Fashion 87 : Psychologist Knits Herself a Therapy and a Business
Had Laura Schlessinger felt a passion for knitting 20 years ago, it surely would have remained one of her darker secrets.
“I grew up through the ‘60s. To do things like sewing, knitting and kids was considered kind of a cop-out,” says Schlessinger, a petite, animated Woodland Hills psychologist. “There was always a part of me that felt guilty and nervous about doing these crafty kinds of things.”
But when she was pregnant more than two years ago--and in search of ways to slow down and relieve stress--she bought a computerized knitting machine and discovered an even a darker secret about herself.
“I never thought I was artistic. But I am.”
Her Creative Side
Schlessinger--who has worked as a TV and radio talk-show psychologist, and who practices psychotherapy and teaches at Pepperdine University--is letting her creative side loose.
She started a custom and special-order business early this year called Knit Names, specializing in sweaters with graphic designs and names incorporated into patterns. She made one appearance at Nordstrom Topanga Plaza earlier this fall, with a second planned for later this month in which she’ll lug along her knit machine for demonstrations and take orders for her cloisonne-covered Christmas sweaters.
She also is knitting two sweaters for an upcoming Molly Ringwald movie--but nothing high fashion.
“They needed some frumpy sweaters,” she said, pointing to the acid-green mohair creation in her dining room-cum-studio in her home. “This is a new challenge. People usually want me to make something nice.”
It’s Not Always the Money
Schlessinger says knitting has little to do with money, everything to do with mental health.
“I can make money faster doing just about anything else I do,” she said. Her satisfaction is in making “something that’s here when I’m not.” It’s therapy.
“If you’re doing your job right as a therapist, you are containing people’s pain for the duration of the session,” Schlessinger said. “You need to give it back to them when they leave the room. But it’s exhausting.
“As a therapist, you lead a lot of your life without a sense of completion. People improve, but it’s nothing concrete. When I do knitting, I take care of my own need for completion and goals. I don’t need to push my patients toward any false completions.”
Schlessinger spends about five hours most days at her knitting machine--with her 2-year-old son, Deryk, in view. She reserves two days for her psychotherapy practice in Sherman Oaks and one night for teaching a graduate psychology course at Pepperdine University. Husband Lewis Bishop, who is in biomedical sales and marketing, also works at home one day to be with their son.
No Repetition in Designs
Schlessinger resists the idea of repeating any of her designs. “The excitement comes from conquering the tools and techniques, but I wouldn’t want to do two-of-a-kind. It would make me feel like a human Xerox machine.”
She also maintains that her knit machine is eerily tuned into her moods. “When I’m feeling lousy or grungy, the machine knows. If you’re in a bad mood, it responds in kind.”
This Brooklyn native studied physiology at Columbia University, then in the mid-’70s moved to Los Angeles, where she taught biology and studied psychology at USC. She is a former KABC-radio talk-show psychologist and has appeared on several L.A.-based TV talk shows.
Proof that her definition of achievement is changing came earlier this fall when Schlessinger and her husband dragged sweaters and son to the L. A. County Fair in Pomona. Schlessinger proceeded to win three blue ribbons and a Best of Show award for her knit projects.
The ribbons paid $3 each.
“I’ve been on national TV and radio,” she said. “I’ve earned a Ph.D. But I can’t tell you what pleasure I got from being rewarded for something so intensely personal.”
