Monday, November 23, 2009

"I Only Knit Dishcloths"

I was at a couple craft fairs this weekend and bought some really neat-o stuff. I got a couple super delicious homemade candy canes from a heavily tattooed, super cheerful dude. I got a copyright infringed handstitch Jack the Pumpkin King Christmas ornament, and a really awesome gift that I have been planning on buying for 2 years and finally got around to getting.
I saw a lady selling...well I can't remember what, it wasn't particularly memorable-it was something crafty and christmassy. She was knitting. I looked at her display and her knitting and I said "You knit at a craft show but you don't sell knitted goods?" and she laughed and said "Oh I only knit dishcloths." I think the look on my face said it all because she immediately added "They are all I know how to knit, I don't know how to do anything else." I laughed and said "If you can knit a dish cloth you can knit anything!!!" She didn't believe me. I said "No really! You can do a knit stitch, you can increase and decrease-all you have to do is learn a purl stitch and you can knit a whoel sweater!" I then expounded on the delights of learnign to knit in the modern age with access to the internet. I think I may have come across as a bit of a fanatic. But I just wanted to make her understand. She is knitting, she is increasing and decreasing (most dishcloths are knit corner to corner), she is knitting with cotton (which is one of the more annoying and least forgiving fibres to knit with). She is comfortable knitting while doing other things (extreme beginners have a singular focus on knitting-they can't really do anything else at the same time). She is knitting in public (a sure sign of a convert). She can knit ANYTHING.
I told her about ravelry. I showed her the knitting I had in my purse (a mitten).
I don't know if she will listen to me. She might go home and throw her knitting in the garbage and tell her family that knitting is for crazy people...but she seemed receptive and she seemed really interested in teh idea of knitting other things. I hope I was able to influence her to join us...
I have taught 2 people how to knit and constantly encourage other people to try and learn or to try and learn more. I encourage everyone out there to teach others how to knit. we could be like Amway, (or JW's) only without the weird vitamins and awkward "cold calls."

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