When You Find Your Bestie
“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.”
Dear One,
I'm guessing you remember the day you met each of your dearest friends. Was it on the playground when the two of you laughed at the same silly thing? Was it when the new kid in your high school class ended up having a locker near yours and you struck up a converstation? Was it freshman year of college when you realized you and your roommate had weirdly similar taste in...everything? Was it in a learn-to-knit or crochet class? Or book club? Or yoga group?
I have strong, happy memories of making friends with a group of smart, kind girls in seventh grade. That was the year the country schools dumped their unsophisticated graduates into the main public school pipeline. I went from a class of eight to a class of 120. And does it get any tougher than seventh grade? But I got lucky. I somehow fell in with good kids who---while decidedly cooler than I was---were not so completely cool that they didn't welcome a new pal.
There is something magical that happens when you meet your soulmates. A clicking into place. A rightness. A settling in. A letting out of breath you didn't realize you were holding.
I think a wee version of that sense of rightness sometimes settles over me when I find the right yarn and the right pattern. This happened to me last week when I decided to knit the Mudo by Saskie&Co AND picked these yarns to work with...
The background (main) yarn is Scout by Kelbourne Woolens. It's a DK weight blend of Corriedale (for strength) and Merino (for softness) that comes in a lovely palette of heathered colors. I've been wanting to get my hands on it for at least a year.
The colorwork (contrast) yarn is Entropy DK by Feederbrook Farm---a beautiful hand-dyed Bluefaced Leicester that is wildly color changing in its multi-color version. The colorwork stretches are little adventures unto themselves, as I never know exactly what's going to show up next!
Last Friday I arrived at the shop to show my very early-stage sweater to everyone. I was already in love with the yarn and the pattern, but I was trying to stuff the knitting, the extra yarn, the pattern, and my Cocoknits Makers Board (magnetic, perfect for following charts) into a bag that really couldn't handle the situation.
And then, like the last piece of a puzzle fitting into place, I spotted the Steele Canvas Utility Tote on display. It's an item new to Yarnology, but we've long admired the Steele Canvas Basket Corp as a great US manufacturer. Into this Mary Poppins-esque bag I plopped my extra skeins, my pattern on the Makers Board, my knitting project and a water bottle. I have so much room left that I could throw in my jammies and some toiletries and head to a sleepover...but it doesn't feel too big for my current needs. What magic is this?
If this made you think of a dear friend and the particular charm of the day you met, please reach out and tell that person you're thinking of them. If this reminded you of someone you'd like to know better, I dare you to invite that person to coffee/tea/wine. There just aren't enough spontaneous, friendly phone calls, letters, and texts in the world.
Warmly,
Gaby
On-Going Opportunities:
Makers Mornings -- typically the 3rd Saturday of each month
Beginning Crochet Class -- usually once per month on a Thursday afternoon
Beginning Knit Class -- usually once per month on a Thursday afternoon
