A Stranger in the House

Knitting is Brigid’s hobby and passion. It is a symbol of her thwarted domestic aspirations to be a contented, stay-at-home mother. Brigid is first introduced knitting. She is described as “working on a baby sweater, but she finds herself dropping stitches and getting angry at the sweater” (24). The baby sweater, and Brigid’s frustration with it, is representative of her inability to conceive. As Brigid’s feelings toward Karen for living the life she wants sour into resentment, her knitting becomes a focal point of that resentment. She stops attending her knitting circle because she cannot stand to see the other women “happily knitting baby things” (89). Instead, she stays home, knitting while looking out the window at the Krupp house. She ruminates that Karen does not care about Brigid’s knitting blog—a way for Brigid to express her anger that Karen does not understand her—nor does anyone else.

This connection between Brigid and her thwarted aspirations is emphasized toward the end of the novel. Brigid sits watching the Krupp residence while “her knitting needles click violently—she’s bitter, angry, and vengeful” (296). She is furious that Karen was released and reunited with Tom. However, her feelings about knitting morph when she realizes that she is pregnant with Tom’s child. The novel closes with a mirror image of her working on yet another baby sweater. This time, instead of dropping stitches, she is working with confidence and contentment because she feels she is on the precipice of accomplishing her dream: Having a child and getting revenge on Karen.