“E kore e wheko, he mea iri ki runga ki te wheenako, e kore e wheko.”
The yearning for something cannot be easily extinguished. – Māori Proverb
My yearning to connect back to my cultural heritage prompted the design of the Karekare pullover. I based the colorwork on a traditional geometric wave motif found in Māori weaving. Karekare is Te Reo Māori for wave, though it can also mean “choppy or rough waters.”
Over the years, I’ve had my share of rough waters to navigate. Today I continue to struggle with questions of identity: who am I? Where do I come from? Can I belong somewhere? Despite the fear of rejection and not being enough, I decided to not let the waters extinguish my desire to share my story as a bi-racial, multicultural WoC trying to find where she fits in in the world.
Do you seek a sense of belonging? Are you caught between two spaces where you don’t quite fit? Knitting connects us to our past, our present, ourselves. Exploration through this ancient craft serves to anchor us as we battle stormy seas and feed the fire of our passions.
This pullover is worked bottom-up, in the round, with some short row shaping around the neck for a better fit across the shoulders. The original was knitted in a DK baby alpaca for a soothing warmth on cool evenings.
Use the code TPoF-PoTW-karabw at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!