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Knit One, Purl One

A rondelet in honour of my knitting neighbour

Knit one, purl one Yarn forward, knit two together Knit one, purl one Garments made with love by Helen Moss stitch, garter, cable, feather Children’s knits for any weather Knit one, purl one

© Carolyn Hastings 2021

Helen, my neighbour for over 30 years, passed away just before Christmas. I was on a woliday (a working holiday) at the time we received the news. It hit me really hard. She’d been in my thoughts the previous night as I sat on the couch with my pink knitting needles and yarn finally making a start on a baby jumper for one of my soon-to-arrive granddaughters. Helen loved knitting. She especially loved knitting for babies and toddlers. She had drawers full of jumpers, jackets, vests and cardies she’d knitted; all ready and waiting to be gifted to a newborn or a child in need — and one day, God willing, her own grandchildren. Sadly, she never lived to see that day.

It seemed poignantly prescient that I had picked up my knitting needles for the first time in almost two years on the same evening that, unbeknownst to me, Helen faced, and eventually succumbed to, an overwhelming medical crisis that she had been bravely fending off for some months. There seemed to be a message in that — something along the lines of stepping into the shoes and continuing the work of a fallen comrade. It was comforting and mournful in equal measure. I decided I should not let the moment pass unacknowledged, so I took the photo of my knitting project then and there and made a promise to both of us not to let it lie forever buried in my camera roll.

Helen was a super-practical person. A maths-science teacher by profession. She, not unsurprisingly, loved numbers, number patterns, and formulae. She preferred symmetry and simplicity over frills and flounces. She also loved an intellectual challenge and mastering advanced concepts. I took these traits into consideration when I set myself the task of writing a poem in her honour. I needed to write in a form that included these elements. The rondelet ticked all the boxes.

What’s a rondelet

A rondelet (pronounced, ron-dah-lay) is a seven-line poem containing two rhymes (a and b) and a one-line refrain, in this sequence: AbAabbA with the capital A representing the refrain (repeated line). It has a specific syllable count as follows –

Line 1 ✦ A — 4 syllables Line 2 ✦ b — 8 syllables Line 3 ✦ A — repeat of Line 1 (refrain) Line 4 ✦ a — 8 syllables Line 5 ✦ b — 8 syllables Line 6 ✦ b — 8 syllables Line 7 ✦ A — repeat of Line 1 (refrain)

Ideally, it also has a prescribed meter or rhythm but that’s easier said than done (read, I sort of got it right but not quite! It’s an ‘advanced concept’ — that’s my excuse, anyway!). You can learn more about rondelets here.

Rondelets and me

This is only my second rondelet. To be honest, I find knitting easier! But then again, being challenged was one of the criteria I set myself for this poem. Helen was not one to give up in a hurry, so neither was I. As providence would have it, my first rondelet was published the day before Helen died. Here is another rondelet, an enchanting one by Camille Fairbanks -

Grateful thanks and appreciation to Whitney Rose for publishing my words in Flicker and Flight. 🙏 💕