There’s a two-hour time difference between Calgary and Toronto, but Calgary resident Orysia Cox is an avid member of the Toronto Knitters Guild. Read on to learn the way that Orysia came to knitting, why she surrendered monogamous knitting, and how both numbers and needles make her happy.
As an out-of-province knitter, what prompted you to join the Toronto Knitters Guild?
When a longtime member explained that the Toronto Knitters Guild welcomes out-of-province members, I joined in the spring of 2024. What appealed to me was the opportunity to meet and learn from other knitters, along with the incredible slate of guest speakers. Also, I lived in Toronto in the 2000s and, although I wasn’t a knitter then, look back fondly on that time!
How did you come to be a knitter? Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
With my Ukrainian roots, I grew up cross-stitching. I spent many hours with my mom and both grandmas cross-stitching blouses for Ukrainian dancing outfits. I loved creating and the joy of handmade, but in my twenties started to experience nerve pain in my wrists. That’s when I first took up knitting. My paternal grandma was an avid knitter who amazed me with her ability to knit socks on small needles with thin yarn, but, sadly, by then her dementia was at an advanced stage, so I learned to knit on my own. I started English style, but that stirred up my nerve pain. Then in 2014, I took a basics course in continental knitting which seemed to stick. Been at it ever since!
Do you have an aptitude for knitting?
I am in Human Resources and oversee the numbers side of the group—compensation, stock options, benefits, retirement/pension plans, data analytics, and so forth. I spend about 75% of my workday in spreadsheets, so math comes naturally. To create a fabric and an object at the same time is compelling, and math is at the core. My gauge swatches aren’t always accurate, and I have been known to frog a project when swatches lie, but I can rely on my math!
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
Yes! Thinking about picking up the needles when at work, or enjoying the results of a FO brings peace, appreciation for the hard work and “hands-on” (sorry, bad pun!) knowledge, and fondness for the humility of the project’s learnings grounds me. After the workday is done, slipping into the meditation and mindfulness of knitting helps me unwind from the day. That said, knitting fit more into a job I previously held for four years that involved extensive business travel; I would ensure my work was done so I could knit on the plane (sock projects are much smaller to work on when flying than a laptop and files).
When I started to knit I was essentially a process knitter as there was so much to learn. Now, I consider myself a product knitter. Granted, I will search for a project with an interesting construction technique or new thing to learn, but once I have completed the learnings or technique, I am back to the product knitter mindset!
Since 2014 when you learned to knit Continental have you ever injured yourself knitting?
Yes, and I highly do not recommend it! I was a fierce monogamous knitter—no lingering UFOs! A project had to go from start to completion or it was frogged. (I do not like a lot of things on my to-do list.) I was working on an all-over seed stitch cardigan with a very rustic wool and had to tug a bit extra on my purl stitches to maintain gauge. Well, that ended up in a three-month hiatus of knitting, repeat trips to my athletic and massage therapists, and daily exercises I continue to do. Now I rotate projects of different needle sizes or materials and varying yarn weights or types or fibres. This has helped, along with listening to my body when it is time to stretch or stop for the day.
What is the biggest improvement you have seen in your knitting over the last 5 years? How did that improvement come about?
The biggest improvement I have seen in my knitting came about as I was fortunate to be part of Suzanne Bryan’s Bootcamp series. I learned a tremendous amount in the weekly lessons from the technical architecture of a stitch to properly gauge swatch calculations to how to have confidence in my knitting. I owe Suzanne a debt of gratitude; she is truly remarkable.
In 2022, I knit a pieced, all-over lace top (Gramercy Park by Patty Lyons) of which I am most proud. It was the first time I seamed an all-over lace top, had to modify the lace design when doing shaping for shoulders and necklines, and trust my measurements. This top comes out all year, for evening events at the Calgary Stampede to cold wintry days in the office.
How do you go about establishing gauge when you knit?
Swatching may not be my favourite part of knitting, but I have learned that it is critical. Before starting a project that heavily relies on gauge, I swatch. A 15 cm x 15 cm sample can be too small, especially for in-the-round swatches, so I dedicate the time to larger gauge swatches. I take gauge measurements unblocked, blocked, and hung for 24 hours so I can appreciate how the yarn will behave with the needle size/material I have chosen and gravity once it has been worn. I also learned from Ann Budd to keep the decimal places for my 2.5cm/1inch results, rounding only to the nearest whole number for the 10cm/4inch results. This allows for the partial stitches/rows or rounds to be accounted for—impactful when doing an adult garment!
What are your knitting preferences?
My first love is socks, and I will wear them year-round as Alberta’s humidity is lower than Ontario’s and our weather changes quickly with Calgary’s proximity to the mountains. Given this, I have a large amount of fingering weight yarn which is my go-to for garments, shawls, hats, and anything else I cast on. I knit with wool and have been trying to support/knit with different breeds (outside of Merino) to expand my knowledge base.
I enjoy a good Stockinette stitch in the round. I love watching Korean dramas on Netflix on Friday evenings (my husband is shocked I am not yet fluent), and this allows me to read the subtitles and get some progress on a project. Message me for show recommendations! 🙂
