a simple yarn

Warning, Pollyanna-Type Cheerleading Session To Follow:
I wouldn’t call myself overly-sentimental-or-pie-in-the-sky, but can I share an observation? I just think it’s way cool that something as simple and innocent as knitting (or insert your favourite fibre-related craft noun here) can bring together people who not long ago were total strangers…

Right, so as I said, today was the first day of Dublin’s Knitting and Stitching Show. An understatement to say that it was a very long day. Long but enjoyable. But, let’s start with a general lay of the land….

View from above….

A favourite project by the Connacht Weavers & Spinners Group
featuring a bogland themeDid the typical demonstrating, hawking wares, promoting the Guild stuff in the morning. Did a walkabout in the vendors hall in the afternoon. Fairly restrained, I’d say. Did Husband-Will a favour by pre-selecting-and-pre-purchasing some Christmas pressies he can surprise me with…

Saw lots of people I know and have come to know in my fibre pursuits…Ireland’s not that big you know. More like homecoming or a class reunion you’d think. Saw a previous neighbour I hadn’t seen in more than 2 years. Also chatted with Blog-Reader-Lindy (Hiya!). Hung out at This Is Knit and wasn’t content with just buying yarn, but felt compelled to continually go back and have a chat with Lisa and Jacqui. They’re very patient with such drop-ins. Also dropped in at Craftspun repeatedly. More meet ups. More chat.

And then came one of my favourite parts….got together with ‘the girls’ for tea and what else, knitting. Had 3 of the Dublin knitting groups represented in an ad hoc knitting/chat session in the café area. Compared purchases, each sharing readily to the ‘where’d you get that?’ enquiries.

You’d think that at a knitting show there’d be more knitting, but I’m thinking we were the only ones with needles flying.

Eventually, toward the end of the day, Holly was finished working at the Feltmakers Ireland stand, Sharon had come up from Wexford, Sara got off work and along with Isobel and myself, who’d had a full day of it, gathered together for a brief catch-up before each going our own way.

How relatively ordinary, this sharing of our news….
‘I got a new hair cut,’ say I, quite stupidly, as if they couldn’t see the blazing short blonde streaks for themselves.
‘I think we should go to the new Paperchase shop,’ says Sara.
‘I’m leaving for New Zealand for a year,’ Sharon casually adds.

Stunned silence. Wow! Some people will go to great lengths to acquire good knitting yarn and four others are green with envy! And so we, who were not long ago strangers, will soon bid a fond and temporary farewell to one of our dear five, which will, for the time being, have to be re-named, ‘We-Five-On-Two-Continents.’

(New Zealand…..hmmm….I’m thinking fibre field trip for my next birthday….)