Moving...

Hello!
I've moved to https://laurenthehuman.wordpress.com
KTHXBAI

Tube travel protocol..

The first time I took my knitting out on the train, I instantly felt like I was being stared at. And let's be honest, I probably was being stared at. I'm 29, (I was 28 at the time), dressed smartly in shirt, black trouser suit, and I'm knitting. During rush hour. This was against protocol. That said, the moment I actually started knitting, I sunk into my own little world, and I felt comfortable. I've taken my knitting almost everywhere with me ever since.

See, there are unspoken rules about travelling on the tube in London.

Avoid eye contact at all times. - somehow, with what feels like hundreds of people in every carriage, we all seem to find some spot to stare at that isn't occupied by another persons face. Don't zone out too much, otherwise your gaze may shift, and you'll find someone staring back at you, frowning.

Don't dawdle
When you're getting on a train, you'd better hurry the hell up, or you'll end up trampled under the stampede of 100 people after than one seat that they're sure is rightly theirs.

Don't stand in the 'wrong' place.
Don't stand where the middle of the doors are opening, even though this isn't signposted anywhere, so you have to guess by looking at the pattern of the regular travellers.
Don't stop at the bottom of the escalator/stairs.
And whatever you do, do not stand on the left-hand side of the escalator.

Don't talk to anyone.
Any finally we get to the rule, that was broken because I was knitting.
Don't talk to anyone - and if you do, it had better be so damn quiet that people only look up for a second, tut just once, and look back down at their paper.

I was always an avid reader on my commute though, so in a way of being able to do both, I signed up to audible, and started listening to my books. Haven't had any problems with this combination as yet, apart from when a narrater lists of numbers, and I'm trying to count stitches. That results in a mess.

But, there was a happening. I had left my earphones at home, but started my knitting on my way home. A woman sees me from across the carriage, and wrestles her way across, to stand diagonally across from where I'm sitting. In the loudest voice possible (probably felt louder as us Londoners never speak to each other, and avoid eye contact, and tut at those who do decide to talk, at all) started going on about how amazing it was that I was knitting.
I panicked.
What was she doing?
This completely goes against tube protocol.
How do I respond?
It got worse before I could say anything, she started trying to engage other travellers in looking at me knitting. Like I was some sort of tourist attraction.  "Look! don't you think what she's doing is amazing? Well? Don't you?"
I muttered 'thanks' quietly.. and she got off at the next stop. But I could feel that all eyes were on me. I was the one that had instigated the breach of tube travel protocol.I had caused a scene. I felt like I'd sneezed in public during the black plague.

Since then, I've been extra careful to had my earphones with me.
And I want to clarify - if someone wants to talk to me about my knitting, then please do - I'm excited to meet fellow knitters. But shouting, on a busy tube, and trying to get strangers to look at me seriously freaks me out, and is not the best way to go about conversing with someone like me.

Ambivert knitter

Most of my close friends would say that I'm an extrovert.
And all of my colleagues would say I'm an introvert.
Both are right, and wrong. I'm an ambivert.
An ambivert can fall into a few different categories, some people are just both at the same time, but for me, I'm more situational. I'm either one or the other.
When I'm around close friends, I find it very easy talking to strangers. I almost seek out strangers to talk to when in that situation, because in that situation, I love talking.
But, in other situations, I hate talking to new people, it makes me nervous, and definitely of people I don't know. I hate social events that require me to talk to people, and avoid them by all means necessary. I'm not going to go into some of the crazy stories I've come up with to get out of these things.

Recently my husband and I moved to a new area, just outside of London on the border of London, and it's the first time I've lived in a different area of London in 10 years.
I started listening to Knit 1, Geek 2, a knitting podcast which combines both my loves.. all things geek related, and knitting. In the very first podcast, Maggie explains the importance of joining a knitting group, especially when you're new to an area.
That was the push I needed, and I was excited. Excited, excited.. terrified.
I was fine, up until the day of the meet up. The moment I got off the bus, I froze.  What if they were all a lot older than me? What if they looked at me knitting and said I was doing it all wrong? What if they thought I was a total noob. What if there was only one or two people there and they were long time friends and I ended up sat in silence?
I circled the area for a while, texted my husband, who helped me think up some 'escape plan' sentences, and I forced myself to walk into the pub.
Someone instantly started waving me over, and I went and sat with a group of strangers.
I introduced myself, albeit rather quietly, and started knitting.
At this point, I'd like to seriously thank those around me. They started talking to me straight away, and after a little while, I came out of my shell, and hit the middle of the spectrum - I wasn't freaking out, and was starting to get comfortable.

The next meet up is this Saturday, and I cannot wait.

Hello from the otter slide..

Hello all!
Welcome to my first post, as LDNKnitter!
I'm very much a beginner knitter, but I'm gradually pushing myself to start more and more complicated knitting patterns.
So, let's have a bit of a status update on what's on the needles right now..

The Baby Blanket of Boredom.
Ugh. I hate this blanket. I hate it.. so much.. I started it at the beginning of the year when I was first informed that I was soon be become an Aunty (not for the first time, but the first time I'm getting a chance to knit anything for said young'un)
Well, I bought just two skeins of yarn, from Loop near Angel. The woman who served me said "well, that's a start.." and I didn't realise register that she was insinuating that I'd need a lot more yarn. Then I started knitting. I wasn't really following any sort of pattern as such.. just a garter border and stockinette. And it's so.. so.. boring to knit. It looks boring too. So, I'm considering frogging it, and looking for another pattern.
I definitely want to do a blanket, and definitely with this yarn. I specifically sought it out, as it's the same colour as the blanket my little brother (the new dad) had when he was a kid.
Want to know how boring this blanket really is? I don't even have photos of it. That's how boring.

The Irish Hiking scarf
Irish Knitting Scarf on Ravelry

Considering last year I started my Christmas knitting in November, with much stress and regret, this year, I've started. And it starts, with learning how to comfortably cable.
I'm in love with this pattern, and the colour way of this yarn is leading me towards this being a mans scarf, but man does this yarn shed all over me. Note to self, don't knit whilst wearing black.


The Wayfarer
Wayfarer on Ravelry

Yeeesss.. I'm so close to finishing this!
I bought the Doomsday Knits book at the end of last year, freaked out at how complex some of the patterns looked, and focussed on sorting out my wedding (and the baby blanket of boredom). On reading through the book again recently, I took it upon myself to start the Wayfarer. No regrets. I'm just about to start the second lace section, and then it's done.
SQUEE