WWKIP Day Wrap Up by Carrie of Like Clochework

by Carrie of Like Clochework

In honor of World Wide Knit in Public Day on Saturday, June 13, I did what I had once thought impossible: I learned to knit.

I am a crocheter, hardcore; always have been, always will be. So when WWKiP Day rolled around and my local stitch n’ bitch ladies started planning a big event and getting excited, I started getting nervous. You see, I’ve been “taught” knitting twice before, and both attempts ended with me trying to gouge my brain out with those pointy sticks. Not good. But since I’m the co-leader of said local stitch n’ bitch, I tightened my belt and threw myself into planning Boyertown’s first annual Knit in Public celebration.

It was a blast. Approximately 15 people gathered on the front porch of the Hard Bean Cafe on Philadelphia Avenue, including yarn vendors Saffron Dyeworksand Glory by Jeannie Lee, to celebrate one of the world’s most popular crafts. The yarn was gorgeous, the talk lively, and the coffee iced to ward off the humidity.

As we felt fiber, ooohed over custom stitch markers, and worked on current projects, suddenly 15 people – some complete strangers – were talking and laughing and bonding over one thing: yarn. It didn’t matter if we knit or crocheted or dyed or spun (or all of the above), we had a common love that linked us together.

As Boyertown Stitch n’ Bitch member Donna Bowlin said, it was amazing “how everyone got along with no effort at all and we wound up, even the two vendors, laughing and talking while we stitched… we weren’t strangers at all.” DeAnna from Saffron Dyeworks agreed, saying she felt “right at home.”

Another S’nB member, Connie, mentioned how nice it was to be out with other knitters. “I knit shamelessly everywhere I can,” she said. “But I’m usually the only one, so it was nice to do it together. Made me feel not so alone.” …I knit shamelessly everywhere I can…

Somewhere in between the plarn (plastic yarn) making lesson and Jeannie’s spinning demonstration, DeAnna was finally able to break through the fluff in my brain and teach me to knit. Apparently I was never taught the right style for me: Continental. Jeannie also taught me how to spin my plarn, so now I have a skein of lace-weight plastic with the homework assignment of knitting it into a lunch bag. It just might get finished before next June.

World Wide Knit in Public Day was begun by Danielle Landes in 2005 as a way for knitters to gather and enjoy one another’s company. If you missed it this past weekend, never fear: June 20-21 are also Knit in Public Days! Visit WWKIP on the web for more information or to find a celebration near you. Meantime, we’ll be planning our 2010 event.

The Boyertown Area Stitch n’ Bitch meets every Sunday from 2-4:00 p.m. at the Hard Bean Cafe, 128 E. Philadelphia Avenue in Boyertown. Feel free to join us, or sign up with Ravelry to find a group near you.