Spreading the Knitting Bug

Yesterday at the office, we took someone we were interviewing out for lunch. When I met up with the group, the interviewee told me that I looked really familiar and asked where I had worked in the past. I told her she probably didn’t know me through work, seeing as I’ve only ever worked in Canada. Then I asked if she was a knitter - you never know. That’s when my friend E told the interviewee that I had a serious problem with the knitting. I admitted that I did have a certain weakness for gorgeous fiber, which reinforced E’s point.

 

“See,” E said, “she doesn’t even call it yarn. It’s fiber!”

 

Since becoming a knitter, I have often had the opportunity to spread the knitting bug around to the people in my life. This was much easier when knitting was trendy and everyone wanted to be on the needle, but since moving to San Diego the opportunities have been non-existent. That is, until a few weeks ago.

 

While preparing for a business trip to DC, one of my only friends in SD, K, asked me if I could teach her to knit on the plane. She had stopped by my cubicle and it was all I could do to stay seated calmly and not jump out of my chair ready to distribute high fives. I tried to compress my overwhelming excitement into a nonchalant enthusiasm. After all, I didn’t want to scare her off. I’m still a bit self-conscious about how much I love the knitting.

 

On the plane back from DC, I taught K to knit. Well, I guess taught is a strong word. In the past, K has had many people attempt to teach her to knit but each one quickly got impatient with her and yanked the knitting out of her hands to fix her mistakes. Something must have stuck, though, from those past lessons because K was soon knitting, purling and casting on. It probably didn’t hurt that I had brought some delectably soft handspun and US 11 bamboo needles for her to use.

K was born and raised in California. I think the tan and naturally blonde hair give it away. She is also wearing a San Diego T-shirt that I am coveting.

I wish I had given more thought to what I had brought myself to knit! On the plane ride to DC, I had run out of yarn for a custom piece that was long overdue for a Pinch Knits client. I kept kicking myself, not only because I failed to bring more yarn, but because I hadn’t even packed another project!  Luckily, I had some free time after one of the meetings to duck out to Knit and Stitch = Bliss in Bethesda. My fingers were crossed that I would find some sock yarn I’d never used before…or KPPPM (my favourite).

 

I ended buying two skeins of Claudia Handpaints in Blue Fields and some Brittany US 2 dpns, and cast on Spring Forward before I got on the plane. The yarn is pooling but I’m on the fence as to whether it bothers me. In general, I hate pooling, but because both colours are pooling consistently, I'm not sure it's really “pooling”. Since getting back from my business trip, it has been all Pinch Knits all the time and these socks have been banished to the bottom of the metaphorical knitting basket (i.e. under a pile of yarn on my desk). If I still wore socks, they would probably get finished much faster.

Comments

[lisa]

I'm self conscious about my love of the needle as well! Especially in Holland, where knitting isn't really trendy and where men think is is "charming" to make fun of you.

Also, it's funny how quickly people change their mind about knitting once given a nice yarn with bamboo or wood needles.

[Mary de B]

I think that pooling sock looks great! It will swirl around your leg.

[Stevie P]

I wish I had the idea of photographing your yarn baskets to display your obsession on the interwebs for all to see. Fortunately I had beach-brain. ;)

[sue]

I always love pooling, actually. "If I still wore socks" makes me laugh/cry.

[Gina]

Hey Alison!
Having just shivered through a week of rain and temperatures in the teens instead of high 20s "if I still wore socks" made me laugh. I don't think that's pooling. I think of pooling as blotches of colour. What you've got going on there is really pretty swirled bands of colour. Love it!
Also really love the skull armwarmers. I have 2 goth teen girls in my life who will go nuts for them.