I Can Only Hope

HWWV, Mister Know-It-All, told me that the pics we took a couple hours ago of the socks I just knit and my new Fatbaby's were slightly marred by my Ballet Fingers. He said that the angle of my fingers was too formal with all the other stuff. That the picture seemed forced, what with the formality of the fingers, etc. etc. etc. (Stick spoon down throat about now for effect and let's all join along in screaming "At least they weren't Spirit Fingers!")

Listen, friends, these Ballet Fingers didn't come easy, what with all the years of "mom-required" Modern Dance lessons (mom was a fan of Twyla Tharp) and pottery classes at the park and rec. And yes, I've been called out by a yoga teacher or two. At least two of them have looked at my hands and said: "This isn't a ballet class! We're doing yoga! Point your body and fingers to the sky like you mean it! (or something to that effect), and then, of course, you might remember me talking about the time I was kicked out of Salsa class when the teacher called me out for sashaying when I was supposed to keep my upper body erect. She called me out about five times before my last moment there in the almost empty gym (I think there were four couples, the teacher, and a bad tape deck). I whispered to HWWV that I thought it was perfectly fine to sashay because life is too short not to. And so we left and danced in our living room instead.

Which reminds me why some days I wonder why I feel like I don't fit in with the knitting world. There, I said it. I don't feel like I fit in. I go to a yarn store and talk about something I'm knitting in the round, and someone almost always chimes in: I need some seams! I need structure!

Or I ask for two circulars in the same size and they ask what for? I say, I want to knit in the round, make some socks, have an extra circular for working a sleeve in the round, yadda yadda yadda, and then someone will invariably spout out: "You know, they make double pointed needles for that sort of thing."

But I don't want to knit pieces. I want to knit in the round or in one piece. If I need to shore something up, who says I can't just pick up stitches and knit from wherever and put some bias tape on the seam later for a little stability? Who says that I have to do things a certain way? It's my knitting. If I want to do it my way, who has a say? And if you want to knit in pieces, who says it's not okay?

Really and truly, I've spent a lot of time at the Home Depot and Lowe's or whatever DIY Store and I can't, for the life of me, remember the last time I heard a clump of lumber guys gang up on a weekend carpenter about their choice of wood glue or favorite wood working technique.

I want to sashay during Salsa and I want to crack a joke in church and I want to fake a limp for my chiropractor. Plus, I want to tell everyone about a conversation I had with friend who happens to be deaf and who is married to a man who is also deaf without feeling guilty because I'm so sick of being politically correct, so here it goes:

She said: "I have a really sweet dog; he's such a wonderful companion."

And I said: "Wow, that's great, and it must be nice to have a dog who can come get you when someone knocks at the door or when the phone rings,"

Then she said: "What? Are you kidding? That dog can't hear a thing."

I feel so much better now.

Socks are the DK weight Avery Allison Yarns hand-dyed superwash in Herb and Iris. I cranked this pair out in a day or two on size 4 needles (I could have gone with 5's). Very cool.

Comments

[Jenn]

Home Depot isn't the place for the woodworking pissing contests. Hang around a dedicated lumber-yard kind of place and you'll hear men trash-talking that will beat the socks off of anything women can dish out. And don't go near those hobby stores with the model airplanes that really fly.

But I hear you on thinking differently. I don't understand why people feel the need to jump in and make a big deal about their way of doing things. If I ask for help, then thanks, but otherwise MYOB. Who cares? As long as our hobby makes us happy.

It seems like a lot of truly creative types don't fit in. The thinking differently is what makes creativity flourish, but it's also what makes other people feel threatened or merely unable to understand.

[Nadine]

I love the Ballet Fingers! (I'm all about the ballet . . .)

[kuka]

Oooh, Wendy, you made me laugh with the salsa sashaying and the living room dancing!
You know what, there are always people who think they know better or turn up their nose at how someone else does something differently, I say they can get nicked!
Its YOUR knitting, so you do it just the way you want, and phooey to what anyone else thinks!!!
Lots of people drop by here every day to see you do your thing just exactly your way so don't you go changing!! =)

[CJ]

OK,seriously.....not to sound too stalker like, but I think I love you.....just kidding.....kinda....you said exactly what I've been thinking.....again I say "you go girl!!"

[pixie]

i find knitters in knitting shops very different then knitters on the interwebs :)

You know an internet knitter because they have circular knitting needles, hah.

[Xia]

People are way too nosy. Who cares how you knit? You fit in just fine!

[Terre]

If you are ever in Halifax, please, do stop in for coffee (I live around the corner from an LYS). And teach me ballet fingers, 'cause, I would kill for good hands and arms (I've been bellydancing, and childhood ballet totally would come in handy about now).

About this right/wrong nonsense. Who gives a crap? I mean really. I had no idea seams vs non-seams was so controversial. Next time someone brings it up, switch to a safer topic, like politics religion :)

Good story.

[Debbie]

Oh honey, you totally rock and that is why we like you. Life should be sashayed through!

Personally I think knitting in the round is rather brilliant! No seams! Oh the joy of no seams.

Can hardly wait for your book.

[Milly]

If your ever in Williamsburg stop by Knitting Sisters, they teach no classes of anything using double pointed needles. (I asked) They are all about the round and magic loop type methods.
And I think ballet hands are way better than jazz hands!

[Trine]

"It's my knitting and I'll rant if I want to, rant if I want to, raaant if I want to! You would rant too if it happened to you!!"

You go Wendy. Do things your way. Cliques form with all hobbies, all with their perfect way of doing things, complete with master guru and all. Ugh.
I like doing in the round, too, because my seaming skills are non-existant. I have several circs in the same size because I use the same range a lot, so I can have several things going at one time on the same size needle, without having to shift projects around. And DPNs aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Hooray for politically incorrect!

[Laura Bullins]

You do fit in in the knitting world. You must just be going to the wrong yarn stores. At my LYS there are classes on all three techniques for knitting in the round (DPN, 2 circ, magic loop)and they have almost completely stopped carrying straight needles. The only people who buy them are the beginners who need them for their scarves and washcloths.

p.s. I like your hands. They remind me of my moms hands. And also my hands, because we have very similar hands. And I love my moms hands. I hope that doesn't creep you out.

[rudee]

What? The deaf don't have a sense of humor? I thought that was funny and I think being PC is pretty much overrated. Thanks for the laugh.

[Lynn]

Yay for knitting in one piece! I HATE seaming. And using double pointed needles is akin to wrestling with a hedgehog . . . (in my opinion)

[Celeste]

I just picked up a pattern last night for Blue Sky Alpaca and in the instructions it says to create the front panel on a circular needle. A side note said it could be done on straight needles. I giggled quite profusely.

The great thing about knitting is that if someone gets one of your patterns and wants a seam, they can put a seam in. Knitting is all about making things to fit ourselves (or the recipient) and not about following rules hard and fast.

Keep sashaying and giving ballet fingers (hmm, sounds like a very sweet way of being rude, haha).

[Sarah]

Psh, crap yarn shops, then. The person there is supposed to help you do what you want to do, not what they think is best.

One of the people at the place I work said she realized that knitting shops are just conventions of control freaks.

[Emily]

I'm right there with you girl! I go to all sorts of lengths to avoid anything not knit in the round. Those gals at the LYS are just jealous, or ignorant or both!

[Ruinwen]

I love in-the-round. I adore no seams. You should see the faces at my LYS when I teach them to spit join. lol Georgous socks! :)

[lyn]

i hate knitting in pieces...i've got random pieces laying here...laying there...all from my first few attempts at knitting things in pieces. they're STILL in pieces...and always will be.

[June]

Innovative thinkers have always made "regular" people uncomfortable, but the latter can silence their cognitive dissonance by trash talking the opposition.

(http://www.mistakesweremadebutnotbyme.com/html/criminal_justice.html)

[Katherine]

I feel the same way because I love dpns and other knitters jump on me about not trying magic loop! To make matters worse I'm an English thrower and I get flack for that. Why can't we be accepting of each others methods and foibles? You are right Wendy--life's too short for not sashaying. Love your ballet fingers!

[Lynae]

I had my local LYS lady ask me the other day why I was purchasing two circs in the same size...I was actually really surprised since they do a class there on socks on two circs!

I wanted to ask if you have a preference for where we purchase your book?

[CN]

What sock pattern did you use?

[Nancy]

check out the Prolific Knitter by Catherine Cartwright, she has the right attitude about knitting, who cares what others think, that's their problem, not yours

knitting is for your expresssion and so what if sometimes what started out as a king sized spread ends up as a shawl

as for the fingers, just be glad you have them....as you well know, better than knitting or playing guitar with your toes :)

[jenny]

great photo! hands and all. love the new boots AND socks!

[Wendy]

The book will be available at yarn shops and online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble (and the brick and mortar shops like Barnes and Noble and Borders, etc.)

As for a pattern for the socks? Didn't follow one. Just cast on 44 sts and worked a basic sock with short row heels and toes in contrast color. . . (and I did them using magic loop, one at a time.)