You would think after selling two houses, buying another, moving out of two houses into another, promptly not unpacking, and eventually helping transition Mom to Assisted Living and then prepping her house for sale would be enough for the year.
But no.
I have to decide if I am Super Woman.
And If I can stupidly go where no man would ever dare go: the local knitting group.
I can see you shaking your head.
What has this got to do with island living?
And I tell you this.
Everything.
A knitting group in the East on an island is like a microcosm of Yankee Living.
Hell, any group in the East on an island is, lol.
Think your local legends, plus intensity.
And I am a wash-ashore (one who is not from the island but moves here).
But I digress.
My first foray into local fare started when I received an email via Ravelry from a lovely Englishwoman planning to visit the island to spend time with relatives. She wanted to attend a knitting group, and wondered if I knew of one.
Oh the pressure.
Was I ready to commit to island living among a local group?
I guess.
So I did.
Amid rainstorm and dark-of-night, we went... torch-carrying, (her term for flashlight), knitbag-toting, rainboot-wearing spectacles of foreign matter.
And it was good.
Like a nervous Nelly on the first day of school, but after awkward introductions, we dove right in. Rather, Meg (the visitor) did, lol. Losing no time, she broke right through the Yankee barrier with her warm and friendly chatter and knitting show-and-tell (can that woman knit!).
I ,on the other hand, knit silently getting the lay of the land.
We met the ubiquitous New England Stalwart, bustling, bristly, but the first one to offer help, the Local Expert (who with a quick turn of her head in thought was able to solve most knitting puzzles that evening), the Dazzler - that one in the group who has the best, the most detailed and pretty much all-time awesome show of a project, the Rebel - the one who chooses to do her own way and it looks fab, and others I save for a another rainy-day post.
Suffice it to say in the East, people Knit In Winter.
And by the end, I didn't feel so new-like-a-shiny-penny, was thoroughly welcomed into the fold and found that unlike some generalizations about New Englanders, these people were friendly, warm and accepting.
Now I could have been intimidated, but I was not.
I think.
I immediately went home and cast about for waaay too many knitting projects for Works-In-Progress Wednesday.
Here they are:
Burly Spun Wrap
And
Alene's Wrap
Next week, I am prepared.
Ok. Overprepared.
But next week, I will go back, and with a better project and better yarn.
Possibly, local yarn.
That should do it, lol.
Buy handmade and have a Good One. :)
You did it? You went to the knitting group.
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous.
You have given me courage, thought, to seek out a local knit group. We don't have as many here in Florida (think, non-winter) but I am on the hunt.
OK, so you're a 'wash-ashore.' What title can I claim? 'Wannabe' is just, so .... crass. I do have some (rather old) Vineyard credentials, you know.
I miss you and your knitting and the Vineyard.
...sigh
ReplyDeletethought = though
Sometimes spell check is of no help whatsoever.
Hm. You would be somewhere between a summer people and a washashore? I will have to think on this a bit lol.
ReplyDeleteAs for the knitting - I tried the libraries - yes, many groups - the senior centers - yes many groups and here they let "younger" seniors lol in - the yarn shops, last, not so many. Oh and some of the churches have prayer shawl groups. Look up prayer shawl ministry on the net and there's a link that does eventually show local groups, possibly in your area. That's what I did.
And I miss you and your knitting, too. And that cute Frank, too, lol. He is just like a teddy bear! I know you JUST got home, but COME VISIT!!
woohoo for joining the local knitting group! LOL I can only imagine what it's like living on the island....at least Newport is part of a whole...not like say, Block Island (which I have a feeling is very similar to MV)...but as a shy person, it is definitely tricky to sometimes just jump into something like that. I'm glad you had a good time though and I laughed at you description of the knitters...so true! I have no clue what my characteristic would be to an outsider...Probably the Weird Young One. haha
ReplyDeleteIf there was a local knitting group near me and there probably is, I'm not sure if I would be brave enough to go. I'm proud that you went though, I hope as you ease into it, you start to feel like a part of it.
ReplyDelete