Successful Kitty Swap

I went to (one of) my knitting group(s) last night. I had a blast. There were so many of us there. At least knitters and crocheters turned up. We took up over half the coffee shop and we garnered many a strange look. It must have been a sight to behold. A range of women in all ages, shapes and sizes, cackling like witches, shrieking with laughter and yelling down the length of the tables about wips, stashes and cables. If you didn't see the knitting you might have thought it was a convention of drug taking bondage experts.

Part of the reason there were so many of us there, was a large number of folk came for the first time. These new attendees came after speaking to a couple of us, who already go, on the Ravelry forum for Leicestershire Knitters. It really makes a difference to gaining new members when you can talk to them before they attend. It encourages shy people who might normally not get the courage to walk into a strange place on their own.

I love the way Ravelry has opened doors into a whole universe of knitterliness (my word for neighbourliness between knitters). Patterns, yarns, needles and anecdotes from people who understand my weakness in the face of my yarn supplier. How can I not love such a place? What makes it even better, is meeting some of these lovely people in the flesh. There is something so unifying about knitting in public together. It feels brazen, somehow, to join together in a public place and knit or crochet without care. I just wish I had more bottle about knitting in public when I am on my own, I still feel a little reluctant, I know I shouldn't but for some reason I feel that I will be ridiculed for being a young woman who knits. I don't know why I would think that way when most of the knitters I know, are around my age. I will knit in public more often and will be part of the knitting in public vanguard that is making knitting fashionable again.

Oh yes before I forget, the title of this entry was about my successful kitty swap. You saw my kitty in the previous entry, but here is a pic of my received kitty. His name is Skittle and he came from the lovely Liz along with a little knitted bag of handmade stitch markers, a basket, a diary, a pen, buttons, key ring and pattern to make the lovely Skittle. The swap was carried out at the knitting group last night and it was lovely to exchange gifts in person. It is a fabulous feeling to receive presents from strangers, which is obviously why the swap was set up and is successful.



This little package put me to shame. My only excuse is that I have spent the last few days sewing up my knitting bag. I still have plenty to do on it, but I think I have all the materials now. Hopefully by my next entry I will have some photos for you to look at. I am quite pleased with it as it stands, I hope I don't ruin it over the next stages.