Episode 59: We Salute the Knitlympians

Breezy Johnson. Maddie Mastro. Deerdra Irwin. Margie Freed. Lucinda Anderson. Maxime Germain. Jaelin Kauf. Jessie Diggins. Julia Kern. Greta Myers. Ben Ogden. Sure, these are all members of the US Olympic Team who competed in the recent games in Cortina, Italy, but did you know that they are also Knitlympians? They belong to an even more elite circle of athletes who are also accomplished knitters--in fact, judging by their Instagram feeds, they are almost as proud of their knitting as they are of their medals and Olympic performances. We love this. From Breezy Johnson designing and knitting a headband the night before each race to Maxime Germain's scratchy sweater with colorwork and crochet along the hem, all have found in knitting the space for cultivating a relaxed, alert focus that enhances their performance on the slopes and the ice. Knitting has long been compared to yoga and meditation, but do you have a beanie or sweater to wear after doing yoga or meditating? You do not. We rest our knitting case. But there are other surprising points of comparison between Olympic sports and knitting: they are both equally important, excellent, time consuming, expensive, and, at times, heartbreaking and frustrating. Snowboarder Maddie Mastro summed it up nicely when she filmed herself knitting in the car on the way to Cortina:

"Did not finish the beanie, but DID make it to the Olympics!"

Maddie Mastro

We like how making it to the Olympics comes second after the status report on the beanie. We know you'll get it done, Maddie.

Speaking of getting it done, we are thinking more about the Melt-the-Ice hats we featured in our recent bonus episode and the symbol of the Phrygian hat on the seal of the U.S. Senate. We are thinking some senators need a hat of thanks, and perhaps others need to be reminded of what that red hat on the seal symbolizes. So we invite our listeners to send a hat to your senator, or maybe a red hat broach. We'll put up a template of a letter on our website bootieandbossy.com that you can send along with it. Maybe Jaelin Kauf, Knitlympian and producer of 50 beanies for her supporters, will help. So whip up some of Keeley Richardson's fabulous King Arthur's Everyday Olive Oil cake with a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia, grab your pointed sticks and join us in sending a message to our senators about what that red hat on their seal actually means.