Something to Learn

Yesterday, I went to the monthly meeting of my local knitting guild. The education part of the meeting was knitting 2 socks on 2 circs. I already know how to do that, but the meetings are fun anyway.

One of the reasons I like going is because I always feel so young. I am, by far, one of the youngest people there. It's the exact opposite at other knitting groups I attend from time to time. I have a good time at those get-togethers, too, but I really can't relate to many of the women's tales of their children's escapades. At the knitting guild meetings, it's all about the knitting. I feel as though I'm among my "kind."

As usual, I took a trusty sock to work on. Before the meeting, one of the women expressed interest in what I was doing. So, I gave her an impromptu Magic Loop lesson. Most of the knitters in my groups kind of look down on Magic Loop; they are more tolerant of the 2 circs method. Go figure.

The group I was in for the lesson was taught by a woman who, I must admit, intimidates me. She's a Master Knitter, has taught many techniques for a long time, and she's kind of scary. It just so happens that I sat next to her during the lesson. And boy did I learn a lesson--and not just about 2 circs. She admitted she didn't care for Magic Loop (I think she just needed a longer cable), but we were both in strong agreement that people should use whatever method they're comfortable with--they should just do it. We began talking about Aran knitting (my next goal), and she showed me how to do a provisional cast-on. When another knitter came over to check out my sock, which I was, of course, knitting from the toe up, the Master Knitter heard me say I generally use the Turkish cast-on. She told me that she had a student who wanted to learn that, but she didn't know how to cast-on that way. I gave her some pointers and an Internet source. We talked about spinning and lamented on how hard it is to make money in fiber.

When I left the meeting--much later than I had intended--I realized I had learned a lot, but about things more important than knitting 2 socks on 2 circs.