Knitting Circle

The Knitting Circle is the group of thirteen women who lead The Kin, a group mostly formed by White Tower initiates who failed to achieve the rank of Aes Sedai.
==Structure and function==
Unlike Aes Sedai, whose rank depends primarily, but not exclusively, on strength in saidar, the Kin choose their Knitting Circle based solely on age. The thirteen oldest Kinswomen in Ebou Dar comprise the Circle, which is led by the Eldest.
In order to maintain their secrecy, the Knitting Circle nears fanaticism in enforcing their rules. The women of The Kin lead very long lives as do Aes Sedai, and in many cases even longer than Aes Sedai, making the thirteen of the Knitting Circle some of the oldest women alive. They carefully rotate women out of Ebou Dari society on a strict schedule to avoid people noticing their longevity.
The leadership also makes sure there are enough women of "suitable age" (above three hundred) in Ebou Dar at all times. Women under three hundred were very rare in the Circle. 
If a woman older than a member of the Knitting Cirlce ever visited Ebou Dar, she would assume a seat during her visit. Even the Eldest could be displaced in this manner. 
The Eldest was, in many ways, absolute ruler; but she could also be called down for an offense. This is because of the Rule - all Kin must obey the Rule, and the Rule cannot be changed. 
==Recent activities==
The discovery of the Kin and the advanced ages of some of them caused consternation and disbelief among the Aes Sedai. It is now known that the Aes Sedai tradition of swearing on the Oath Rod is the cause of their comparatively short lifespans.
Elayne, Nynaeve, Aviendha, and Birgitte ask the Knitting Circle to help them locate the Bowl of the Winds, which will supposedly counteract the Dark One's touch on the world, reverting the seasons back to normal conditions. The Kinswomen agree.
After fleeing Ebou Dar and the Seanchan invasion, technically the Knitting Circle were no longer the Circle because they were outside Ebou Dar. However, because they were still the eldest Kin present, they would continue acting as the Kin's leadership.
==Members==
The members of the Knitting Circle are given below, along with extra information from The Wheel of Time Companion. Key is as follows:
* Arr: Age of arrival at the White Tower
* Enr: Year of enrollment at the White Tower
* Nov: Years spent as a novice
* Acc: Years spent as Accepted (where applicable)
* Lvl: Strength in the One Power where Moiraine is at level 1
* Str: Strength in the One Power where Lanfear is at level 1
* Amyrlin: Who was Amyrlin when training
* Hair: Since we have very few examples of aging channelers, this is a description of hair in terms of graying.
Name 	Born	Age 	Nation 	Occupation 	Arr	Enr	Nov	Acc	Cause for Leaving 	Lvl	Str	Amyrlin 	Hair
Chilares Arman 	657 	343 	Murandy 	Rug seller 	15 	672	12 	N/A	Refused Accepted test 	25 	37 	Varuna Morrigan 	Touch of gray
Dimana Corrand 	677 	323 	None 	Seamstress 	17 	694	3 	N/A	Too weak 	34 	46 	Cemaile Sorenthaine	Red, streaked white
Eldase Takashi 	665 	335 	Kandor 	Lacquerware	18 	683	13 	7 	Too bad-tempered 	29 	41 	Cemaile Sorenthaine	Streaks of white
Famelle Juarde 	658 	342 	Tarabon 	Goldsmith 	14 	672	11 	N/A	Could not complete test 	26 	38 	Varuna Morrigan 	Pale honey, no gray
Ieine 	629 	371 	Unknown 	Wise woman 	17 	646	9 	N/A	Refused to take three times 	19 	31 	Varuna Morrigan 	A little gray
Ivara 	664 	336 	Tairen? 	Goldsmith 	16 	680	12 	N/A	Refused to take three times 	27 	39 	Varuna Morrigan 	Some white
Janira 	 	>319	Saldaea 	Wise woman 	 	 	 	N/A	Too weak 	<33	<45	 	Graying
Kirstian Chalwin 	680 	320 	Cairhien 	Weaver 	18 	698	<1 	N/A	Ran away 	2 	14 	Cemaile Sorenthaine	Youngest
Melore 	 	>319	Arad Doman	Wise woman 	 	 	 	N/A	Too weak 	<33	<45	 	Touch of gray
Reanne Corly 	588 	412 	Unknown 	 	15 	603	11 	N/A	Refused after first pass 	2 	14 	Gerra Kishar 	Mostly gray
Sibella 	613 	387 	Unknown 	Wise woman 	14 	627	10 	6 	Failed test for Aes Sedai badly 	10 	22 	Gerra Kishar 	Yellow, no gray
Sumeko Karistovan	598 	402 	Arafellin?	Wise woman 	16 	614	5 	5 	Broke down during Aes Sedai test	6 	18 	Gerra Kishar 	Black
Tamarla 	681 	319 	Altara 	Wise woman 	15 	696	2 	N/A	Too weak 	35 	47 	Cemaile Sorenthaine	More white than black
es:Círculo de Labores de Punto
 Knitting Circle