Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Quotes

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Effort Socks Waiting

There is practically no activity that cannot be enhanced or replaced by knitting, if you really want to get obsessive about it.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Knitting, Want, Obsessive

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.15, Storey Publishing

45 Copy quote
100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. I am not convinced this is a step in the right direction.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Years, Buying Something, Steps

35 Copy quote
It is important for knitters to know two things about frogging: that cats are capable of this knitting action, and even seem to enjoy it and seek opportunities to do it; and that foul language is a normal, healthy accompaniment to frogging, whether it is you or the cat that accomplished the task.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Cat, Opportunity, Knitting

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.120, Storey Publishing

31 Copy quote
The only difference between an experienced knitter and new knitter is that the experienced knitter makes bigger mistakes faster. Be bold; there are no terrible consequences in knitting.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Mistake, Knitting, Differences

32 Copy quote
There is no wrong way to knit. ... We should all agree to stop correcting each other and deal with the more important issue. How wrong crochet is.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Knitting, Issues, Important

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.45, Storey Publishing

15 Copy quote
SABLE- A common knitting acronym that stands for Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Knitting, Acquisition, Acronyms

15 Copy quote
You don't knit because you are patient. You are patient because you knit

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Patient

12 Copy quote
You know you knit too much when ... You take knitting to a wedding, in case there's a little time before the bride comes down the aisle. Double points if you are the bride.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Knitting, Littles, Too Much

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.294, Storey Publishing

5 Copy quote
...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can't tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble. "...knitters just can't watch TV without doing something else. Knitters just can't wait in line, knitters just can't sit waiting at the doctor's office. Knitters need knitting to add a layer of interest in other, less constructive ways.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Clever, Smart, Knitting

16 Copy quote
When you are knitting socks and sweaters and scarves, you aren't just knitting. You are assigning a value to human effort. You are holding back time. You are preserving the simple unchanging act of handwork.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Simple, Knitting, Sweaters

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.49, Storey Publishing

13 Copy quote
Everybody tells me that they would love to knit, but they don't have time. I look at people's lives and I can see opportunity and time for knitting all over the place. The time spent riding the bus each day? That's a pair of socks over a month. Waiting in line? Mittens. Watching TV? Buckets of wasted time that could be an exquisite lace shawl.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Opportunity, Knitting, Waiting In Line

75 Copy quote
If you were ever dumped after knitting a guy a sweater, consider the possibility that the problem was with the sweater, not you. The recipient probably took one look at the thing, imagined a lifetime of having to pretend to like (and wear) this sweater and others of its like, and saw no choice but to flee into the night

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Night, Knitting, Sweaters

12 Copy quote
The first time you find yourself having a conversation about moss stitch with a group of people who aren't desperately trying to escape you ... it's like coming home.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Home, Knitting, People

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.24, Storey Publishing

7 Copy quote
I will not let the non-knitters of the world decide how normal I am.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

World, Normal, Knitters

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.41, Storey Publishing

10 Copy quote
I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the person doing it, and that knitting is a perfect metaphor for life and insight into some better ways through it.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Party, Believe, Knitting

8 Copy quote
It is some kind of miracle that all knitting is constructed of only two stitches: knit and purl. Sure, you throw in some yarn overs, and sometimes you knit the stitches out of order, but when it really comes down to it, knitting is simplicity. The most incredible gossamer lace shawl ... the trickiest aran ... a humble sock ... each just made with knit and purl.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Humble, Knitting, Order

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.11, Storey Publishing

7 Copy quote
...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Smart, Knitting, Numbers

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2010). “Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again”, p.8, Andrews McMeel Publishing

7 Copy quote
I am a person who works well under pressure. In fact, I work so well under pressure that at times, I will procrastinate in order to create this pressure.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Order, Pressure, Facts

11 Copy quote
The best reason for a knitter to marry is that you can't teach the cat to be impressed when you finish a lace scarf.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Cat, Knitting, Scarves

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.94, Storey Publishing

9 Copy quote
It is a peculiarity of knitters that they chronically underestimate the amount of time it takes to knit something. Birthday on Saturday? No problem. Socks are small. Never mind that the average sock knit out of sock-weight yarn contains about 17,000 stitches. Never mind that you need two of them. (That's 34,000 stitches, for anybody keeping track.) Socks are only physically small. By stitch count, they are immense.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Happy Birthday, Average, Two

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.17, Storey Publishing

9 Copy quote
It turns out I will buy any yarn, even yarn I will never use, if the store discounts it by more than 50 percent.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Knitting, Shopping, Yarn

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.79, Storey Publishing

9 Copy quote
I make a habit of setting aside some time each evening to take out my knitting and work quietly on it, happily relaxing. I believe that it prepares me for sleep and washes away the cares of my day.I will consider that intarsia, or Fair Isle with three or more colors in a row, prepares nobody for sleep and cursing loudly while flinging knitting around the living room is about as far away from soothing as you can get.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Believe, Sleep, Knitting

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.156, Storey Publishing

7 Copy quote
Your average knitter, obsessed as we are with the art form, is quickly going to begin producing far more in the way of warm things than are needed by even an arctic-bound knitter. Knitting breeds generosity, true...but perhaps in a hurry to avoid burying ourselves in hand-knits. There are only so many scarves one knitter can use.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Art, Knitting, Average

6 Copy quote
I will continue to freak out my children by knitting in public. It's good for them.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Children, Knitting, Freak

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.16, Storey Publishing

11 Copy quote
Achieving the state of SABLE is not, as many people who live with these knitters believe, a reason to stop buying yarn, but for the knitter it is an indication to write a will, bequeathing the stash to an appropriate heir.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Believe, Writing, Yarn

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (2012). “At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much”, p.229, Storey Publishing

9 Copy quote

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Born: June 14, 1968
Occupation: Writer
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