I have an extra copy of The Joy of Sox. I want to give it away.
After my stunning performance at the Stitch and Pitch - would it be possible to look more bored? - I want to hear your stories about knitting in public.
Please leave a comment or email me (email address on the right hand side of this page... ) with your best knitting in public story. Best/most amusing/most embarrassing knitting in public story wins the book. 2 runners-up will get a selection of my sock patterns.
If you enter, you agree to let me publish the story here - so consider the embarrassment level. Entry deadline: midnight EDT September 4th. My good friend, marketing goddess and shameless knitter-in-public, MMJ (on Ravelry, on Twitter) will help me judge.
7 comments:
I have been thinking hard. I can't think of any really embarassing moments. There was once, we canoed out to a swim raft where I got out to knit while the others in the canoe went on their merry way, fishing, I think. Only a few minutes later I realized I didn't have something vital with me--probably the pattern, LOL. I was stuck on the swim raft for nearly an hour!
Thats a tough one, I'm not sure if I've had an embarrassing moment knitting in public, but plenty of frustrating ones (attempting to explain why I won't knit a sweater for a complete stranger...even if they DO pay me for it!)
If I had to pick just one story though, it would be this;
I was riding the streetcar (minding my own business of course) and knitting a very cute lacy hat with bobbles. I was sitting in one of those 2 people seats, closest to the window, when I noticed someone hovering near me. I'm used to this, no problem, I kept knitting...Oh, and the streetcar was almost empty by the way, this person had a prime selection of seats!
Next, the hovering person decided that she needed a closer look. She sat down in the seat right next to me. Fine, I know that I like to have my personal space, but some people just don't care; maybe I sat in her favourite seat? I tried to convince myself of this. But when she turned to face me and leaned her head over my arm to stare directly at my knitting hands, I realized that she was insane...and not in that "i'm just another kook on the TTC way" she was crazy like "I love to get into people's personal space and freak them out but I don't think there's anything wrong with it!" kinda way.
Well, needless to say, I was freaked out! I tried to continue knitting for a while but she just leant in closer and closer! In the end I put my knitting away and turned to look out the window. The hovering lady promptly lost interest and moved to another seat. I was not impressed!
I havent been knitting long enough to have anything real crazy. But I had to take my mom to the hospital one day before she passed away.. and we were in the observation room.. so well she was resting I sat there knitting and er doctor thought he was being funny and cracked some wise arse joke about the crazy knitter in the er...... well he thought he was funny period and in his own episode of scrubs or something... he humor did not amuze me.. thank god I had something to knit to calm me down..
otherwise I might have bobbed him over the head !!!!
Awwww, I don't have any embarrasing knitting in public stories besides the inevitable dropped kneedles. Though while showing a friend what the sock I was knitting, instead of using the spare 5 kneedle to contine, I pulled out one of the 4 in use. Much muttering was in effect as I slowly picked up the live stiches & fixed the dropped ones...
Does this mean the book is out & available to puchase? I have to go shopping...
How about a 'fond' memory of KIP? When I was in early labour (I go right from 'early' to 'delivery' with not much in between), I was walking and knitting around the wing. Some of the nurses were knitters, so one went to another wing and got me a gown with a pocket on the front (used for heart monitors or something) to keep the yarn in cause I kept dropping it. They were amused to watch me walk and knit while in labour! LOL.
Mine is embarrassing to the other person more than it was to me. I am a guy who knits. And usually this in and of itself stimulates reactions and comments where I am convinced a woman doing the same thing would be ignored. The best one recently was at the Champlain Valley Fair, where the woman said, "Some of the greatest knitters in the world were men," in a voice that was as if she was talking to a kindergarten child. But I digress.
The best story happened at a local movie theater where we go to see the Live Metropolitan Opera HD broadcasts. I knit before the show and during intermissions. It's always a sock.
I was standing in the lobby with my husband and knitting and chatting. This woman walks over and stares at me. I'm kind of used to this and I just wait for the questions. But instead, she said aloud to no one in particular, "Well, well, well. I've always heard that there were male knitters but I've never actually seen one before."
She never really engaged me in conversation. It was more like I was an exhibit at the Knitting Zoo: The Elusive Male Knitter.
Oh, and I know I'm after the deadline, but thought I'd share the funny.
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