Recipe for a Knitting Morning

I will apologize right from the start and admit that I forgot to take pictures yesterday, in spite of my best intentions, and in spite of the camera sitting right here on the desk.

Yesterday morning I had a house full of knitting friends, and I wondered why I don't do this more often. Other than the fact that I seem to spend the rest of the day recovering on the couch!

First, start with good company! I invited Lynn, who has never been to our house before, Desi with Elizabeth Rose and her husband, Dave, who was the designated driver. Tia and her baby, Leia, who is the cutest thing on two legs and incredibly alert. Linda, one of my students. She is knitting a very funky, very colorful sweater that we are designing as we go along. Last week we steeked her sweater into a cardi - actually, I cut while she sweat bullets - and yesterday she got to show her project off to admiring knitters. I also invited Marianne, who is always great fun at a knitting party, but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well and decided to opt out for this time. My own DH hung out with us to keep Dave company and chat with the girls. Normally he would have made a beeline for Starbucks and stayed there til he got the all-clear from me, but he seemed to have a great time along with the rest of us. He is also absolutely indispensable for entertaining as he is always great about carting in chairs, making the coffee, and generally making sure people have what they would like. (Who knew we were out of sugar?)

Next, have some light food on hand. Desi and Dave brought some wonderful iced shortbread cookies, and I had on hand lots of cut fruit and assorted beverages, and in my own classy style, served it all up on paper plates!

Thirdly, make sure you have something easy to knit, because with two babies on hand and lots of excited adults who were delirious to talk knitting with a room full of people all at once, you can't handle distractions. I think Lynn cast on for her second sock over and over again pretty much the entire morning, and I found that even though I was witty enough to cast on my second sock the evening before, yesterday I was sitting facing our big windows and couldn't see the stitch pattern in the dark sock yarn for beans! So instead, I did the next best thing, put my knitting down and held Elizabeth Rose while she napped. DH was dandling Leia at the same time.

The conversation, as always, takes care of itself. We talked about everything from various patterns, to yarn stashes and knitting books and favorite customers. I gave the tour of my beloved new needle-felting machine and knitting machine, and showed off my first project from both, a fulled and needle-felted, embroidered and beaded pillow. I might knit up another base for one on the knitting machine this morning. My husband also loves to give the tour of the wonderfully colorful dish collection we have hanging on every available wall, thanks to the artistry of my friend Berry of Berryware.

Lynn, Marianne and Desi and I all work together at Kiwi, and although we talk about knitting a lot of the time when we see each other, having a knitting morning is a great way to get to know each other better. And it is a given that all of our co-workers know how to knit and crochet. Tia was working on a wonderful crocheted baby blanket, Desi can't knit right now because of having carpal tunnel surgery last week, with the other hand due in six weeks' time. Lynn cast on like Sisyphus pushing his rock up the hill, and I surrendered knitting - which I do every day - in favor of babies, which I see too seldom. It was wonderful to watch Dave carrying his daughter around, she looked like an ant on the side of a mountain.

So I encourage you, who all must know some other knitters and crocheters, to set aside a morning or evening and have a pile of raucous knitters over. You'll all have a great time.