The knitting world is mourning the loss celebrating the life of a passionate knitter, consummate professional, creative designer, and beloved teacher. We learned of Cat Bhordi’s death this weekend, when her daughter posted about it on social media. I admired Cat on so many levels, and one of the things I respected most was the way she faced a terminal cancer diagnosis with courage, peace, and acceptance, even penning a letter to her friends and fellow knitters to say good-bye.
To be honest, I don’t know much about Cat’s personal life except that she was a deeply loved mother and grandmother. That’s okay, though, because I always felt that Cat’s personality and spirit came through in everything she did. She loved working in the knitting world and never lost her sense of humor about how odd that might sound to the non-knitting world. From her blog:
When a stranger asks me, “What do you do?” I’m often unsure how to explain.
One time aboard an airplane I replied, “I’m an archaelogical forensic topologist.”
The two men sitting beside me suddenly sat up straighter. “So you’re a medical examiner?” one asked.
“No, I’m a knitter,” I replied.
Another thing I admired about Cat was her endless ability to ask “what if?” She always envisioned new and different ways to create, whether techniques like her Sweet Tomato Heel or approaches to sock knitting or innovative ways to use a mobius. I first became a fan when I read Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, her first book. I found knitting socks on double-points to be fiddly; I kept forgetting to switch needles and I often heard a clunk as a needle would fall out of a few remaining stitches. When I tried knitting socks on two circulars, led by Cat’s unique voice, it was a revelation. Cat went on to write eight more books, including books on mobius designs, felting, fingerless mitts, and of course several about sock construction. (New Pathways for Sock Knitters is a particular gem and should be in every sock knitter’s library.) All of them are fascinating and educational, the kind of book that makes you want to immediately cast on and try out Cat’s methods and techniques.
Where Cat really shone brightest was as a teacher. She came up with innovative ways to explain tricky techniques, she was unfailingly patient and kind, and she nurtured each student’s creative spirit. She also created a series of retreats for designers interested in self-publishing, which led to many other talented designers publishing their own work.
Cat’s own words are to me the best epitaph:
I am a person who loves the innocent, unfettered intelligence and sense of wonder that rises in knitters as we explore this sensuous world of pulling loops through loops and rearranging them to create beauty.
Thank you, Cat, for all the beauty you showed us during your too-short time on this earth.
