emptiness. All my knitting books were packed away, ever since that last buyer, who wanted to move in right away, so I began packing, then they backed out, leaving us high and dry and in a state of dishevelment.

I can't knit without my books!

I know. One usually expects a knitter to say she/he can't knit without their needles or certain yarns. But for me, knitting begins with the Word.

The word from the great knitting masters. At my side. I enjoy the doing, the creating, but it's only with their words by my side, quietly waiting under soft and hard covers like a patient teacher, that I feel capable, inspired, plugged in to the stream of knitting thought.

So when this realization hit me, I darted into my shipping room where the boxes were stacked and Xacto-knifed through the carefully taped boxes, diving feverishly through the layers of books, searching for my backbone books - everything EZ, PGR and AS. And sighed with relief, as if I had found a precious gem I thought I had lost. The pile now sits reassuringly on the floor next to the loveseat upon which I knit.

The world has a lesson coming up.

We're tossing books aside, as if they were relics of yesteryear, quaint, but unnecessary. And embracing Kindles and websites. And we rationalize it with Saving a Tree. Pish.

I've been doing my part to save trees for about 35 years, if not longer. It's no reason to not have books. Save paper somewhere else, not with books.

They are more than just paper and ink. They are what they do to us. It's as if every feeling or thought connected with that book becomes tangible, as one reads. It's not the same when reading pixels on a screen.

I love computers. They are great tools. But that's all they are. Tools. Same for all the other electronic gadgets taking over our lives. They have no soul. When you pick up a book and begin reading, you relinquish your connection to the here and now and allow yourself to take flight.

We need to do that. Humans need to disconnect from the world in a way that enriches us. We mustn't forget how much we need books. And authors. Or else risk becoming connected only to our tools.