A-Maze-ing Challenge

As one who can never turn away a challenge, I find myself embroiled in yet another one. A few posts ago, I mentioned being a member of Knitting 20th Century Novels on Ravelry, and this ‘round’ we’re reading Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose. Also part of this group is to knit an accompanying work, if so desired.

Already, very early in the reading (by the first chapter), a labyrinth is featuring prominently in the reading. There’s constant reference to the idea of the monastery library being a labyrinth (more a maze really, but the theory is the same in this case). Discussion on the project board centered at first on some brave soul who wondered aloud on how to incorporate semiotics into her knitting. Semiotic is, in really, really, really shorthand terms the study of signs and symbols, a huge sub-plot of the book and is, in fact, Eco’s area of expertise in the collegiate world.

From this first brave (in my opinion) board post, discussion gradually moved to the idea of creating an afghan or blanket based on a labyrinth, and me being me, I had to add my two cents about Latin text and hidden meanings. Now, the project is blooming into a life of its own.

Further discussion and research had one member discover Eco actually based the library labyrinth from the maze on the floor of Rheims Cathedral in France (1211 destroyed 1779).

Conveniently, it has places to place some secret symbols, and my imagination is going full throttle.
At this point, everything is still in my head, but I do have plans to put it in ‘fit for public consumption form’. I hope. I’ve already resigned myself that this is not a project that will be completed upon the specified time limit of the book group. However, I’m not deterred. I thought there might be some here who were interested in watching this unfold.