Knitting on the Outside

I love to knit outside my home - and i'm not exactly sure why. I like knitting on the subway, knitting on line at the post office and knitting in any available food establishment - and that's just naming a few. I was sitting at the new Whole Foods, overlooking Union Square when it occurred to me that I could be home in my comfy kitchen/dining room knitting away in a jazz ambient room. Yet, there i was in the new coffee bar at Whole Foods, rain pounding on the window that overlooks Union Square park, contemplating the importance of my surroundings. A cup of mediocre coffee to my right (I make far better in my own home) and happy in the middle of the hustle and bustle. A few days later I was in a comfy chair in starbucks, the one on spring street, where the crowd is diverse, to say the least, and there are always more patrons than chairs. I waited on line, with my knitting, for at least l5 mins. to pay an exorbitant amount for another mediocre cup of coffee and to seize a well-worn chair next to a window. There I sat, like mother McCree, knitting away on a little alpaca fichu (picture to follow). Is it the need to be noticed? I don't think so since one can do just about anything in this town, short of murder (sometimes including that) and not be noticed. Is it the community? What community? I'm the only one knitting. Is it the need to not be alone? I'm practically an only child - alone is one of my favorite states of being. i'm not sure, but somehow it's so comfy (and comforting) to be surrounded by others while I'm knitting. It's as if I'm creating a little warm homey spot in the middle of the city's hustle and bustle. It pleases me beyond explanation. If you, too, like to knit alone in public, please let me know your thoughts on this.


In the meantime, here are some examples of the things that I have been toting along on my sojourns. The first is a side-ways picture (it takes too long to explain this or to try and staighten the darn thing out) of my newest little beauty from Scarf Style. It is a close up of a wonderful little fichu (correct spelling, pls, i failed french twice) that comes from one of my new favorite books, Scarf Style (by Pam Allen). This is my very first beaded project and I loved it. I used an alpaca warm brown and blended it with black in order to give it a little contrast. The alpaca came from an acquaintance's farm: Her alpacas give the most beautiful wool that turns into the most beautiful alpaca yarn i have ever worked with. It's worth checking out www.whitelighteningfarm.com. Next to it you will see my Rowenta Iron. This is the iron that can tame any Stockinette Stitch. It simply steams any and all curly wurlies into submission and is the true heroine behind my knitting career.
The second is a hat I made for my 5 year old god-daughter, Olivia. It's felted and the original wool is from Cascade. It is cascade 220 in a fabulous shade and i accented it with a little light spring green. Olivia has strawberry blonde hair and she's lovely so this will add a little more lovliness to her life, hopefully. The last picture is a sweater I knitted for myself. It fits well (i'm quite pleased - especially with the neck) It's from the Spring issue of Sandra which contains a plethora (love that word!) of great summer knits. href="http://">http://www.germandeli.com/sandra.html. It's made in a wonderful cotton/nylon blend from Katia called ALBA. Sadly, I think it's been disscontinued. It's terrific stuff.

As you will see, I knitted the scarf and my sweater in true New York City fashion dark colors. It may be spring, but we don't get carried away by frivolity here in a city that reserves its brightest colors for its parks and its young children. A fashion note: a friend of mine, who is a fashion director for a major publication told me that she attended a trend forecast presentation the other day. The news from that corner of the universe is: Black is Back! I never knew it went away! In a city where soot is more ubiquitous than fresh air, one can never go wrong with that most basic of non-colors. Besides, dark colors make me look thinner - and for that reason they will always be in style for me!