« Wherein I persuade a coworker to drink the kool-aid | Main | Obsessive compulsive much? »

February 12, 2005

Class chatter and knit chit-chat

Class was insanity. Knitting is the new Pilates, everyone is doing it (including me). Except I would never do Pilates, because exercise can kill you.

My co-worker did indeed drive out to the Valley from San Gabriel and attend the knitting class at Lani's. There were two other beginners in the class besides her (and both picked really tiny yarn.... yikes...) plus me, Shannon, Linda (the instructor) and a lady who brought her daughter and about 27 unfinished knitting works-in-progress. I meant to tell the works-in-progress lady that her daughter was exceptionally well-behaved and lovely but I forgot, so next week I hope she's there. Nice kids are hard to find.

Needless to say, with that many new people (and we were at the small table since the needlepoint class was occupying the big table) I did not mention frogging my Tokyo scarf. It would have been an embarassing diversion and Linda was already swamped with needy knitters. Shannon and I chatted most of the time, she's working on her shawl and I decided to finish the fuzzy Crystal Palace scarf and learn casting off, thereby picking up one skill and prolonging the pain of scarf indecision for another week (I did buy two balls of Tokyo and Linda joined the yarn, so some probably futile work was done on it, but not too much.)

Co-worker Friend picked out a really pretty cotton tape and she's on size 13 needles so it should go fast. We didn't get to talk at all during class (we were at opposite ends of the table) and I felt really bad because Linda was busy, but as it turned out Meadow gave her some one-on-one instruction and she caught on really fast.

Note: How much do you love the Valley, where women in Uggs attend knitting class at a shop where a girl named Meadow can help you select a $25 hank of yarn?

Linda showed me how to cast off/bind off, and my fuzzy Crystal Palace scarf became my very first completed knitting project! I draped it around Shannon's neck to see how it looked ... and she looked amazing in it. It was totally right on her. She was fondling it ("ooooh, softy soft!") and I was so happy someone wasn't embarassed to wear a scarf I knitted that I happily gave it to her. And she genuinely liked it! I was pleased as peach pie. Nothing makes a Cancer girl happier than knitting someone a freakin' scarf, I will tell you that much.

After class the shop was still insanely busy, but I somehow managed to buy two pairs of Lantern Moon needles (size 15 and 13, both 14" long), the two balls of Tokyo for my possibly-about-to-be-frogged scarf, a fuzzy novelty yarn to maybe mix in the fringe of the may-be-frogged scarf, and an amazing hand-painted mohair in deepest blues and greens. I LOVE MOHAIR. LOVE it.

Karman picked up Shan after class and before long she was wearing the scarf I had just made. I was tickled pink. Hot damn, ya'll, I'm a knitter!

Posted by laurie at February 12, 2005 8:34 AM