Today, unless you hadn’t heard, is a High Holy Day in the land of knitting. Yes Poppets, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, today is International World Wide Knit In Public Day, and no…I didn’t make it up. (Some non-knitters read this blog, and I didn’t want them thinking that I just nominated a day myself.) Get out there and do your part. I am making a good show of it, and have already knit in two cabs, three airports, two airplanes and two countries. (A great big Hi! to the knitter I saw making something blue and in the round on dpns (maybe a big hat?) in the Portland Airport and another big Hi to the knitter making a fluffy yellow something (maybe a blanket?) in the Seattle airport. I was too shy to speak to you, but I saw you, and sent warm vibes your way. Covering the airports is difficult work, but it’s good to know I am not alone in my mission this day.)
Last night I did my thing in Portland, (whatever my thing is…) and after they had a difficult time integrating knitters last year, Powells got a way better grip on their knitterly reality last night. I do admit (a little bit) that the knitterness can be a little odd to the uninitiated.
For example, here’s Auntiemichal with an Oregon Washcloth for my collection.
Comment from a bystander – “What’s up with the State Cloths? Is it like spoons?” (Like spoons? Sometimes I don’t know what non-knitters are thinking.)
This is Peggy and Nikolai.
Nicolai brought his book for me to sign. I advised him that typically, I do only sign books that I write…but “The Magic School Bus” series is darned good, and the young gentleman was adamant…..
This here is Jodi…
It’s her birthday!
I met Fyberduck (my pictures of her are unflattering and do not do her justice. I shall not post them. You can visit her blog, she has a nicer one) who seemed stunned that I “knew” her. (Remember people, you read blogs, I read blogs. Two way street. Nothing stunning about it.) Next up was Kathy…
This is Kathy. Kathy makes the best samosas in the world.
Now, I know this because she brings them to me when I am in her part of the world. (I am a very, very lucky knitter.) Last night when I saw her, I felt a rush of excitement, but Kathy (who I like very much, even were she to bring me nothing but her smile) did not even Smell Like Samosas. Turns out that she brought me a new treat. Scones made with special Oregon cherries. Very, very yummy. I ate them last night, this morning and on the plane. Totally as good as samosas. (Almost as good as her smile.)
Rodger, Abundant Yarns blogger and the host of their Mens Knitting Night.
Representing for the less-often knitting gender, who brought along a (slightly reluctant but charming) model wearing a sweater he made using screen shots from the movie Tristan and Isolde. (I love knitters who don’t let something as trivial as a lack of a pattern stop them.)
Now this…This here is Christy.
She is part of the single sock liberation movement, bravely struggling on in the face of the two sock hegemony. (Socks that come only in pairs are LIMITED THINKING.)
Meet Sarah and her first sock…
Chris….
Chris is high enthusiasm. I assure you.
Shaina took my picture with a Polaroid camera,
and something about that dissolved me into a fit of giggles that took moments to recover from. (It was the noise. It was some strange flashback.)
Chrissy (who gave me a great breastfeeding slogan tee shirt the last time I saw her, has only upped her cool by becoming Gardiner Yarnworks.
It warmed my heart to see her friends were encouraging her in her business. Stick together ladies, it’s a big world out there.
This is a rare photo of Monica pdx in the wild.
(I can’t believe that I just got the pdx thing.)
Meet Jane, who came to the signing to remind me what to aspire to.
Jane is holding the lace shawl that she is knitting,
out of her own handspun laceweight. There is nothing wrong with Jane’s skills, let me tell you. I am just grateful that Jane is not 22 years old, because I like to believe it takes some time to be that good, and if she had just taken up knitting and spinning mere months ago I would have had to mar our lovely meeting by smacking her. (Jane…if you just took up knitting and spinning? Don’t tell me.)
This the charming lady Tammy….
was Portlands hat lady. (In a very charming note of symmetry, Tammy collects…you guessed it. Spoons.) She is a delight and a wonder, as is all of Portland. I love it there.
Finally for today, since I keep forgetting to get one of these nice knitters to take a photo of my finished sweater, I did it myself this morning in ….well. The place I was in when I saw a full length mirror.
The ladies washroom at the Seattle Airport. Sigh. I do what I can.