Have I mentioned that I decided to take a knitting class?

In someone's journal that I recently read the whole thing of (Sarah? Weetabix? One of them, I think), she took a quilting class, and I thought that I'd like to take a knitting class, and why don't I?

But where? I know that they give knitting classes in yarn stores, but how do you find the right one? Well, as far as I'm concerned, if you want to find the best of anything in NY, you go to New York Magazine, and yes, I found Best Yarn Store! You can always count on New York Magazine, I say.

So I called them up and asked if they had any classes coming up for rank beginners (I learned to knit from my mother twice, and both times I forgot how, not to mention the fact that she never taught me how to finish), and they did, starting tonight!

Of course I decided to do this before getting cast in the Durang I am doing, and before the possibility of doing Midsummer, so I ended up with this coming at a time where I don't really have time for it, but you know what, if I waited for my schedule to clear, I'd never do anything.

Everyone was laughing when I told them I was going to be knitting.

"Guess what I'm doing tonight? Learning to knit!"
"What are you, ninety?"
"Wait, I got a better one, I'm taking my first knitting class tonight and my mother is spending the afternoon hang gliding!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope, she is entering her second childhood simultaneously with my entering my first little-old-ladyhood."

So yeah, she hang-glided and had an absolute blast (apparently, there are pictures), and I knitted and had less excitement, I'll wager, but plenty of fun.

I left work later than I wanted to, since I had to get from my office to a point in the city pretty much exactly as far away as it could get and still be in the same borough, but I took an eleven dollar cab ride and made it on time.

It's a small class, only five of us, and I am the oldest by at least fifteen years. All these young girls, either in college or barely out, brandishing knitting needles, I wonder why they decided to do it? One said that she had lost her boyfriend's hat and had promised to make him a new one, but the others, I don't know. I might not even know why I'm taking it, though I think it's just because after awhile you forget that you can learn something new whenever you feel like it, and that's what I want, knowledge and skill.

One is a photographer, one is an actress and is very dramatic and loudmouthed, though I certainly vied for the role of the person who jabbers on the most (I'm in a self-help group for people who talk too much, Alanon-and-on-and-on), I think we might have tied. I did occasionally talk about something other than myself, so I did actually lose some points there.

Our teacher was a substitute, actually, and he taught us to cast-on explaining that our regular teacher prefers a different cast on, and one can only hope that hers is easier, because this cast-on was like some sort of insane version of cat's cradle invented by a nearsighted octopus. My dyslexia kicked in big time, I probably was shown it ten times before I was able to do more than one stitch in a row.

You hold your fingers in a vee, then take the yarn under there, then over there, then through there, then around there, then you stand on your head, spit over your shoulder and sacrifice a chicken. After we had been knitting for about twenty minutes, I announced "Okay, I have officially forgotten how to cast-on!"

The knitting was fun, we learned the knit stitch, then he showed a couple of us how to purl as well, since we were getting along so fast. My only real problem is that I am knitting a trifle too tight, it's like a battle to get the needle in there. He says that that's common with beginning students, that we fear that the yarn will suddenly fly off the needle unless we get it on good and tight.

On my way out, I saw these scarves by the door that were so beautiful I about fainted. They were knit with this terribly thin and fluffy mohair yarn, knit on big needles, so they were full of holes--they were like spiderwebs, so light you could barely feel them. I immediately said, "I want to make these!" and the teacher said, "O those are so easy! It's just the knit stitch all the way, and one skein makes a scarf!

I guess I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year!

Lenten entries missed:

Renee wrote a beautiful letter to her son, talked about the Olympics, and hated her voice.

Today's horoscope:
Communications about professional matters hit home. You're on target with your analyses.

One year ago today:
I guess Leno has become too ugly-natured for me to want to see anymore.

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Last Updated Sat 25 May 00:13:09 2002