knit wits

On a whim I stopped at The Yarn House yesterday on my way home from lunch with a friend. Had never been there - a converted old house stuffed to the gills with all things woolly. The owner, Shirley, has worked there for 40 years. She was a bit puttery and a tad confuddled now and then, but she knew her knitting.

While there, a customer came in in a tizzy - rather rude at first - sort of burst in the door, interrupting our conversation as she asked for help. Woman in her late 60's who I'm guessing needs more human interaction! So I wandered into the book room and became totally overwhelmed with options. Ms. Rude had a scarf in her hands that intrigued me, and was yakking away about needing another ball of such and such in order to finish the scarf. She just kept talking, and said she uses up all her odds and ends on these diagonally knit scarves.

Knowing that I have a treasure trove of expensive wools in my basement, I ventured to ask her about the scarf, and she sweetened right up and told me step by step. As I wrote it down she was patient and kind - obviously pleased with the mentor role.

Years ago a co-worker's mom passed away and she brought me a huge box of cool wools - her mom had been a weaver, buying a skein of two of whatever grabbed her. While I admire and pet them often, there's not really enough of any one kind to make anything substantial. I have a few ideas now, including diagonal scarves.

I purchased some lovely birch tree needles, hand made in Rhode Island, and two sets of rustic needles hand made in the back room. When I asked where the short stubby needles had been made, and why, she explained that the old man sleeping in the back room had made them for her to get onto an airplane. Once he made an unobtrusive enough pair to not be considered a weapon, she knew he was onto something, and now he sells them in the shop. They are funny, but so quaint that I had to have a pair. He was about 120 years old, and very sound asleep against a file cabinet. The Yarn House visit was a bit surreal.

I stayed up too late last night knitting. Watched TWO movies (I don't recall the last time I watched a whole movie...) - Wall-E and To Catch a Thief. A completely different sort of evening for me. I love the scarf, it's super simple, and I have plans for about 102 more... :D I really can be easily amused...