Knitting in public
July 8th, 2004 by Donna
I’m a perfectionist, and generally a private person, but I’ve spent much of the last week reflecting on how much I like to knit in public. It feels both public and private at the same time - like I’m carving out my own space. 
I like it so much that this sock met John Kerry and John Edwards when they were in Cleveland yesterday - yes, I took my knitting to a political rally. Foolishly, I did not hold my sock up against the Kerry/Edwards banner to take my progress shot, but I did get asked about my knitting. Several people wanted to know what I was making, and were mightily impressed by my small birch needles (which exhibit a gentle bowing from use, thank you very much). I have reached the stage where I’m able to impress non-knitters with my needle-wielding skills (why, yes, this is very difficult - I’m breaking a sweat here!).
But this is what I find impressive - a sock heel that fits. (The fact that I like the sock *so* much because it fits so well is distracting me from the fact that my Lush sweater sleeve looks frighteningly long as I decrease for the cap). 
And here is where I admit that I must not be as much of a perfectionist as I think I am, because I will kit merrily away on socks that I know have mistakes in them. Did my stitches mysteriously rearrange themselves on the needle? Do I need to fudge the decreases to make the gusset come out (relatively) even? Is the toe a little wonky? No problem! The stitches are small! It’s going inside a shoe! Socks give me the freedom to make mistakes, full speed ahead!
In fact, I love to knit so much, that I will knit in public with stranger yarn. This photo was taken June 18, while Knit One Purl Too’s knitting book critiquing staff (aka my husband) and I were killing time on the east side of Cleveland before his brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner. Barnes and Noble helpfully had yarn on display with their knitting books, and I thought I was just silly that the yarn and that nice pair of Clover bamboo needles were going unused. So I cast on and started a scarf - it will be a permanent UFO, I’m sure, because by the time I get back to that store, the new hobby fad will probably be modelmaking. But I love the idea of an unsuspecting Barnes and Noble emplyee coming upon my secret knitting in public.
Bonus link: a preview of fall projects from Interweave Knits
Hey,
Did you use a different type of heel this time? How come it fits when others in the past didn’t? I am still trying to get to that wonderful fit handknit socks are supposed to have!
Glad to hear you brought your knitting to the Kerry/Edwards rally! I just started a Knittersforkerry blog and am interested in finding like-minded knitters. I am mostly a handknitter, but for this project I got a knitting machine so I could make things more quickly. I am part of a knitting machine group, but I am concerned they might all be from the other side, if you know what I mean, so I have not been sharing. I will be making some patterns for handknitting, but since there will be letters in them, they will require some fairisle techniques. Is there any need in the world for KERRY 2004 hat patterns?
I think you should go back to the store - or at least call them - and see if anyone finished your scarf!
(Don’t ask me how I ended up on such an old post; I’m not really sure myself!)