Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I Didn’t Know

There were so many things I didn’t know when I took up knitting.

I didn’t know I was going to need umpteen-million needles, or notions, or project bags.

I didn’t know I was going to need a digital camera.

I didn’t know I was going to buy so much yarn I’d have to stop teasing my mother about her fabric habit.

I didn’t know that I’d find myself surrounded by expectant mothers, who would cry over hand knit baby sweaters.

I didn’t know that knitting could make me laugh, or cry.

I didn’t know that lifelong friends could be found on the internet, when the only things we had in common to begin with were computers and a yarn habit.

I didn’t know that knitting makes an overbooked doctor’s office seem like a wonderful opportunity to get a few rounds in on a sock.

I didn’t know that it’s possible to take longer to decide which projects to take with me on vacation than it is to decide about the clothes I’m going to wear when I get there.

I didn’t know I could lose yarn in my own house. (Yeah, still looking for that darned stuff)

I didn’t know that I’d go shoe shopping one day with the express purpose of finding shoes to show off my hand knit socks.

Clogs-01

Anybody else? What didn’t you know when you took up knitting?

11 comments:

KT said...

I didn't know I would start thinking sheep were so cute and craning my neck when we pass a flock of sheep by the side of the road. :) Oh, looky - sheep!

Great post!

Shan said...

I didn't know I was learning the single most comforting coping skill in the world.

Bridget said...

I love this post!

I'll add: I didn't know that finishing something I knitted and then having someone wear it would make me so excited.

Anonymous said...

i didnt know how much i was capable of, and i continue to surprise myself. its the most pleasing discovery. i also didnt know all the things you didnt know, and i love that we've still got more to find out!

Rose Red said...

I too learnt all those things - especially the friendship one - I truly didn't know it was possible to make such good friends over the internet and knitting.

Donna Lee said...

I didn't know I could fall asleep sitting up with needles in hand ("just one more row")
I didn't know that wool could be soft and not scratchy
I didn't know I had the stick-to-it-iveness needed to finish a large knitted project.
And yea, I didn't know yarn could get lost.(I mean, shouldn't it stay where I put it?)

knitseashore said...

I didn't know that finished projects would become tokens of wonderful memories from various times in my life. I love looking at things I've made, for myself and others, and remembering where I was knitting the object and what was happening at the time.

Chandler said...

I didn't know that random strangers would stop me in the street and asked me which pattern I used for something I was wearing! I love close encounters of the knitting kind.

essjay said...

Such a lovely post!

I didn't know knitting could be such a wonderful social outlet.

Mereknits said...

I didn't know that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they knit. Knitters who knit tightly need to be in control, knitters who knit loose, tend to go with the flow. I am a tight knitter!!! I love this blog post, just found your blog...it is lovely.

catsmum said...

well for a start I didn't know that it would be something I'd still have a passion for almost 50 years later [ I started at 7 ]
Like KT I wouldn't have anticipated the cute sheep [ and alpacas and goats ] thing
or the sense of belonging to a worldwide caring community of likeminded men and women