Tag Archives: roller derby

Knitting as Therapy

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This weekend I realized something that I have known for a really long time in the back of my mind, but crystallized on Saturday.

My roller derby league had a bout this weekend (Tilted Thunder Rail Birds, if you’re in the Seattle area… you should come watch us play.  It’s pretty rad).  I was doing my usual pre-game running around with my team (running stairs, beating up a punching bag, listening to gangsta rap… you know, the usual).  But, when we finished our usual pre-bout ritual, we had an extra fifteen minutes before we had to go out and start playing.

We were all antsy and hyped up on adrenaline.  I was so anxious I could hardly sit still, much less think about the strategy we were about to execute.  So, I did what every good knitter would do.  I pulled out a half-finished sock and worked a few rows.

WP_20140301_001(My teammates-as usual- teased me about it.  But if it makes me a better skater, I think they should just shut their mouths.  So there.)

I do this before every game.  It helps me calm down, focus and take a deep breath before having to do something difficult or scary.  I even bring my knitting along when I go on job interviews.  I (obviously) don’t knit during a game or an interview, but knowing that it’s there is somehow comforting.

It’s like therapy, or mood stabilizing drugs, but fuzzier.  And you get a sock at the end.  I know I’m not the first (or the last) to discover the therapeutic uses of knitting, but still.  It’s definitely something that needs to be put in the list of “Reasons You Should Knit.”

When do you use knitting as therapy?

Inspiration: Sugar Skulls

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We won!  We won!  I’m very excited.  You’re probably not super excited (or even know what I’m talking about), but it’s my blog, so I get to talk about what I want.

My roller derby league had their championship bout on Saturday, and my team, the Sugar Skulls, battled for third place (out of four) against the Royal Crush.  I’ve been on the team for about a year and a half, and we’ve never won a game. But this weekend, everything came together so well!  We fought super hard and kicked so much butt.  We ended up beating the Crush by almost 90 points (which is quite a lot).

Here we are yelling… or something… not sure what.1274419_565660210137289_415152936_oI got to jam!  I scored points for the first time ever in a real bout!

1272791_565662013470442_1709690174_oAnd! We even got a trophy.  (Not sure why Karny has it down her shirt, though.)

1209033_496514740438171_535438389_n(Photos by Danny Ngan and N8Zim)

Anyway, I’m super proud of all my teammates.  We all worked our butts off and played so well together.

In celebration of our Skull-y victory, let’s do some skull-y knitting:

Skull Hoodie, by Bernat Design Studio

skullhoodie_2_medium2[1]Los Muertos: Slouchy Day of the Dead Hat for Samhain, by Erssie Major

IMG_8337_medium2[1]Skull Tea Cosies, by Tea Cosy Folk

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Pattern: Shiny Jammer

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When I’m not being an obsessive TV-watching, tea-drinking knitter I like to let out my aggression by playing roller derby. It’s super fun. I play with a local banked track league (Tilted Thunder), and it’s probably one of the most satisfying things that I’ve ever done. (And definitely the most fun I’ve ever had playing a sport, although that’s not saying much.)

Actually, since I’m usually pretty polite and quiet soft-spoken in real life, and I don’t have any tattoos, sometimes people don’t believe me when I tell them I play derby. So, here’s proof:

1044944_10151760344398223_1844534174_nI’m the one in green with the black helmet.  I love this picture because I look kind of terrifying.  Usually in derby photos I just look scared and awkward.

In this picture, I’m giving my jammer (the girl in front of me who wears stars on her helmet) a push to make her go faster.  The jammer is the one that scores points by lapping skaters on the other team.  (I’m a blocker, whose job it is to help our jammer go faster, and stop the other jammer.)  If you are interested in the rules, this is a good overview.

Anyway, a friend of mine, who also plays derby, asked me to make her a jammer hat  for her birthday, and who am I to say no?  I looked through some of the available patterns, and I didn’t care for them, so I made my own pattern.

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Now you, too can channel your inner badass with this roller derby-inspired hat.  It’s knit in the round with a simple ribbed cuff and decreases on the crown.  The stars are added using the duplicate stitch after the hat is knit up.  Knit this super simple hat in the colors of your favorite roller derby team to show your spirit.  And don’t forget: skate fast, turn left, and hit hard!

Get the pattern here:

Shiny Jammer