Inserting Foot, as Usual

I don't normally knit in public. I don't do it for pretty much any other reason than it can be difficult to knit while standing, or walking or when I'm supposed to look like I'm paying attention to someone talking. In the past, I've knit in a dark theater or two, but I have to admit that if someone else were knitting with those lighted needles somewhere in front of me or beside me, it would bug me. I mean, the theater is dark for a reason.

Yesterday, Girlfriend had a birthday party to attend at Build-a-Bear, and knowing that I'd be standing there doing nothing for a couple hours, I thought it'd be a great idea to take along some socks, the ones I'm knitting with the Medium Weight Socks that Rock, which by the way, I'm enjoying more than the lighter-weight stuff. After the girls got settled in, and all the parents took a few steps back to watch the goings on, I looked left. Then I looked right. Then I leaned up against a dog house, carrier, purse and studded collar display and pulled out the project from my GoKnit Pouch.

You'd think, by the way some of the mothers eyed me, that I was breastfeeding someone else's kid.

It might be that I'm a little ill at ease, but Build-a-Bear is probably not a great place to knit in public. I kept it up, however, and ended up sitting on the floor in the toilet corridor.

I thought about it for awhile, and decided it wasn't so much the knitting. It was that the gals there were, for the most part, super busy working moms who can't take the time, or probably don't have the time, to do things like knit. Or, maybe they just weren't interested in the idea of someone knitting at a birthday party. Also, the people there at Build-a-Bear don't seem like a crafty bunch. I mean, my idea of fun wouldn't be to stuff someone else's pre-made fabric animal. I'd want to sew one or knit one myself. The kids, they loved every minute, though. You should have seen them fight over the fake bathtub when it was time to give their stuffed pets a bath.

That said, I'm still stitching the Temari balls like crazy. I even ran into a group of advanced Temari stitcher's at my LYS yesterday, having a class. Interesting thing, though: When I walked in, they were having a rousing discussion on how to, or whether or not to, block hand-knitted socks (seems like some of them are knitters).

"Eh, just stick your feet in them when they're done," I remarked, breezing past.

(Ooops. I did it again. Just got caught nursing someone else's kid.)

BTW: You'll note there's a new Knit and Tonic button on my sidebar. Thanks, Christy, for sending it to me!  If any of you want to take it, go ahead, but link it using your own bandwidth, or whatever it is you're supposed to do or not do.

Oh, and another aside: When the socks are complete, like in an hour, I'm going upstairs to see how many balls of that Louisa Harding cashmere blend they were selling on Elann.com the other week that I have in my stash. I have a terrible urge to knit a tiny cardigan. You know, one with little cap sleeves and perhaps a little bead or embroidery work on the front.

Comments

[Amanda]

Girlfriend is getting so big!

You know, she probably didn't think anything of you knitting at the Build-a-Bear party, so who cares what the other snooties think.

The Temari balls are beautiful. Are they hard to make?

[Debbie]

Wendy, you're uh, balls are awesome. I'm wondering if your little girl is totally amazed by the beautiful balls? Has she asked to make one? I would think she would love to make one. They're amazing.

[Mel Nunn]

How completely bizzarre? What is wrong with our pre-fab generation?? I experienced the same thing whilst waiting to pick my daughter up from Kindergarten. I was in my car finishing the toe of my first pair of socks. I had several strange glances as mothers walked past my car. Anyone would think I was in the back seat killing some time with my husband!!

It really is a shame that if not for the minority of us that actually make things from scratch the crafts, the patterns and the recipes of yesterday would be lost.

P.S. I love your blog and your sense of humour!!

[Wendy]

No, they aren't hard, at least the beginner ones I'm making at the moment. The center pictures are balls made by the advanced group. You can see the ones in the bowl, the ones I've made the past week, are a lot less advanced and not as neat. Still, I'd say it's easier (and very fast--you can make one in a couple hours) to master this than a difficult stitch pattern or lace pattern in knitting.

[Wendy]

Girlfriend has requested a ball of her very own that jingles. She even chose three colors. By the way, did you know that I add bells inside of them? So charming and I'm hooked!

[knittingnurse]

Dudette, your temari balls absolutely ROCK! I started one waaaaaaaayyyyyyy back and now you are inspiring me to find it and finish it up. I even got a book from my local library. I had forgotten how stunning they are when they are done and YES, girlfriend definitely needs one, one with a cute little bell inside of it for sure. Hey, did your instructor tell you to put your ball in a teeny box too? My (years ago) said they actually 'ring' better when the bell is inside a box. Who'dda thunkit?

Oooh, and what three colors did girlfriend pick?

[pixie]

I always feel akward knitting in public, but i think it's wonderful you did. I always feel like people will judge me which I know is really silly. I hate it when people say "oh where do you find the time" or something. It's silly, you make time for the things you enjoy. It could be pedicures, shoe shopping or watching 24. It's not like just because a person knits they have lots of free time, they are just doing it while the other person is doing something else.

[Wendy]

She chose a really bright orange, a sunflower yellow and an ecru-ish tan.

[eyeleen]

Your temari balls are beautiful!

Good for you for knitting in public. Before, I never knit in public, now it seems as though the only time I have to knit is when I'm out, but sometimes it still makes me self-conscious.

[Judy]

I knit at my kids' events all the time...they are teenagers, and we've had Spring Chorus Concert, Spring Band Concert, band practice for graduation, picking up band son after some performance or other, and I don't know what else, just in the past two weeks alone. Most of my socks were knitted either in the car waiting for someone after practice, or at the performance.

Throw in doctors' appointments for me or them, and if you don't KIP you are losing a lot of valuable knitting time! I find that people look jealous that I have something to do besides sit there, usually.

Now if I could just get up the nerve to knit in meetings at work...

[Miz Booshay]

A ball that jingles.
I like that :o)

Now. I can tell you why the ladies are staring, cause girl, you don't realize how beautiful you are. They are thinking all sorts of things...and I'll bet they are things like, "look at that beautiful woman, I wish I had to patience to knit AND she is rasing that adorable Girlfriend', and her husband, have you seen him. He wears Versace."

[Deanna]

I knit in public all the time. Drives my daughter (12) crazy. She says I can go to her events as long as I don't knit. It is sooo embarrassing. Of course my breathing is embarrassing to her too so I just knit away.

[flutter]

I love your balls. Wow. That was wrong.
Well, not really because I do. I also don't block socks, I just cram my feet in and go along on my merry way

[LaurieM]

Uhm, hello? Super busy working moms do so knit. Some of us knit a lot.

[Monique]

J E A L O U S Y !!!!

I used to feel nervous about the looks others gave me (a throw back to middle and high school angst) in response to my knitting in public. They really just want you to offer to teach them how to do it for themselves. Really! Go on and offer to show them how. You'll be busy, busy, busy in no time.

[anne]

Your balls are prettier than their balls.

That makes a wonderful search term for searching blogs, doesn't it?

Really, though, the balls in the bowl strike me as prettier and more intricate than the ones on the table. But all of them are gorgeous.

[Miss Scarlett]

It seems every kid I know is going to Build A Bear lately.

I love those Temari balls - they are so beautiful.

Hey - I didn't even know there were such things as sock blockers until a short time ago - I thought you did just stick them on your feet. I don't really see the difference in the end?

[thea]

I hear you on the looks - I'm the Mom knitting on the playground and at the birthday parties around here. The ONLY Mom. I think the looks are beacause you aren't more interested in the chatting. I even like the other Moms, and sometimes they'll sit with me (in the bathroom hall or wherever) but really, I can't concentrate on the chatting when there's a project to be done... and playground, lessons or party times are the best because they're busy, and you're not. If only I could bring a cocktail too - but then the looks would be for whole different reason!

[Gaile]

I love that photo of you sitting in the corner. You look so happy and relaxed (not to mention lovely). So who cares what the other moms think, you are obviously doing something right! Let 'em stare! And your Temari balls continue to tempt me to try this.

[Sandra Mort]

I'm not really very good at knitting yet, but I am definitely not wasting possible KIP time. I was tailing the toddler at the playground the other day with my circular needles in hand working on the middle kid's birthday present. Not as neat or even as I'd like... but it was getting done, right?

[Tammy]

I knit anywhere, anytime (just about). I'd much rather handle a few stares than get bored with empty hands. (Well, that and my tendency towards extreme discomfort and awkwardness in a variety of situations.) I love my Go-Knit pouch... it's been everywhere with me. Literally. Now that you mention it. I think I need a bigger one.

[Cheri]

I knit just about anywhere, and I've thought about buying one of those Go Knit pouches, but really I mostly knit in the car while waiting for kids.

I took my daughter and two of her friends to build a bear today for my daughter's birthday. She and I had never been..that's quite a place...wow...I don't think I'll ever go on a weekend again (except that our neighborhood ran out of water today and so staying home wasn't a very attractive option). If I'd tried to knit at B-a-B today I probably would have stabbed someone with a needle!

[Pam]

I say, keep on knitting in public. I proudly sit outside my building at the university where I work during lunch hour knitting away. The older (my age +)women just give me "the eye," but often male professors stop to see what I'm making and seem to enjoy following my progress. The college girls will often sit next to me and ask questions and then tell me about their half-made scarves. Sometimes I even run into Rachel, of I Dream of Knitting fame. I think the older women are jealous.

[Leslie]

Wendy,

I knit everywhere I go. Don't care if people don't like it, don't care what they think. I always have one project in my car so that if some knitting time comes up, I'm ready. If people give me funny looks, I wouldn't notice, I'm too busy knitting. :)

[Lizbon]

Two thoughts:

1. Perhaps the other moms are giving you looks because they realize that a woman who knits her own socks could be designing all kinds of bears from scratch - and maybe they're feeling inadequate about that.

2. You suburban ladies have it rough. Or is it the SoCal thing? Whatever it is, you wouldn't believe the weirdness I got away with in a NYC Starbucks today. Nobody batted an eyelash.