how lame am i

how lame am i?  i can't even complete one week of blogs.  & i have two readers who have written they have missed my posts.  how about that????!!  one of the things i have struggled to do is embrace the ordinary & blogging can be good for doing that.  what i know about me is that i'm great- even spectacular- at starting & i'm abysmally challenged when it comes to finishing.  always been that way, it seems.  

knitting has proved an exception.  about four years ago, i was traveling a bit & taking long airplane flights (9+hours/leg).  i decided knitting would be a good way to pass the time on the plane while i watched movies.  i figured it would probably go the way of most of my attempts at taking up a new hobby.  i would buy all the accessories (of course) & then i would do a little knitting.  i would end up with tons of unused yarn & a plethora of half-completed projects.  i also held out the smallest bit of hope that this time it would be different.  so i enrolled in a beginning class at the closest local yarn shop (i think it was january 2005).  i didn't find my classmates overly friendly & i was a bit put off by the instructor, but i stuck with it.  my originial goal was to make a square- after two lessons, i decided i would be happy with a shape!  i was making mostly scarves.  i learned to knit & purl- not much beyond that.  one day i was in carytown & i was stuck with my knitting.  i stopped in at the new yarn shop in carytown called the yarn lounge to see if i could get some assistance.  stewart, the shop owner, was there & showed me how to undo stitches- something my current instructor did not do (she just took your knitting, corrected it & gave it back to you).  stewart was obviously a better teacher.  stewart was so helpful & fun to talk with - i switched my classes to the yarn lounge.  i might have been the only student for one class.  i always took the class on sunday mornings (latter dubbed "yarn church").  it was so clear how much stewart enjoyed imparting her passion for knitting & her love of it.  she is a very patient teacher & convinces you that it is okay to set your sights higher.  in no time at all, she had me making a baby sweater.  i recall the year that lance armstrong was going for his sixth win in the tour de france (as some of you may know, every july in my home, life stops- there are no vacations, no commitments that might interfere with the viewing of the tour-  danny is passionate about his love of cycling).  i was late to class one sunday morning (imagine- me late!!??).  it was the morning of a most exciting tour & i had stayed to watch.  on my in to the store for class, i realized that the next sunday was the tour conclusion & i really wanted to watch him ride triumphantly into paris.  i came in telling my explanation of lateness & stewart smiled & turned her computer to me- she was watching the tour on streaming video & we both smiled!  the following week, she brought a television in & had her dad hook it up & we watched lance roll into paris for number six, while the other class members were wondering how this could capture any one's attention...

what i have found since at the yarn lounge (tyl) is wonderful.  stewart & her #1 employee & partner in crime, melanie, have created a wonderful atmosphere.  it is warm & cozy & patient- they are always willing to help when you are stuck, when you need stitches taken out, when you need mistakes corrected.  i have met the most marvelous & interesting women at the shop.  we span the decades in terms of ages.  cate, who was my teacher for yarn church is past the fifth decade of living & there are a lot of 20 somethings & thirtyish types.  i went to a bruce springsteen concert with some of my yarn buds & made a 50-year old spectacle of myself.  i realized, though, that the first time i saw bruce live (1974), melanie had not yet been born!  the women at the lounge are wildly creative types- both in talent & spirit.  it reminds me of when i was running- runners were always encouraging.  someone who ran an 8-minute mile was excited for me when i broke a 13-minute mile.  all they cared about was that you were out there & working at it.  knitters are the same way (FYI- bicyclists are not- at least according to my husband).  these women are incredible knitters- they make beautiful creations.  robin is amazing at knitting & usually creates her own patterns.  & yet she is encouraging of my little one color only projects.  teri-kay is so prolific - she has a new sweater or some other knitted creation every week.  courtney makes beautiful objects & they look gorgeous on her.  melanie & stewart are amazing of course at their knitting- so many wonderful knitters who are not being mentioned.  cate caught the sock bug a couple of years ago & has created the most incredible socks (& i was the lucky recipient of a pair).  there are of course many who aren't being named- suffice it to say they are amazing women & some men.  they just love knitting & love that we are all sharing a passion.  we sit around the lovely old farm table that stewart has in the shop & talk politics, men, history, bruce springsteen, stories on NPR & this american life, books & literature, films, & what we're working on at the moment.  one of the regulars has a beach cottage & hosts a beach knit a couple of times a year.  we go for  the weekend & knit.  we went to stewart's wedding a couple of weeks back & the knitters all had their knitting at the reception (not for long though- we were soon dancing & imbibing & knitting got left behind- it's not a good idea to drink too much & knit).  i feel so luck to have happened upon this little pocket of the world where these women gather & knit & talk & eat & laugh-  truly a special place.  nothing like sisterhood.  my hope would be that everyone who reads this (both of you) have a place like that.  

& last weekend i made it in to the shop after a long break.  stewart was back from her honeymoon in ireland & looked absolutely radiant.  since i stopped taking classes, my attendance has gotten erratic.  i love it when i get in & always promise myself to get in more regularly.  i was glad to make it last weekend.  it was a nice relaxing weekend with very few actual accomplishments.  danny, of course, accomplished a great deal- painting the trim on the house, painting on the inside, replacing windows, making a window well.  & i can't even make dinner...   luckily, he forgives me & loves me anyway.  i did start putting the buttons on a sweater i am close to finishing.  does that count?  & i fed the dog.  & made the bed.  & went to the yarn lounge.  it was an exhausting day.

one of the things i have struggled with is to embrace & honor the ordinary & blogging is kind of good for that. i find myself thinking about the minutiae of  my day.  since my sister moved from richmond, i don't have anyone i talk to every day like we used to- those kind of friends are few & far between.  so i'll end this entry with a deep appreciation of the ordinary.   an appreciation for a great weekend with nothing spectacular & gratitude for stewart & her shop & my knitting pals- it's a group i feel honored to be a part of & to have been welcomed.