knitterly redemption

Went to see the Yarn Harlot in Brooklyn Saturday, and was well entertained. More than entertained, there was a kind of redemption that occurred, however fleeting.

I met up with Seth for dinner; my plan was to have dinner with him, dash off to the talk, then meet back up with him and his friends afterward. Apparently I didn't convey this well, as at dinner he asked, "So, who is it we're going to hear talk tonight?" Trying to explain that you want to listen to someone talk about knitting is a little like confessing that you're a loopy old spinster. And there were already so many strikes against me - I live in New Jersey, I fall asleep by 11pm, even on Saturdays. I haltingly explained to him that she was a knitter, a blogger, and an author, that I didn't mind meeting back up with him afterward, that he really didn't have to come with me. Then his phone rings and it's the girlfriend, she's going to be joining us. Fantastic - now I have two of the uninitiated who are going to come to the ridiculous peeling away of all that is even the tiniest bit cool about me, leaving me at my most naked, complete with my bag of knitting at my feet. Damnit; I'd really hoped these people would like me.

Although I entered the bookstore behind them, feeling pre-emptively embarrassed, I left with my head held high and a smile on my face. Suffice to say that Seth laughed louder than I did, that Jen pulled the ladder over so she could see the Yarn Harlot over the heads of the many devoted followers, and both were entertained enough that short of bathroom and cigarette breaks, they stood beside me for the entire hour-long talk. Hundreds and thousands of books all around us, and they weren't to be torn away.

Does it get better? Indeed. On our way back to meet others we discussed some of the terminology they'd missed (muggles, stash, etc.). When their friends arrived, Seth and Jen told them about the talk, and for a brief shining moment I was cool because of all of us, I was the only one who was an actual knitter. They asked me how I'd come to "pick up" the habit, and I reassured them that it had taken several learning experiences (six, I think) before knitting "stuck." Seth and Leade had already tried a couple of times, and both looked hopeful that maybe if they tried again it might become habit. Jen had never tried, but seemed optimistic. Perhaps I should qualify this a little bit: it turns out that every one of us was from the midwest. We had almost every state represented (depending on who is considered "midwest" - this is a topic for an entire blog). Maybe knitting is deep in their genetic makeup and simply needed this wakeup call.

So my thanks go out to the Yarn Harlot - through your humor and charm, you rescued me from almost certain social disaster.