From Chapter V. "Wool and Water" in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass:"Are you a child or a teetotum?" the Sheep said as she took up another pair of needles. "You'll make me giddy soon, if you go on turning round like that." She was now working with fourteen pairs at once, and Alice couldn't help looking at her in great astonishment.
"How can she knit with so many?" the puzzled child thought to herself. "She gets more and more like a porcupine every minute!"
"Can you row?" the Sheep asked, handing her a pair of knitting-needles as she spoke.
"Yes, a little--but not on land--and not with needles---" Alice was beginning to say when suddenly the needles turned into oars in her hands, and she found they were in a little boat, gliding along between banks: so there was nothing for it but to do her best.
Never do we learn what it was that the sheep was knitting with so many needles.
I am always so delighted to find references to knitting in the things that I am reading, and having to read so much for my upcoming oral exam, it's probably not a good thing that I keep happening upon these references that tempt me to put down my books and take up my two, merely two, needles.
1 comment:
I had completely forgotten about that episode, thanks for posting those lovely illustrations!
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