Knit to This
Alan Cumming Bares All
Dear Kay,
This week, the actor Alan Cumming electrified the knitting world with his news of of Club Cumming, his Lower East Side venture combining debauchery and knitting.
Finally! A knit night for the rest of us. Let the Trader Joe’s TRIPLE Ginger Snaps flow. Steep the SleepyTime extra long. It can’t get too crazy for us, Alan. I’ll be there. My safe word is bind off.
He has one of the great Instagram feeds, and you might think from his antic humor that he’s all hilarious all the time. Well, as often is the case with people who have an extraordinary sense of humor, there is another side to the man. For Alan Cumming, childhood had a special sort of darkness to it. His memoir, Not My Father’s Son, came out in 2014, and it is harrowing, heartbreaking, and breathtaking. I listened to the audiobook, available on Audible.com. He reads his memoir himself, so the intimacy of his storytelling is really something. I cried through a whole chapter.
You may wonder why I’d recommend an audiobook to knit to that involves such dark subject matter. Well, at the end of it, I felt a joy and gratitude and happiness that I haven’t often experienced: joy for Alan Cumming’s triumph, gratitude that he was willing to share his life.
And happiness that, listening to his memoir, I finished one of the most debauched stockinette shawls I’ve ever made.
Love,
Ann
Thanks so much for reminding me about Trader Joe’s ginger snaps. There goes my will power. And where is the picture of this debauched shawl of which you speak?
Here you go: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/free-pattern-procrastinating-knitters/
It’s about twenty feet long. OK that’s an exaggeration.
What is debauched about it?
Maybe how much yarn it takes up? 😉
Thanks for the book recommendation – I adore Alan Cummings!
Agreed. Such a good book. Love Alan Cumming.
What shawl did you knit? Curious minds want to know!
Listen to his live album … or watch the show that was on PBS, and just listen to his version of ‘The Ladies who Lunch.” (hint – you can listen on Amazon Prime Music).
I used about six pounds of Plucky Knitter, it was completely louche.
Here you go: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/free-pattern-procrastinating-knitters/
He is truly amazing – always pushing the sartorial envelope, managing to look more creative and splendid than many starlets a third his age. And what other actor on the planet could get away with playing the same part 25 years later and do it BETTER??!! I’m so done with the quiet, sedate, suburban stitch-n-bitches; Alan, bring on the dancing girls!
Love this;)!! I listened to his book on Scribd last year. What an amazing human being. So glad his mom finally split from that …person.
“Debauched Stockinette” would make a great title for a memoir. Just a thought.
Oh, I loved his book. So, so good.
I bought the audiobook today because of your rec and listened to the whole thing. Brilliant!
Just saw the article about his club. I just borrowed the audio book from Hoopla and look forward to listening to it.
Alan Cumming’s memoir is incredible!!
I found Alan Cumming’s Instagram feed a few months ago. I am hooked. Wish I lived closer to NYC.