k.i.p. ... knitting in public. Yup, I do it.
(Do you?) When my daughter started her preschool classes this fall, I decided that most days I would stay nearby and use that quiet time to work on knitting. So I started hitting up local coffee shops and busting out the knitting bag. It's
my time, and I admit that after 3.5 years of stay-at-home momming with my favorite kiddo, it's a little bit of a treat to have a couple of hours to myself, two days a week.
Sometimes I feel like a spectacle, because some people will stop or hover over me and stare. I am shy about the whole thing anyway, so I always kind of look down while I work so I don't look like I'm showing off and saying 'HEY! Look at me; I'm the knitter girl! Knitting over here!'
But I really do love hearing other people's reactions and stories when they ask what I'm doing or what I'm working on. One man said the clicking sound of the needles reminded him of his late wife. Another man told me about his grandma, who lived past the age of 100. She claimed that knitting kept her joints limber, her mind sharp and said she never felt bored or lonely because of all the gifts she made for people. She was one of those knitters that you hear about who still kept knitting even though she eventually went blind; her fingers knew the way.
But the comment I get the most often? 'You look a little bit young to be doing that.' Or 'It's nice to see a young person knitting.' And that makes me smile. I tell them that there's a big resurgence in the craft scene these days and that lots of younger people are taking up knitting and sewing and embroidery. And I tell them that I teach knitting classes to a younger generation each fall/winter. They seem glad to hear it. And I'm glad to tell them. I like it. I like knitting in public.
