Class chatter and knit chit-chat

Class was insanity. Knitting is the new Pilates, everyone is doing it (including me). Except I would never do Pilates, because exercise can kill you.

My co-worker did indeed drive out to the Valley from San Gabriel to attend the knitting class at Lani's. There were two other beginners in the class and both picked really tiny yarn, yikes!, plus me, Shannon, the instructor and a lady who brought her daughter and about 27 unfinished knitting works-in-progress. I meant to tell the works-in-progress lady that her daughter was exceptionally well-behaved and lovely but I forgot, so next week I hope she's there.

Needless to say, with that many new people I did not mention ripping out my Tokyo scarf. It would have been an embarrassing diversion and the teacher was already swamped with needy knitters. Shannon and I chatted most of the time, she's working on her shawl and I decided to finish the fuzzy Crystal Palace scarf and maybe finally learn casting off, thereby picking up one skill and prolonging the pain of scarf indecision for another week. I did buy two balls of Tokyo and our teacher joined the yarn, so some probably futile work was done on it, but not too much.

Co-worker Friend picked out a really pretty cotton tape and she's on size 13 needles so it should go fast. We didn't get to talk at all during class since we were at opposite ends of the table and I felt really bad because the instructor was busy, but as it turned out one of the workers at the shop named Meadow gave her some one-on-one instruction and Co-worker caught on really fast.

Aside: How much do you love the Valley, where women in Uggs attend knitting class at a shop where a girl named Meadow can help you select a $25 hank of yarn?

Now, cue the parting of the clouds and envision a wide swath of sunlight and angels singing in the background...

I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO FINISH A DAMN SCARF.

The teacher showed me how to cast off stitches and my fuzzy Crystal Palace scarf became my very first completed knitting project! I draped it around Shannon's neck to see how it looked ... and she looked amazing in it. It was totally right on her. She was fondling it and cooing to it ("Ooooh, softy soft!") and I was so happy someone wasn't embarrassed to wear a scarf I knitted that I happily gave it to her. And she genuinely liked it, though she is an actress so perhaps she was acting, who cares! I was pleased as peach pie.

After class the shop was still insanely busy but I somehow managed to buy two pairs of Lantern Moon needles (size 15 and 13, both 14" long), the two balls of Tokyo for my possibly-about-to-be-ripped-out scarf, a fuzzy novelty yarn to maybe mix in the fringe of the maybe-ripped-out scarf, and an amazing hand-painted mohair in deepest blues and greens. I LOVE MOHAIR. LOVE it.

Karman picked up Shannon after class and before long she was wearing the scarf I had just made. I was tickled pink.

Hot damn, ya'll, I'm a knitter!