October 27, 2011

City of Knitters

Last night's event was just outside of Los Angeles, and boy, was it a doozy. Just being in LA always freaks me out a little.  The palm trees, the cars - the outdoor swimming pools open even through it's almost November... it's a lot for a Canadian to absorb.  I walked to the event, and even that was weird because I swear to you, without a word of a lie, me and a homeless guy were the only ones on the sidewalk.  I got the feeling that walking places isn't really a Pasadena thing.  I arrived and went upstairs and could see that things were already going to be a little out of control in the way that freaks non-knitter bookstore people out - and I was right.  They were dong a good job, but you could tell by the looks on their faces that the realization that this many knitters walk among them was a big of a leap.  Behold.  The knitters of LA.



I did my thing, and then I got a surprise when the signing line formed.  Turns out that knitters are sneaky, and the reason that the store seemed more worried than I was had to do with all the knitters I couldn't see.  Knitters behind the stacks, on the stairs... knitters lurking all places.  It was a horde, for sure, but a horde that I like.  

First off, I met Jean and her lovely baby Daphne.

Daphne was (except for the odd man who burst in mid-reading worrying about some problem with the police) the only person not smiling, I think.  (I respect her seriousness.  Clearly Daphne is doing some big thinking. Probably about fine motor control and when she can learn to knit.)
Then came the parade of first sock knitters.  Cindy, Aty and Christine had beautiful first socks.



So did Pat and Teressa.



...and with that, the veneer began to crack. Next up were Debra and Sandy, and their first socks -

as well as what Sandy said was her "last sock" which made me think she was giving it up, but I think what she meant was that it was her most recent.
Then came Catherine, who (FINALLY) represented for those of us who have trouble getting things together sometimes, and brought me:

A truly crappy, misshapen first sock.  Sing it sister!  She was followed by Linda:


Who brought her "third first sock".  I reminded her that we call third first socks "third socks" but she told me that this is her third attempt without getting anything that looks like a sock, which is my kind of knitter.
Finally in the first sock department we have Mary Ellen.   Mary Ellen walked up to me and said "I don't have a first sock, so I knit a tiny chicken"

Alright then.  You know, I couldn't make this stuff up.
For the record, it was a fantastic tiny chicken.

Karin brought me a little Canadian stocking for my Christmas tree,

Rowan and Jason showed up to show off her first pattern - Chromatography.

Mary brought a picture of her friend Angie, who was supposed to come, but got stuck at work,

Even though she dressed up in her best knitter stuff.
Allison fixed a spot on her sweater by snipping and grafting - she's another Black Ops knitter.

Loren did something really sweet.  She started a scarf at the signing, then passed it all around while I was talking, and the whole lot of them put in a few rows for me. 

I love it, and isn't she nice?
Christine brought her picture of her getting Allan Tudyk (from Firefly!) to hold a sock.

And finally, there was Danielle, who's son works at the bookstore, and is an avid crocheter.  Her son called her from the store and told her there was "a big yarn thing"

So she ran over, like we all would.

Next stop, Seattle!





Posted by Stephanie at October 27, 2011 8:00 PM