Protection

There are so many difficult things in life from which I cannot protect myself or the people I love, but there are also so many little cute bits of happiness in the world. Here's one:

I love to knit. My knitting goes everywhere with me. I like long straight knitting needles for some projects, even though I'm now just as comfortable with circular needles or dpns. Long needles inevitably stick out of my carry bag. Sometimes I bump into people. Bumping into people while carrying long pointy sticks is not a good thing. These little balls of soft firm usefulness push onto the ends of my knitting needles. Now I don't have to worry about damaging a stranger at the shopping centre when I lose track of exactly where my knitting bag is amongst a crowd of shoppers. And my knitting is less likely to slide off my needles. It doesn't solve the problems of the world, but it's something!

Knitting on the Tram

One more advantage of using circular needles--it's so much easier to knit on a crowded tram. When I knit with my long straight needles anyone who sits on my right is liable to be poked in the ribs by a stray elbow or knitting needle. Turns out that's not very socially acceptable. With my circular needle my knitting sits neatly in my lap and my neighbours are safe.

I had to catch the tram into the city yesterday afternoon. I was accompanied by my bag of knitting, of course. Here's where that project is up to:

I'm pretty much guaranteed a conversation with a stranger when I knit on public transport. At the very least, a glance and a smile, or an enquiring look. Yesterday was a bonus. A young man got into the tram a stop or two after me. I was sitting, knitting away. I felt him watching my knitting and caught his eye. How to describe him? I'm guessing, in his early twenties; hair: half pitch black, half fire-engine red, style: straight up!

"What are you knitting?"

"It's a little cape. I've started from the top and I'm knitting down, increasing as I go", I said, holding it out for him to see. Somehow his 'what are you knitting?' question sounded knowledgable.

"Oh," he said, "I like to start at the bottom, and do my shaping with decreases"

"Mmmm, yeah,", I said, "except this is a handspun yarn and I have no idea how far it will go."

Intelligent nod . . . "Did you spin it yourself?" . . .

. . . turns out he's a spinner too. By this time the tram has reached Lygon St and we're just about level with the Guild rooms.

"Do you ever come to the Guild?"

. . . I told him about our Experimental Spinning group and invited him along. As he was about to jump off the tram, he confessed, that he has a loom as well.

I kept on with my knitting with a smile on my face.