Hello, I’m Caleb Gonzales, a carpenter turned knitter.
When the non-knitting world thinks of a knitter, they picture a polite, elderly lady sitting in her rocking chair, surrounded with yarn and homemade cookies. And believe me; if someone told me that I, a carpenter, would one day take up knitting, I would’ve laughed.
Then again, I’m not too surprised that I was so easily turned into a knitter. I’ve had this passion for making things with my own two hands, and took great pride in being able to say:
There, I made that all by myself.
That’s one of the reasons why I spent a substantial portion of my adult life working as a carpenter.
When I finally decided that it’s time for me to hang up my hammer and retire, I was looking forward to two things: “Spending more time with my wife and spoiling our grandkids with her.”
One day, my wife handed me a pair of knitting needles and asked if I wanted to give knitting a try; she had her way of charming me into trying new things and learning to enjoy them.
And so, I took up knitting.
I’m not proud to admit it, but I always thought of knitting as passive, something my wife did to pass the time. It wasn’t until I had to try and figure out how to cast on or make a cable stitch that I truly began to realize that knitting is anything but passive.
It took me quite a lot to get hold of the basics; knitting my first dishrag from start to finish was one of my crown achievements.
And even though it wasn’t all that pretty, it brought back that all too familiar feeling of pride and accomplishment I had when I was a carpenter – and I was hooked.
When my wife passed away, I suddenly found myself with nothing to do – nothing, besides knitting.
And so, I decided to give it my best shot:
I learned how to read knitting charts and patterns; I took the time to master knitting stitches that were considered a bit more “advanced.” All of a sudden, dishrags didn’t seem like enough of a challenge. So, I took on a project of knitting a pair of socks for my youngest grandchild.
Then, I moved on up to scarfs and mittens – and an occasional sweater or two!
It’s not only a way for me to pass the time but a way to feel closer to my wife, too. It brings me joy and relaxation, it keeps me sharp, and it brings a sense of accomplishment that I went after my entire life. I would never have thought that I would one day become so passionate about knitting – but here I am.
I wish to share that passion, the many benefits of knitting, and the secrets of the trade with you.
Welcome to the knitting community of Tradewindknits.com!